Complete results

Tempe, Ariz.----Wingate University freshman women's triathlon student-athlete Finja Schierl can add the title "national champion" to her already-incredible freshman year resume, as she finished first in the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs finished second to six-time national champion Queens University of Charlotte on the team leader board.
 
Quotables
 
Wingate head coach Nick Radkewich: "I couldn't be prouder of the team, they battled hard throughout the swim and bike as the race was neck and neck with Queens, Colorado Mesa and Lenoir-Rhyne. Our top four student-athletes showed their strength on the run, moving the team into the runner-up position."
 
"Finja Schierl had a near perfect race, forcing the pace in a lead duo with Davis & Elkins junior Natalia Hidalgo Martinez. On the run, Finja ran a smart tactical race in the 87-degree heat, extending a lead midway through the second of two laps and holding it all the way to the finish."
 
"Julia Kekkonen had an outstanding return to racing and overcame a challenging start position to ride in the pack following Finja. She had a strong run in the hot conditions."
 
"Dylan Kirchner and Carla Larrabeiti Jefferson finished the scoring, working together in the third pack on the bike and then passing competitors from both Lenoir-Rhyne and Colorado Mesa to clinch the second-place team finish." 
 
"I knew we had a strong team on paper going into the season, but these Bulldogs have done an amazing job putting in the work to improve and perform their best at the national championships. We also had great support from the Bulldog athletic department and the Wingate University community…I hope they feel a part of this amazing experience. It was an unbelievable debut for the program. We will be setting our goals a little higher for the 2022 season." 
 
USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships info (NCAA distances)

Swim - 750 meters
Bike - 20 kilometers
Run - 5 kilometers

Overall top three individuals (with times)
1-Finja Schierl, Wingate (1:06:16)
2-Natalia Hidalgo Martinez, Davis & Elkins (1:06:26)
3-Natalie Bash, Queens (1:07:53)

Top four WU Bulldogs (with times)
1-Finja Schierl (1:06:16), All-American
4-Julia Kekkonen (1:08.18), All-American
16-Dylan Kirchner (1:10.18), honorable mention All-American
23-Carla Larrabeiti Jefferson (1:11:59)

Notes

- Schierl celebrates her third individual victory of the season Saturday
- She won the regional qualifier Oct. 16 and the Lake Hickory Super Sprint Tri Sept. 18
- Judit Ibarra Cazorla (1:15.00) and Sophia Maisano (1:16.02), finished 37th and 40th, respectively
- D&E's Hidalgo Martinez captured the individual NCAA Division II crown at the 2019 national championships
- Queens won the 2021 team title, giving the Royals six consecutive national championship crowns

Wingate University
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as eight master's and five doctoral degrees. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.

Wingate is a leader in healthcare education, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 24 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 13 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.