NCAA Division I La Salle University Adds Women’s Collegiate Triathlon Program
by USA Triathlon
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — La Salle University in Philadelphia is the latest NCAA program to add women's collegiate triathlon to its varsity collegiate sport offerings. An NCAA Division I program, La Salle University competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The women’s triathlon team at La Salle University will begin competition in the fall 2024 season.
“We are thrilled for the addition of La Salle University as the next NCAA program to offer women’s collegiate triathlon,” said Victoria Brumfield, USA Triathlon CEO. “Female collegiate athletes will shape the future of our sport for years to come.”
“We are excited to add Women's Triathlon to our varsity sports profile here at La Salle University,” said Ashwin Puri, La Salle University Vice President of Athletics and Recreation. “Women's Triathlon is rapidly growing at the NCAA Division I collegiate level and we are excited to provide new opportunities for young women to compete and develop as student-athletes. USA Triathlon has been a great resource and support for us as we develop a competitive program and an impactful student-athlete experience.”
La Salle University’s addition of women's triathlon as a collegiate varsity sport is made possible through a grant from the USA Triathlon Foundation. The USA Triathlon Foundation Women's Emerging Sport Grant is distributed to NCAA membership institutions to develop, implement, and sustain women's triathlon programs at the varsity level.
The commitment by La Salle University continues the momentum women’s collegiate triathlon has gathered toward becoming an NCAA Championship sport. With more than 40 schools now offering women’s collegiate triathlon, the NCAA Emerging Sport for Women has met the 10-year window to demonstrate sustainability and success at the NCAA varsity level. Women’s Triathlon now has a few more steps to take on its way to being fully managed by the NCAA as a championship event, including committee, council, divisional and budget approvals.
A fall sport, the women’s triathlon varsity season includes National Qualifiers, followed by the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships. The draft-legal races are sprint-distance, featuring a 750-meter open-water swim, draft-legal 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run. Women’s Varsity Collegiate Regional Championships are being held Oct. 12 in Springfield, Missouri and Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships will be held Nov. 9 in Clermont, Florida.
In the draft-legal format, athletes work together in packs on the bike and make multiple loops on a closed course. The exciting, spectator-friendly draft-legal format is the same format contested in the triathlon competition at the Olympic Games and on the World Triathlon Championship Series circuit.
For more information about triathlon as an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women, visit https://www.usatriathlon.org/multisport/ncaa-triathlon.
Interested in helping to identify and recruit the next women’s varsity collegiate triathlon program? Athletes currently competing in the sport and those who come from single-sport backgrounds are invited to compete at the NCAA level. Inquiries may be directed to Tim Yount, USA Triathlon Chief Sport Development Officer, at tim.yount@usatriathlon.org.
Women’s Varsity Collegiate Triathlon Programs
NCAA Division I (16)
Arizona State University (Tempe, Ariz.)
Delaware State University (Dover, Del.)
Chicago State University (Chicago, Ill.)
Duquesne (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Hampton University (Hampton, Va.)
La Salle University (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Queens University of Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C.)
Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, Texas)
University of Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.)
University of Denver (Denver, Colo.)
University of Northern Kentucky (Highland Heights, Ky.)
University of San Francisco (San Francisco. Calif.)
University of South Dakota (Vermillion, S.D.)
U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.)
Wagner College (Staten Island, N.Y.)
NCAA Division II (15)
Black Hills State University (Spearfish, S.D.)
Cal Poly Humboldt (Arcata, Calif.)
Colorado Mesa University (Grand Junction, Colo.)
Drury University (Springfield, Mo.)
Emmanuel College (Franklin Springs, Ga.)
King University (Bristol, Tenn.)
Lenoir-Rhyne University (Hickory, N.C.)
Montana State University Billings (Billings, Mont.)
Newberry College (Newberry, S.C.)
Roberts Wesleyan University (Rochester, N.Y.)
St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.)
Wingate University (Wingate, N.C.)
NCAA Division III (14)
Alvernia University (Reading, Pa.)
Calvin College (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Central College (Pella, Iowa)
Coe College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Concordia University Wisconsin (Mequon, Wis.)
Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.)
Greensboro College (Greensboro, N.C.)
Guilford College (Greensboro, N.C.)
Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.)
North Central College (Naperville, Ill.)
Transylvania University (Lexington, Ky.)
Trine University (Angola, Ind.)
Warren Wilson College (Swannanoa, N.C.)
Willamette University (Salem, Ore.)
About La Salle University
For more than 160 years, La Salle University has excelled in educating talented students from all backgrounds. Founded by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Roman Catholic teaching order established by Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the Patron Saint of Teachers, we welcome students from all walks of life who seek to grow in knowledge of themselves and the world. Saint La Salle’s approach to education was innovative — in his time and ours: a deeply welcoming and compassionate dedication to educating the whole person as a human being with individual dignity and strength. To this day, we continue that mission by making meaningful, outcomes-oriented higher education accessible to all.
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, paratriathlon, and indoor and virtual multisport events in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 3,500 races and connects with more than 300,000 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 World Triathlon Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of World Triathlon and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
