2008 National Title Team

The 35-member squad was led by Steve Sexton, who won the individual men’s title in 1:52:34, beating out last year’s national champion, University of Florida’s Kevin Collington, by nearly two minutes. Sexton was second to Collington in 2007. Cal’s John Dahlz was 11th while Kenny Rakestraw took 20th for the Bears. The men’s team score of 32—the sum of the top three finishers places—is the second lowest score in the history of the race. It is bested only by the Cal Men’s team of 2006, which also included Dahlz. 

Dianne Charleton led the attack for the women, finishing 14th in the women’s field with a breakout performance. She was followed closely by Mary Cate Opila in 18th and Robyn Shaffer in 22nd. Charleton and Opila made their nationals debut today, while Shaffer improved over her 26^th place finish last year 

“Our athletes really worked hard for this win and I couldn’t be more proud of how they performed on and off the course,” said Head Coach Andy Schmitz. “They were definitely hungry for the team victory and dug deep for some great performances.” 

Curtis Dozier, who will leave Berkeley—and the team—this year after 6 years to take a teaching post at Vasser College, turned in a personal best time to be one of the critical top seven finishers on the team that displace athletes from other schools, essentially increasing the team scores of competitors. 

“I am really happy to have contributed to this long-awaited victory,” says Dozier, who has been hailed Caesar by long-time team members for his significant contributions to the team’s development. 

The team also took home the much coveted sportsmanship award for its major presence at the weekend-long festivities and for cheering with 35 cowbells for all 1,000 athletes across the finish line. 

Cal Triathlon had previously won the men’s national title in 2004 and 2006, but has just missed the team overall championship each of the past four years, taking second to different schools each year. The team’s combined score at today’s race—the sum of the finishing places of the first three men and women  across the line—was smaller than the scores of its nearest competitors by nearly half. CU Boulder—national champions in 2004 and 2005—came in second in the combined team competition. 

“You didn’t just beat them, you beat the hell out of them,” said USA Triathlon Vice President Tim Yount. 

The Collegiate National Championships drew teams from 50 schools and reached capacity within one month of the opening of registration. The collegiate race was followed by US Olympic Team Trials, which featured the best men and women in the nation vying for one of two remaining Olympic berths in triathlon.