NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. –
A perfect day at the beach, as Navy swept men’s and women’s team gold at the 2021 Armed Forces Triathlon Championship held at Naval Base Ventura County’s Point Mugu Beach on September 11th.
Winning his fifth Armed Forces men’s title with a time of 01:49:22 was Navy Lieut. Cmdr. Kyle Hooker of NAS Jacksonville, Fla.
Hooker looked to redeem himself after a bicycle accident forced him to end the race in 2019. After exiting the ocean ten minutes ahead of his nearest competitor, Hooker never looked back on his way to gold.
Navy Ensign Adam Estroff of the U.S. Naval Academy finished second with a time of 1:52:10 to help Navy secure team gold.
Air Force Capt. Joel Bischoff of Creech Air Force Base, Nev. rounded out the podium earning bronze with a time of 1:52:40.
Air Force men finished second in team standings earning silver, with the Marine Corps placing third overall.
In the women’s competition, Marine Corps 1st. Lt. Stephanie Murphy of MCB Camp Butler, Japan won her first Armed Forces gold medal with a time of 2:09:33.
Murphy trailed Navy Lieut. Katherine Cullingford of NAS Jacksonville, Fla. throughout the race until the final lap of the run, when Murphy surpassed Cullingford for the women’s crown.
Cullingford earned the silver medal with a time of 2:10:02, followed by her Navy teammate Ensign Carolyn Riggs of the U.S. Naval Academy, winning bronze with a time of 2:11:04.
Navy women captured their third straight team gold, placing Navy sweeping the team gold for the first time since 2018.
Air Force women took team silver, followed by the Marine Corps in third place.
The Army opted not to participate in the 2021 Armed Forces Championship.
In the Master’s Division, Air Force swept the individual men’s and women’s gold medals as Lt. Col. Jonathon Mason of Fort Bragg, N.C. and Major Jamie Turner of the U.S. Air Force Academy finished with times of 1:59:32 and 2:14:15 respectively.
Navy Captain Gene Severtson of the Washington Navy Yard, D.C. won silver (2:00:11) in the Men’s Master Division, with Air Force Lt. Col. Brian Hans of Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio taking bronze clocking in at 2:03:16.
Marine Corps Major Candace White of MCB Quantico, Va. captured silver with a time of 2:40, as Air Force Major Carol Stanley of Tinker AFB, Okla. winning bronze with a time of 2:43:49.
Held on the 20th Anniversary of the darkest day in American history, athletes and staff bowed their heads in a moment of silence to honor those lost on that tragic day.
After the solemn ceremony, the athletes lined up on the beach for the first time since 2019, after the COVID-19 pandemic halted all Armed Forces competitions since March 2020.
The 2021 Armed Forces Triathlon Championship featured many first time Armed Forces competitors, making up nearly 80 percent of the athlete pool.
For the first time, guardians competed at the Armed Forces Triathlon Championship with Capt. Max Bierman of Buckley Space Force Base, Colo. and Hans representing the U.S. Space Force. Space Force personnel currently combine with the Air Force at Armed Forces Championships.
