Young triathletes shine in NMITF point series

(Last of two-part series)

The 2006 NMITF Kids Tryathlon Points Series came to a close after the recent TagaKids Tryathlon last April 9, and for their efforts throughout the season, top performers were recognized by organizers and presented with trophies.

Leading the way for the boys’ 10-11 age group was Clay McCullough-Stearns, who placed second in the season finale but still recorded the most points with 39 to top his division. The young gun won two of the four races in the series and placed runner-up in the other two. He also earned four bonus points for competing in all four races.

Following McCullough-Stearns were Rafael Jones and Crosby Schultz with 29 and 28 points, respectively. Jones improved as the season matured as he started off with two fourth-place finishes before taking runner-up in the third race and third place in the TagaKids, while Schultz was consistent throughout the season, taking third place in the first three races and finishing in fourth in the TagaKids. Both also earned four bonus points for taking part in all races.

TagaKids winners R.J. Knecht and Colin Sinclair finished with 22 and seven points, with Knecht also winning the second race of the series.

In the girls’ corner, Ashley Northen was able to take top honors as she won three of the four races, including the TagaKids to finish with 41 points, while Amber Roberts and Dominique Austin placed second and third with 34 and nine points. Roberts finished in second in three of the four races and was third in the second race of the season. Austin competed in one race and won it. Tatiana Calvo (8) and Abby Hudkins (6) round up the triathletes in the division.

For his part, Bradley Brostrom earned the first place trophy in the boys’ 12-13 age group after topping the TagaKids. He entered TagaKids with nine points and holding just a two-point lead over fellow standout Lucas Knecht. After trailing Knecht in the swim, Brostrom closed the gap on the bike and took the lead on the run to finish first and earned 12 points to finish with 21 points. Knecht placed second with 17 points, while Kai Staahl took third place with eight points. Tyler Sinclair won the first race of the series but was not able to compete in the remaining races after moving from Saipan and finished in fourth place.

Emma McCullough-Stearns won the girls’ 12-13 category as she competed in all the races, winning two of the four, while placing second in the other two races, including the TagaKids. With her performances and the four bonus points, she finished with 39 points, while Madison Schultz placed second with 29 points after taking second in two races and fourth in the other two. Shane Jones placed third with 26 points with three third place finishes and a fifth place finish.

TagaKids winners Sarah Johnson (22), Zoe Jewell (8), and Sophia Barlas (1) also competed in the division.