USA Triathlon Names 2014 Elite Triathletes of the Year

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — ITU World Champion Gwen Jorgensen headlines the 13 honorees selected as the 2014 Elite Triathletes of the Year, announced today by USA Triathlon and selected by the National Governing Body’s Athlete Advisory Council (AAC).

“2014 was a year full of great performances by U.S. elite athletes. It seems that each year our athletes turn in better and better performances. From rookies to the top-ranked athletes, there were so many strong performances that selecting winners from the list of nominees was a difficult task,” said Joel Rosinbum, chair of the USA Triathlon AAC. “In the end we selected a group of athletes whose incredible performances make them stand out as the very best our country has to offer. The AAC would like to congratulate all the 2014 Athletes of the Year and wish them and all athletes continued success in 2015.”

Jorgensen (St. Paul, Minn.) is a repeat winner of the Olympic/ITU Athlete of the Year award, making history in 2014 as the only woman in the world to win eight career ITU World Triathlon Series (WTS) events. Jorgensen logged five consecutive wins in WTS events in 2014, including the series Grand Final in Edmonton, Alberta, to clinch the world title — the first for the U.S. in 10 years.

Kendall Gretsch (PT1, Madison, Wis.) and Aaron Scheidies (PT5, Seattle, Wash.) earned recognition as the Paratriathletes of the Year. The two athletes excelled in events in the U.S. and abroad, with Gretsch winning her sport class in four events and Scheidies winning five events. Wins for both athletes include the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships, PATCO Championships and USA Paratriathlon Nationals

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