ITHACA, N.Y. – Big Red freshmen runners Taylor Knibb and Kyleigh Spearing are headed to Cozumel, Mexico this week to compete in the 2016 International Triathlon Union Junior World Championships. 

It is the third straight year that Knibb will be competing for a world title and the second straight year for Spearing. At last year's competition, Knibb took home a silver medal with a time of 58:14 while Spearing finished 12th overall with a time of 1:00:10. In 2014, Knibb finished ninth overall.

Knibb has won a number of triathlon national titles at the junior elite and lower age-group levels. At the USA Triathlon High School National Championships this past April, Knibb had the best time of any athlete – male or female – by 12 seconds. In July, she also won the USA Triathlon Junior National Championships

Spearing, a three-time Junior Elite All-American, has finished in the top 10 of a few races at the elite. She finished fourth overall at the USA Triathlon Junior National Championships in July and took third at the 2016 West Des Moines CAMTRI Triathlon U23 and Junior American Championships.

The junior women's race - which consists of a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, and five-kilometer run - is part of the five-day ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships. Spearing and Knibb are slated for 6 p.m. start on Friday.

More information on the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Championships can be found here.