The EMU Women’s triathlon team took first place in the Division III East Regional Championship, qualifying them for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Women’s Triathlon Championship, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 11 in Tempe, Arizona. The Royals had four triathletes finish in the top five. It was their first regional championship in program history. The triathlon race includes a 750-meter swim and an 18-kilometer (11.2-mile) bike ride rounded out with a 5k run.
Coach Bob Hepler spoke highly of his triathletes following the Regional Championship. “We have some very dedicated athletes on this team who continue to make sacrifices in their personal lives in order to achieve,” he said. “They see the benefits of committing to something and doing what is necessary to achieve it.”
Junior Jenna Weaver led the Royals with a time of 1:08:57.6. She was followed respectively by senior Vanessa Gardiner (1:11:27.6), graduate student Jessica Buckwalter (1:12:28.4), and junior Lily Gusler (1:12:34.1).
Weaver, who cut five minutes off her time from the same competition last year, said, “Being regional champs is super special to us. We’ve been working super hard this season (and last season too) and I think this past weekend was a great showcasing of how hard we’ve been training, and our dedication to the sport and each other!”
Third place finisher, Gardiner, talked about the young program and its growth, saying, “Everyone including our coach was really nervous before racing.” The triathlon team at EMU is only five years old, “so for such a young team to grow and win in such a short amount of time is amazing,” she said.
Buckwalter, competing in her final season, spoke on the significance a Regional Championship means to her. Knowing the team could finish with a national title, she said, “It is a strong motivator for the next few weeks of training.” She added, “I think this is encouraging to any other students out there that may want to try their luck at a sport like this.”
In addition to four top five finishes, the Royals had two more triathletes cross the line, first-year Zoe Clymer and sophomore Daisy Buller with times of 1:22:43 and 1:33:27.1, respectively.
With the Regional Championship behind them, the focus is now set on a national title. The Royals will have a little less than a month to prepare before they head to Tempe, Arizona. In addition to many of the triathletes already training for the upcoming Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) cross-country championships, Weaver said they will be working on their weak points and getting stronger overall: “For us currently, that means really honing our drafting with cycling and also lowering our times during transitions between the three different parts of the triathlon!”
Buckwalter noted the importance of improving in the swim: “Throughout the next couple weeks, we will work to get stronger in the swim and bike. If we can all improve, even slightly, in the swim before Nationals it will greatly increase our chance of riding in a pack during the bike portion of the race, which will give our legs a bit of a break before the run.”
The NCAA Women’s Triathlon Championship on Saturday, Nov. 11 will be held in Tempe, Arizona, where the Royals triathlon team will seek the school’s first ever National Championship.
