Wildwood Crest native and Wildwood Catholic High School graduate Joe Maloy has been named the coordinator of the USA Triathlon Collegiate Recruitment Program, according to a post on the USA Triathlon website earlier this week.
Maloy, a 2016 U.S. Olympian in triathlon racing, will be in charge of identifying and recruiting top-level NCAA runners and swimmers to elite triathlon competition. Maloy, already a member of the USA Triathlon High Performance staff, is working out of southern California.
“USA Triathlon is proud to bring another Olympian onto our staff — not only to build on the strong foundation of the CRP, but also to develop its future in new and innovative ways,” John Farra, High Performance General Manager at USA Triathlon, said in the story on the organization’s website. “Joe’s background as a collegiate swimmer, ITU triathlete and Olympian lends him an authenticity that will be key to recruiting the right athletes to the CRP. I know Joe is ready to hit the ground running as we approach Tokyo 2020 and the next Olympic quadrennial.”
Maloy was the top American male finisher in the triathlon at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He also anchored the U.S. mixed relay team to its first world championship title in Germany. Maloy was also the winner of the 2015 Noosa Triathlon and the 2016 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.
Maloy was a standout distance runner and swimmer at Wildwood Catholic High School, from which he graduated in 2004. He went on to a stellar swimming career at Boston College, earning undergraduate and master’s degrees in 2008 and 2010, respectively. He began competing in high-level triathlon racing in 2010 and later became the USA Triathlon Elite national champion in 2014.
After a brief retirement from the sport, Maloy returned to competitive triathlon racing earlier this year. He placed third in the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Fla., before taking second in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon earlier this month.
According to the story on the USA Triathlon website, many of USA Triathlon’s most successful International Triathlon Union athletes have been identified through the organization’s Collegiate Recruitment Program, including current elite triathlete Renee Tomlin, a graduate of Ocean City High School.
“Excited about the chance to introduce a new generation to our sport,” Maloy said in a post to his Twitter page. “Like all triathletes – they’ve already got the magic in them, it’s just a matter of combining the skills.”