Eastern Mennonite University Adds Women’s Triathlon as Varsity Sport – TeamUSA.org
Eastern Mennonite University Adds Women’s Triathlon as Varsity Sport TeamUSA.org
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon today announced Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, as the latest school to add women’s …
By USA Triathlon | March 12, 2019, 5:02 p.m. (ET)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon today announced Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, as the latest school to add women’s triathlon to its varsity sport offerings. The NCAA Division III program will begin practice on Aug. 18 and will field its inaugural team in competitions this fall.
“USA Triathlon is pleased to welcome Eastern Mennonite University — a school that not only offers excellent academic and athletic opportunities, but also prioritizes service, social justice and global engagement — to the women’s NCAA triathlon family,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “We are proud of the fact that, with the addition of EMU, prospective varsity triathletes now have eight universities in USA Triathlon’s Mideast Region to choose from.”
EMU was awarded the USA Triathlon Foundation Women’s Emerging Sport Grant, which provides funding to select NCAA membership institutions to develop, implement and sustain women’s triathlon programs at the NCAA varsity level. The funding, distributed over three years, will help offset startup costs and lay a strong foundation for the new team.
Leading the new program is Bob Hepler, who also serves as head coach of the cross country and track and field teams at EMU. Hepler spent many years as a competitive age-group triathlete, participating in the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, seven times.
“A year ago, women’s triathlon at EMU wasn’t part of the conversations around strategic initiatives for enrollment growth,” said Dave King, Director of Athletics at EMU. “However, the convergence of forces has created the ‘perfect storm,’ and we are very excited about adding this new program. Bob Hepler’s knowledge, experience and passion for the sport, along with Shenandoah Valley’s rich biking culture, the interest level of distance runners in triathlon, the increased use of water training for runners, and of course the support from USA Triathlon and funding opportunities from the USA Triathlon Foundation all add up to this being the ideal time to add the sport.”
“There is already an interest in the sport from the women of EMU,” Hepler said, “and we have coaches on campus who are also enthusiastic. There was this small window in time that if EMU acted quickly, we could apply for and receive a grant from the USA Triathlon Foundation that would pay for the first three years of the sport. We needed to act quickly to take advantage of the moment and, with the support of our administration, we did.”
Assistant cross country and track and field coach Joanna Friesen will also give time to the new women’s triathlon team. Chad Gusler, a professor in EMU’s Language and Literature Department and accomplished swim coach, will also take on an assistant coaching role.
EMU joins seven other varsity programs located in USA Triathlon’s Mideast Region: Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, N.C., DII), Davis & Elkins College (Elkins, W.V., DII), East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, Tenn., DI), Hampton University (Hampton, Va., DI), King University (Bristol, Tenn., DII), Queens University of Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C., DII) and Transylvania University (Lexington, Ky., DIII).
The NCAA named triathlon an Emerging Sport for Women in 2014, a designation that gives the sport a 10-year window to demonstrate sustainability at the NCAA level. EMU is the 28th school in the nation to add the sport, bringing USA Triathlon closer to its goal of recruiting 40 schools by 2024.
Women’s triathlon is a fall sport, and the varsity season includes three Regional Qualifiers followed by the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships. Races are sprint-distance, featuring a 750-meter open-water swim, draft-legal 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run.
For more information about triathlon as an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women, visit usatriathlon.org/ncaa. For questions regarding women’s collegiate triathlon events and programming, contact Jessica Welk at Jessica.welk@usatriathlon.org.
Interested in helping to identify and recruit the next women’s varsity collegiate triathlon program? Inquiries may be directed to Tim Yount, USA Triathlon Chief Sport Development Officer, at Tim.yount@usatriathlon.org.
Women’s Varsity Collegiate Triathlon Programs (as of March 12, 2019):
NCAA Division I
Arizona State University (Tempe, Ariz.)
East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Hampton University (Hampton, Va.)
University of San Francisco (San Francisco. Calif.)
University of South Dakota (Vermillion, S.D.)
Wagner College (Staten Island, N.Y.)
NCAA Division II
American International College (Springfield, Mass.)
Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, N.C.)
Black Hills State University (Spearfish, S.D.)
Colorado Mesa University (Grand Junction, Colo.)
Daemen College (Amherst, N.Y.)
Davis & Elkins College (Elkins, W.V.)
Drury University (Springfield, Mo.)
King University (Bristol, Tenn.)
Montana State University Billings (Billings, Mont.)
Queens University of Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C.)
St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.)
Southern Wesleyan University (Central, S.C.)
NCAA Division III
Calvin College (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Concordia University Wisconsin (Mequon, Wis.)
Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.)
Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.)
Milwaukee School of Engineering (Milwaukee, Wis.)
North Central College (Naperville, Ill.)
Northern Vermont University-Johnson (Johnson, Vt.)
Transylvania University (Lexington, Ky.)
Trine University (Angola, Ind.)
Willamette University (Salem, Ore.)
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).