INFO | East Regional qualifier results (HTML)
INFO | East Regional qualifier results (PDF)
INFO | USA Triathlon event page
 
Huddleston, Va.----For the second year in a row, the Wingate University women's triathlon team was the top NCAA Division II finisher in the USA Triathlon Collegiate East Regional qualifier at Smith Mountain Lake State Park Saturday. The Bulldogs had five student-athletes finish in the top 25 of 117 total Division I, II and III competitors.
 
Wingate senior Julia Kekkonen led the third-year Bulldog program, finishing 12th overall (and third among D2 racers) with her time of 59:52.9. Sophomore Jule Resselberger was two spots back in 14th place, thanks to her time of 1:00:10.2. Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Sabrina Fleig was the top D2 competitor (and seventh overall) with her time of 58:59.3.
 
USA Triathlon Collegiate Regional qualifier info (NCAA distances)
 
Swim - 750 meters
Bike - 18.5 kilometers
Run - 5 kilometers
 
Wingate University women's triathlon results
USA Triathlon Collegiate Regional qualifier

Overall place-name, time 
12-Julia Kekkonen, 59:52.9
14-Jule Resselberger, 1:00:10.2
16-Maddie Gagnon, 1:00:22.0
20-Dylan Kirchner, 1:00:51.6
25-Andie Kuipers, 1:01:19.5
29-Tamar Veltman, 1:01:39.5
45-Katja Krenn, 1:03:36.0 (NS)
49-Sophie Burger, 1:04:16.7
50-Carla Larrabeiti Jefferson, 1:04:17.0 (NS)
 
NS-Designated as a non-team scorer before the race

What They Are Saying
Wingate women's triathlon head coach Nick Radkewich
 
"The women's team had its best team race of the season. Our focus has been on preparation for nationals and we saw some individual performances impacted by this, but others performed above expectations and those carried our team to the win. They finished well as a pack, which outscored all the D2 teams and earned them third overall and an automatic start in the national A heat. Outside the top three from both the East and West Regionals, teams will be waiting for allocation to the A or B heats. Deciding our own path means the team can get back to work for a final training block before heading to Tempe in November." 
 
Next on the horizon for Wingate women's triathlon
 
The 2023 Collegiate National Championships are slated for Saturday, Nov. 11 at Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, Arizona. As a first-year program, the Bulldogs finished second in 2021. Wingate claimed a third-place showing in 2022. Kekkonen is the defending individual national champion for NCAA Division II schools.
 
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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