The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Triathlon team heads to the NCAA/USA Triathlon East Regional Qualifier on Saturday morning at Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Huddleston, Virginia. Events begin at 8am.

How They Got Here - In their first season, the Spartans fielded a roster of eight participants, and competed in three sanctioned events; the Windmill Triathlon, the Skylands Triathlon and the Long Beach Island Triathlon.

The Match-up - The Spartans will be going up against female triathletes in Divisions I, II and III. STAC will see first year participants, seasoned veterans of the sport and everyone in between.

The Event - Consists of a 750 Meter Lake Swim (0.46 Miles), a 20K Rolling Hills Bicycle Race (12.42 Miles) and a 5K Rolling Hills Run (3.10 Miles).

Pre-Regional Preparations - St. Thomas Aquinas College has had approximately a month between events, which has allowed for the team to adequately rest and recuperate from a busy preseason training regiment and a packed September schedule of competition. 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 East Region Qualifier

Athletes to Watch - Mary Dristle (3rd Overall Finish - Windmill & Skylands Triathlons), Amber Lubaszka, Kristie Hanlon, Jadyn Vargas, Tyiana Nunez and Sylvie Bischof (4th Overall Finish - Skylands Triathlon) will all makeup the team that will attempt to qualify for the National Championships.

What's at Stake - A chance to participate in the NCAA/USA Triathlon National Championships in Tempe, Arizona on November 4th. In order to do so, participants must finish in the Top 5 of the Division (I, II or III) that they are representing.

To learn more about the NCAA/USA Women's Triathlon East Region Qualifier, or to find official results post event, click here.