INFO | USA Triathlon event page
 
Tempe, Ariz.----For the third time in three tries, the Wingate University women's triathlon team earned a podium finish in the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships at the Tempe Town Lake North Park Saturday. The third-year Bulldog program finished second in the '23 event. Wingate senior Julia Kekkonen led the way, finishing 19th overall (and second among D2 competitors) with her time of 1:05:37.3.
 
Sophomore Tamar Veltman joined her elder stateswoman as a first team All-American, finishing 39th overall (and fifth among D2 athletes) with her time of 1:07:33.1. In 2022, Veltman finished one spot away from making honorable mention All-American. Junior Maddie Gagnon earned second team All-American laurels, thanks to her time of 1:10:54.9. Gagnon was 70th overall and 13th on the Division II list.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Sabrina Fleig was the top D2 athlete (and ninth overall) with her time of 1:04:35.6. She led the Bears to their second consecutive national championship. For the second year in a row, Colorado Mesa junior Shannon Feran finished third on the Division II charts. On Saturday, Feran recorded a time of 1:06:02.9. The CMU Mavericks collected the team bronze medal Saturday.
 
USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships (NCAA distances)
Event host: Arizona State University
 
Swim - 750 meters
Bike - 20 kilometers
Run - 5 kilometers
 
Wingate University women's triathlon results
USA Triathlon Collegiate NCAA championships

Overall place-name, time 
19-Julia Kekkonen, 1:05.37.3, All-American, first team
39-Tamar Veltman, 1:07:33.1, All-American, first team
70-Maddie Gagnon, 1:10:54.9, All-American, second team
76-Katja Krenn, 1:11:39.5, Honorable mention, All-American
88-Pamela Hernandez Quevedo, 1:31:11.9
DNF-Jule Resselberger
DNF-Andie Kuipers
 
Top five D2 teams
1-Lenoir-Rhyne, 847 points
2-Wingate, 753 points
3-Colorado Mesa, 723 points
4-Drury, 666 points
5-Black Hills State, 594 points
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate women's triathlon head coach Nick Radkewich
 
On Julia Kekkonen: "Julia had a solid race, working hard on the bike. It was great having her on the podium two years in a row."
 
Shout-outs: "Performance of the day was Tamar Veltman, as she earned first team All-American honors. This was a huge improvement over last year when she missed honorable mention by one place. A second outstanding performance was Delaware State transfer Katja Krenn, who had an incredibly fast run to finish fourth for the team and put us in the runner-up position."

Wingate women's triathlon sophomore student-athlete Tamar Veltman
 
"I'm really proud of how we pulled off a second-place team finish after a tough last few weeks…and how we all did everything we could on the day. I'm also extremely satisfied with my individual race, from how I missed out on one spot for honorable mention last year to a fifth- place performance and first team D2 All-American this year!"
 
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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