USA Triathlon Foundation Supports NIL Collective for Women’s Collegiate Triathletes as USA Triathlon Becomes First NGB to Launch NIL Collective

USA Triathlon and the USA Triathlon Foundation announced the launch of the Watch Us Thrive Collective, providing the opportunity for NCAA women’s triathlon student-athletes to capitalize on their name, image and likeness.

USA Triathlon is the first National Governing Body in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movement to launch an NIL Collective.

“Now is an incredibly exciting time for women’s collegiate triathlon, both as we head toward becoming an NCAA championship sport and with the emergence of NIL deals in collegiate athletics,” said Tim Yount, Chief Sport Development Officer of USA Triathlon. “The Watch Us Thrive Collective will allow NCAA women’s collegiate triathlon fans and supporters of the sport a tangible way to help current and future triathlon student-athletes, while the athletes can help spread the word about the virtues of our sport, community and NCAA women’s triathlon. It also shows USA Triathlon is committed to being a long-term and active partner in the development of this sport at the NCAA level.”

Financed through donors, the Watch Us Thrive Collective supports women’s triathlon student-athletes in the form of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payments. In return, NIL recipients will promote triathlon and NCAA women’s triathlon movement on their social media channels and through other digital avenues.

Those who are interested in furthering the goals of the Collective can donate here. All donations to the Collective are tax-deductible.

More than 300 women from 24 countries compete in women’s collegiate triathlon at the varsity level at NCAA Division I, II and III schools across the country. More than 40 schools offer women’s collegiate triathlon at the varsity level, an important benchmark reached earlier this year as the NCAA Emerging Sport for Women now has a few more steps to take on its way to being fully managed by the NCAA as a Championship Sport. This summer, the Division I University of Arizona became the latest school to announce it would add varsity women’s triathlon to its sports programs.

The 2022 women’s collegiate triathlon season concludes on Nov. 12 in Tempe, Arizona, for the 2022 Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships, hosted by Arizona State University. Throughout the next week in the lead up to the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships USA Triathlon will highlight the athletes, coaches and storylines in “day in the life” features, social media takeovers and more. Check out @usatriathlon social media and usatriathlon.org for the content.

For more information about triathlon as an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women, visit usatriathlon.org/ncaa. For questions regarding women’s collegiate triathlon events, programming and recruiting, contact Tim Yount, USA Triathlon Chief Sport Development Officer, at tim.yount@usatriathlon.org.