RESULTS | Conference Carolinas women's triathlon championship
 
Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's triathlon team won the inaugural Conference Carolinas championship Sunday on the Wingate campus. The Bulldogs had 201 points, while runner-up Lenoir-Rhyne posted 179 points. The event was the first-ever NCAA women's triathlon conference championship.
 
Three major awards, three WU winners
 
Wingate swept the three major Conference Carolinas awards. Sophomore Vanda Krizkova won the race with her gold-medal time of 24:17.7, securing Athlete of the Year honors. Newcomer Etriin Etverk finished second with her time of 24:26.1. She was named Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year.
 
Wingate head coach Nick Radkewich was voted Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year by his peers. The 2000 Olympian led the Bulldogs to the 2024 national championship. Under his tutelage, Wingate has won four consecutive East Region titles.
 
Ten All-Conference Carolinas performers
 
Wingate had 10 All-Conference Carolinas performers with five Bulldogs made the first team. Junior Paula Auschill and sophomore Shelby Lajeunesse finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Freshman Clara Murison took seventh place, rounding out Wingate's top five.
 
Sophomore Beate Bula and junior Irmak Sereflioglu made the All-Conference Carolinas second team. Bula finished eighth Sunday, while Sereflioglu recorded a 13th-place showing. Three Bulldogs made the All-Conference Carolinas third team, led by senior Pia Diemer.
 
Diemer took 16th place in her final home event. Junior Babette Van Rooyen was 17th, while freshman Kylie Evans took 19th place. Evans hails from Colfax, North Carolina and attended Northwest Guilford High School.

What They Are Saying
Wingate head women's triathlon coach Nick Radkewich
 
"The women had an amazing race as a team. The captains showed great leadership. The freshmen raced like veterans. It was a tough challenge with the weather, the format and the strong competition."
 
"They have worked very hard this season and today was the first chance to show what they are capable of achieving. Next up…the regionals…where we have a few surprises in store for the competition."

Next up for Wingate University women's triathlon
 
Wingate will compete in the East Regionals Saturday, October 17 in Lake Lanier, Georgia. The Bulldogs are the four-time defending East Regional champions.
 
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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