INFO | USA Triathlon event home page
NEWS | USA Triathlon event recap
 
Miami, Fla.----The Wingate University men's triathlon club team won the national championship in the 2025 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships Saturday inside the Homestead Speedway. The Bulldogs finished with 34 points; four-time defending national champion Queens University of Charlotte was second with 82 points. Wingate junior Humberto Castañeiras finished fourth in the combined event standings.
 
Wingate head coach Nick Radkewich and his troops have had a school year for the ages, as he led the Wingate women's triathlon team to an NCAA Division II national championship in the fall and the men's triathlon club team to a national championship in the spring. Radkewich provided the Wingate athletic communications office with his expert commentary about this weekend's event.
 
Wingate head coach Nick Radkewich
National championship weekend commentary
 
"It was a challenging national championship weekend with hot and very windy conditions at the amazing Homestead Speedway venue. The men's championship is held over two events: The Sprint Draft-legal (750 meter swim, 20 kilometer bike, 5 kilometer run) on Day 1, where the Bulldogs qualified the maximum two entries and the Olympic Distance (1500 meter swim, 40 kilometer bike, 10 kilometer run) non-draft event, in which Wingate entered nine competitors." 
 
"On day one, junior Humberto Castañeiras led the swim by 15 seconds and stayed in the lead pack of six, running the fourth fastest time to take the podium in third place. Graduate student Jake Baugher came out in the chase pack behind Castañeiras and ran the fifth-fastest 5 kilometers to finish fourth. After the first day, the Bulldogs sat in third place, six points ahead of rival Queens University of Charlotte."
 
"Day two saw the Bulldogs competing over the Olympic distance against the largest championship field post-COVID. The team was led by junior Jack Spence, who posted the second-fastest 10 kilometer run of the day to finish fourth. Freshman Isaac Lamprecht made his national championship debut, finishing 18 seconds behind Spence in fifth place."
 
"Castañeiras came back from his Friday podium finish to be the third of four scoring student-athletes in ninth place with the second-fastest swim and fifth-fastest run. Finishing the scoring for the Bulldogs was junior Luis Steiert in 10th place with the fourth fastest run, giving Wingate placing four triathletes in the top ten."
 
"The performances over the two-day event earned the Wingate Bulldogs the men's national championship title over reigning four-time champions Queens University of Charlotte with a score of 34-82 (lowest score wins)."

What They Are Saying
Wingate head coach Nick Radkewich

"Humberto Castañeiras and Jake Baugher were selected for the draft-legal position because of their current form and ability to compete consistently at a high level. They didn't disappoint. Humberto pushed the pace of the race, winning the swim and running aggressively. His aggressiveness paid off with a podium finish. Jake worked hard in the lead group and although only one athlete scores in the draft-legal race, he displaced the other athletes, helping the team score." 

"We led Queens last year going into the Olympic non-draft race, but did not get the result the team wanted. This year, the team had a bigger focus on the second event and it paid huge dividends. Jack Spence and Isaac Lamprecht pushed each other the entire race, and the experienced Spence made sure they both had excellent run races."
 
"Humberto came back very strong after racing the day prior with the second-fastest swim and fifth-fastest run, placing ninth. Luis Steiert had his strongest race of the past two years, including the fourth fastest run to finish 10th as the final scoring Bulldog. Overall, having six student-athletes in the top 16 was an outstanding achievement for the squad."
 
"What an amazing 2024-25 year this has been, with a school-year grand slam, winning the women's NCAA national championship in the fall, and now the men's championship. I think it speaks volumes about the two programs as they continually compete against some of the best programs in the nation, race after race."
 
"I am extremely proud of the men handling the challenges that came with this weekend's event. The weather, the competition and the complexity of two events for Humberto and Jake two days in a row make the result more impressive to me. With the end of the year, we will take some time to enjoy the successes and then start the process to welcome our new Bulldog student-triathletes in August and prepare to defend the national titles in 2025-26."
 
Wingate University
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 29 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 16 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
OneDog, #OneDog, and One Day One Dog are registered trademarks of Wingate University.