FINAL WOMEN TEAM STANDINGS
1st Place: Navy - 11 pts
2nd Place: USAF - 16 pts
3rd Place: USMC - 18 pts
FINAL MEN TEAM STANDINGS
1st Place: Navy - 21 pts
2nd Place: USAF - 39 pts
3rd Place: USMC - 77 pts
INDIVIDUAL WOMEN RESULTS
Gold: 1stLt Stephanie Murphy, MCB Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan - USMC - 2:09:33
Silver: LT Katherine Cullingford, NAS Jacksonville, FL - Navy - 2:10:02
Bronze: ENS Carolyn Riggs, US Naval Academy, MD - Navy - 2:11:04
4th Place: Capt Phaelan French, Ft. Meade, MD - USAF - 2:13:12
5th Place: 1st Lt Shanna Burns, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ - USAF - 2:14:14
6th Place: LT Heather Ireland, NSA Hampton Roads, VA - Navy - 2:19:14
7th Place: 2d Lt Elena Crouch, USUHS-Bethesda, MD - USAF - 2:22:07
8th Place: Capt Emma Quinn, Washington, DC - USMC - 2:23:54
9th Place: 2ndLt Alana Phillips, MCB Camp Lejeune, NC - USMC - 2:26:05
10th Place: LT Moira Molloy, Naval Base San Diego, CA - Navy - 2:27:16
11th Place: Capt Nicole Suss, Petterson AFB, CO - USAF - 2:28:56
12th Place: 1stLt Alexis Axelrod, MCB Camp Lejeune, NC - USMC - 2:35:55
13th Place: Capt Colleen Randolph, Washington, DC - USMC - 2:38:07
14th Place: LT Kylie Petersen, Naval Base San Diego, CA - Navy - 2:43:57
15th Place: Capt Esther Willett, Incirlik AB, Turkey - USAF - DNF
INDIVIDUAL WOMEN RESULTS - MASTERS
Gold: Maj Jamie Turner, USAFA, CO - USAF - 2:14:15
Silver: Maj Candace White, MCB Quantico, VA - USMC - 2:40:11
Bronze: Maj Carol Stanley, Tinker AFB, OK - USAF - 2:43:49
INDIVIDUAL MEN RESULTS
Gold: LCDR Kyle Hooker, NAS Jacksonville, FL - Navy - 1:49:22
Silver: ENS Adam Estroff, US Naval Academy, MD - Navy - 1:52:10
Bronze: Capt Joel Bischoff, Creech AFB, NV - USAF - 1:52:40
4th Place: Capt Scott Tonder, USAFA, CO - USAF - 1:53:25
5th Place: LT Luke Sullivan, NSA Hampton Roads, VA - Navy - 1:54:07
6th Place: LT* Ian King, USCG Center Kearneysville, WV - Navy - 1:54:34
7th Place: PO3 Kyle Warrick, Naval Base San Diego, CA - Navy - 1:54:58
8th Place: LT Patrick Trabert, Naval Base Kitsap, WA - Navy - 1:55:49
9th Place: Capt Chris Tommila, USAFA, CO - USAF - 1:57:20
10th Place: Maj Chris Knaute, USAFA, CO - USAF - 1:59:17
11th Place: Maj Thomas Scovel, Raleigh, NC - USMC - 2:00:03
12th Place: LT Mark Vear, JEB Little Creek, VA - Navy - 2:02:27
13th Place: 2d Lt Mason Bivens, Laughlin AFB, TX - USAF - 2:04:17
14th Place: Capt Max Bierman, Buckley AFB, CO - USAF - 2:04:56
15th Place: MSgt Chad Holladay, MCB Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan - USMC - 2:05:55
16th Place: LtCol Paul Marcy, Washington, DC - USMC - 2:11:58
17th Place: 2ndLt Joseph Clingerman, MCB Camp Pendleton, CA - USMC - 2:14:26
18th Place: Capt Marino John, MCAS New River, NC - USMC - 2:14:58
19th Place: Capt Walker Mills, Cartagena, Columbia - USMC - 2:17:02
20th Place: 1st Lt Thomas Molnar, Sheppard AFB, TX - USAF - 2:18:44
21st Place: Capt David Gallaher, NAS Pensacola, FL - USMC - 2:19:43
INDIVIDUAL MEN RESULTS - MASTERS
Gold: Lt Col Jon Mason, Ft. Bragg, NC - USAF - 1:59:32
Silver: CAPT Gene Severtson, Washington Navy Yard, DC - Navy - 2:00:11
Bronze: Lt Col Brian Hans, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH - USAF - 2:03:16
4th Place: Col Joseph Galvin, MCB Camp Lejeune, NC - USMC - 2:12:22
5th Place: CAPT Lee Boyer, JB Anacostia-Bolling, DC - Navy - 2:20:51
6th Place: CWO3 Stuart Shine, MCB Camp Pendleton, CA - USMC - 2:26:48