INFO | East Regional qualifier results (PDF)
INFO | USA Triathlon event page
 
Buford, Ga.----The No. 1 Wingate University women's triathlon team won its fifth consecutive USA Triathlon Collegiate East Regional qualifier at the Lanier Islands Saturday. The Bulldogs were led by sophomore Vanda Krizkova, who finished third overall and first in NCAA Division II.
 
For the first time in Wingate's brief six-year women's triathlon history, the Bulldogs claimed the overall (all three NCAA divisions) East Region title. Wingate posted 743 points. Local NCAA Division I rival Queens University of Charlotte was second overall with 705 points.
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate women's triathlon head coach Nick Radkewich
 
"Today was an amazing day in the short history of Wingate triathlon. We experienced another first for the program by adding the overall/all divisions title to the list of accomplishments this team has posted during the 2026 season."
 
"Vanda Krizkova continued her great form by winning the D2 title and placing third overall. Grace Nolan had a race of the year, leading the rest of the team as a group on the run. She earned her spot on the D2 podium. Freshmen Clara Murison and Etriin Etverk showed great maturity racing the best in the region and posting top 10 finishes overall."
 
"We will get back to work this week in our final preparation for the national championships. This season, nationals was the focus and the team will continue to improve as we head towards Tempe in early November."
 
'Dogs claim East Regional qualifier with six athletes in the D2 top seven
 
Krizkova finished the swim, bike and run with a time of 1:04:15.57. Grace Nolan was third with her time of 1:05:09.30. Paula Auschill and Etriin Etverk claimed fourth and fifth place, respectively. Auschill posted a time of 1:05:17.75, while Etverk checked in at 1:05:18.53.
 
Clara Murison and Pia Diemer earned sixth and seventh place, respectively. Murison finished in 1:05:25.21, while Diemer recorded a time of 1:05:46.34. Beate Bula rounded out Wingate's top seven student-triathletes, finishing 11th with her time of 1:07:06.16.
 
Wingate had six student-triathletes in the D2 individual top seven. Krizkova, Nolan, Auschill, Etverk and Murison each landed in the overall top 10. Nolan was seventh overall, followed in succession by Auschill, Etverk and Murison in overall spots 8-10.
 
NCAA Division II team standings
 
Wingate's 743 points were 71 more than South Atlantic Conference rival Lenoir-Rhyne, who finished second on the D2 leader board with 672 points. Indianapolis completed the three-team D2 podium with 525 points. The fourth through eighth-place Division II teams included Concord, Emmanuel, Newberry, Barton and King.
 
East Regional notes
 
- Lenoir-Rhyne's Zoila Sicilia was the second-place D2 individual (1:04:41.00)
- Sicilia was the defending East Regional individual champion
- Queens University of Charlotte won the D1 team title
- The Royals defeated the U.S. Naval Academy 705-674
- Trine University from Angola, Indiana won the D3 team crown
- The Trine Thunder outdistanced Warren Wilson 482-179
 
Next on the horizon for Wingate women's triathlon
 
The 2026 Collegiate National Championships are slated for Saturday, Nov. 7 at Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, Arizona. The sixth-year Bulldog program has had five podium placements in five tries. Wingate finished second, third, second, first and second in its previous national championship appearances.
 
Wingate University
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 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 30 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 18 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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