The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Triathlon team seeks to capture their first-ever National Championship on Sunday morning at Tempe Town Lake North Shore in Tempe, Arizona. Events begin at 10:30 a.m. (MST)/12:30 p.m. (EST)

How They Got Here - By virtue of their Top-5 finish in the NCAA/USA Women's Collegiate Triathlon East Regional Qualifier on October 20th in Huddleston, Virginia, the Spartans qualified for the NCAA/USA Triathlon Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships. In that Regional Qualifier, sophomore Mary Dristle was the first to cross the finish line for the Spartans (15th overall), with a time of 1:20:47. Next, freshman Kristie Hanlon completed her morning, coming in 18th overall at 1:27:43. Teammates Tyiana Nunez, Sylvie Bischof, Amber Lubaszka, Jadyn Vargas, Jennyfer Huerta and Stefania Georgiou also contributed to that historic day for STAC.

The Match-up - The Spartans will be taking on triathletes in Divisions I and II. STAC will see first year participants, seasoned veterans of the sport and everyone in between. In total, approximately 75 female collegiate triathletes will be participating in the Division I & II and Division III & Club National Championship events on Sunday.

The Event - Consists of a 750 Meter Lake Swim (0.46 Miles/1 lap), a 20K Bicycle Race (12.42 Miles/3 laps) and a 5K Run (3.10 Miles/2 laps).

Pre-National Championship Preparations - St. Thomas Aquinas College will have had approximately 15 days between Regional and National Championship events, which has allowed for the team to adequately rest and recuperate. However, first year Head Coach George Erazo and his staff have kept the squad active with daily running, biking or swimming training sessions. All members of the team are healthy and ready to contribute at the National Championships.

Athletes to Watch - Mary Dristle (3rd Overall Finish - Windmill & Skylands Triathlons & 15th Overall Finish - East Regional Qualifier), Amber Lubaszka, Kristie Hanlon (18th Overall Finish - East Regional Qualifier), Jadyn Vargas, Tyiana Nunez, Jennyfer Huerta and Sylvie Bischof (4th Overall Finish - Skylands Triathlon) will all makeup the team that will attempt to bring the National Championship crown back to Sparkill.

What's at Stake - A chance to capture the program's first-ever NCAA/USA Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championship in their first year of existence. 

To learn more about the NCAA/USA Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships, or to find official results post event, click here.

 

WATCH!

Spartan Sports Network Women's Triathlon Pre-National Championship Interview

Kevin Roth sits down with Triathletes Sylvie Bischof and Amber Lubaszka

to discuss the inaugural Women's Triathlon Season, Regionals and the upcoming National Championships.