INFO | USA Triathlon event page
 
Huddleston, Va.----The Wingate University women's triathlon team will participate in the USA Triathlon Collegiate East Regional qualifier at Smith Mountain Lake State Park Saturday. The women's NCAA meet begins at 12:30 p.m. The Bulldogs are the defending team champions, while Wingate senior Julia Kekkonen is the defending individual gold medalist.
 
USA Triathlon Collegiate Regional qualifier info (NCAA distances)
 
Swim - 750 meters
Bike - 18.5 kilometers
Run - 5 kilometers
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate head women's triathlon coach Nick Radkewich
 
"With our split-squad approach to the Collegiate Cup races, we had two excellent opportunities to bring together a solid top 10 for this weekend's regional championships. With NCAA Division I, II and III schools racing together, Saturday's competition will be fierce. We are very fortunate to have all 10 of our student-athletes racing the "A" race Saturday."
 
"The top three teams from the East Regional and the top three teams from the West Regional will automatically qualify for nationals. In addition, the next six-fastest teams, regardless of region, will advance as well."
 
"Our goal for this weekend is to place in the top three (covering all three divisions) so we can pick our starting place in the national championship race. In Division II, defending national champion Lenoir-Rhyne will give us a tough test. In Division I, Queens, Denver and East Tennessee are looking for podium finishes as well."
 
Wingate sophomore student-athlete Jule Resselberger
 
"The season is going very well for me, since I had two good races and was able to put in good training sessions. As a team, we also had good results in both Collegiate Cups, but we definitely look to improve at regionals. The goal for the team is top three, so we are able to pick a spot at nationals. Individually, I'd like to be in the first bike group and have a good run, so I have a chance to be in the top places." 
 
Frequent flier
 
Kekkonen helped Finland finish third in the Europe Triathlon Nordic Championships team competition in Denmark last month. The 2022 USA Triathlon Collegiate national champion for Division II schools finished fifth in the individual race. Later in September, Kekkonen represented Finland at the '23 World Championships in Spain.
 
Looking back at 2022, athletically and academically
 
In November, Wingate finished third in the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships. Kekkonen won the individual national championship and a spot on the first team All-American list. Resselberger and junior Carla Larrabeiti Jefferson earned second team All-American laurels.
 
Kekkonen led five Bulldogs on the CTCA All-East Region team. Juniors Dylan Kirchner and Andie Kuipers and sophomores Resselberger and Tamar Veltman joined Kekkonen on the region honors list.
 
The Wingate women's triathlon team and three of its student-athletes were recognized by the Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association (CTCA) when the organization announced its academic awards for the 2022 season.
 
The Bulldogs earned CTCA Scholar All-American team status, while Resselberger and Pamela Hernandez Quevedo were named Division II Scholar All-Americans. Veltman was recognized with Scholar All-American honorable mention distinction. To qualify for the CTCA individual awards, student-athletes must have had a 3.5 or higher GPA during the semester.
 
As a team, the Bulldogs posted a 3.489 GPA in the fall 2022 semester, well above the 3.2 or higher requirement to receive the team honor. Four student-athletes recorded individual 4.00 GPAs for the fall semester.
 
Wingate women's triathlon travel roster
USA Triathlon Collegiate Regional qualifier
 
Sophie Burger
Mikhaela De Oliveira
Maddie Gagnon
Julia Kekkonen
Dylan Kirchner
Carla Larrabeiti Jefferson
Katja Krenn
Andie Kuipers
Jule Resselberger
Tamar Veltman

Wingate University
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 25 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 15 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
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