JOHNSON, Vt. – Johnson State College Director of Athletics and Recreation Jamey Ventura announced on Tuesday the hiring of Kim Loeffler as the first head triathlon coach in program history. The program will begin competing in the fall of 2018 as Johnson State transitions to Northern Vermont University-Johnson.
"We chose Kim from an excellent pool of applicants and feel she is the perfect person to lead the Northern Vermont University-Johnson women's triathlon program," said Ventura. "She is a proven champion as a triathlete and we are confident her experience will translate to her ability to recruit high level student athletes and coaching them to achieve greatness in the sport and in the classroom."
Loeffler brings an extensive background as both a coach and competitor. She competed professionally as a triathlete for USA Triathlon for twelve years. In her career, she recorded three national championships, 10 podium finishes, qualified for 12 world championships and broke two Ironman run course records. She was ranked as the top American in the world following a top U.S. finish and 8th place overall at the 2005 Ironman World Championship.
As a coach, Loeffler has co-owned and operated On Track Health and Wellness in Burlington since 2001, where she serves as a triathlon and running coach and personal trainer. Loeffler has also coached the cross country team at South Burlington High School since 2014, and has taught physical education at the University of Vermont since 2016.
"It is an honor to be joining the Northern Vermont University-Johnson family," said Loeffler. "I am grateful to Jamey Ventura and the search committee for their support and confidence in me to build the first NCAA Women's Triathlon team at NVU-Johnson. It has been extremely exciting to watch the sport of triathlon grow from its debut in the 2000 Olympics to an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women. I look forward to the challenge of recruiting high quality student-athletes and developing a nationally competitive women's triathlon program at NVU-Johnson."
Loeffler was a Division I student-athlete at the University of Massachusetts, competing on the cross country and track & field teams. She graduated from UMass in 1995 with a bachelor of arts in psychology, and then went on to earn a master of science in exercise physiology in 2000.