Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's triathlon team begins the 2023 season with high hopes, starting the squad's third campaign by hosting the Bulldog SuperSprint Kickoff Duathlon Sunday, September 3. The event features a 2K run, a 16K bike and concludes with a second 2K run.
 
Wingate welcomes fellow NCAA Division II members Emmanuel (Ga.) and Newberry to the competition. Brand-new NCAA Division I program the Naval Academy joins the D2 trio for the women's event, marking the inaugural competition for the first-year Mids. The Bulldog SuperSprint Kickoff Duathlon begins at 8 a.m. Sunday morning. The Bulldog men's club team will face Emmanuel in the same event, starting at 9 a.m.
 
Early-season objectives
 
The Bulldogs finished third in the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships last year. As the program enters its third season of competition, head coach Nick Radkewich hopes his student-athletes peak at the right moment.
 
"We will start the season slow, figuring out our top performers over the next two-to-three weeks," Radkewich says. "We are hoping as we take things at a deliberate pace, we will be focused to have a faster finish to the season."
 
Veterans set the pace, newcomers add depth
 
Four All-Americans return for the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold-clad Bulldogs, led by 2022 individual national champion Julia Kekkonen. Both Jule Resselberger and Carla Larrabeiti Jefferson claimed second team All-American status at the November 2022 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships, while Pamela Hernandez Quevedo earned honorable mention AA laurels.
 
Veterans Dylan Kirchner and Maddie Gagnon both earned their USA Triathlon Elite cards over the summer. "We hope Dylan and Maddie take this experience and the performance required to achieve this distinction and translate it into a good season for us," Radkewich says.
 
Kekkonen spent her most recent summer competing in European Cup and European Championship events for her home country of Finland. "Julia cut back on her 2023 summer schedule to prepare for our NCAA competitions this semester," Radkewich says.
 
Bulldog fans will miss Kekkonen at the Bulldog SuperSprint Kickoff Duathlon, as she is competing this weekend in the 2023 European Triathlon Nordic Championships in Fredericia, Denmark. There are 20 athletes from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden competing in the Elite Women's division.
 
Newcomers Sophie Burger (Australia) and Katja Krenn (Austria) look to have a say in Wingate's 2023 fortunes. Krenn joins the Bulldog family as a transfer from NCAA Division I Delaware State. Wingate's third-year roster includes 19 student-athletes, a program-high total. The Bulldog roster breakdown includes 12 veterans and seven newcomers.
 
Collegiate Cup races highlight Wingate's 2023 schedule
 
Following the Bulldog SuperSprint Kickoff Duathlon, Wingate will compete Saturday, September 9 in the Duquesne (Pa.) University Invitational, the first of two Collegiate Cup races this season. "The Collegiate Cup events serve as the best qualifiers for the regional championships in October," Radkewich says.
 
"Our top ladies will be racing in Pennsylvania," Radkewich says. "This is a nice homecoming race for our Keystone State student-athletes Dylan Kirchner (Cranberry Township, Pa.) and Maddie Gagnon (Mars, Pa.). The brand-new Duquesne University program will be hosting this event in Beaver Falls."

The Giant Acorn Triathlon Festival Sunday, September 24 in Lake Anna, Virginia is next on the Wingate agenda. This event is the second of two Collegiate Cup races this fall. "We will utilize split-squad rosters at the two Collegiate Cup qualifiers," Radkewich says. "This gives us the best opportunity to qualify as many student-athletes as possible for regionals."
 
The USA Triathlon Collegiate East Regional qualifier is Saturday, October 14 in Huddleston, Virginia (Smith Mountain Lake facility). Wingate is the defending East Regional champions. Five Bulldogs made the All-East Region team named by the Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association (CTCA), led by individual champion Kekkonen.
 
Kekkonen was joined by bronze-medalist Kirchner and fourth-place finisher Tamar Veltman. Resselberger and Andie Kuipers rounded out Wingate's All-East Region list, as the Bulldog duo finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
 
The USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in Tempe, Arizona Saturday, November 11 conclude Wingate's 2023 schedule. For the first time in four years, teams from NCAA Divisions I, II and III will race together in the season-ending event. Teams and individuals qualify from their Collegiate Cup race rankings. Ten student-athletes will race at nationals with seven counting towards the team score.
 
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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