The University of Arizona women’s triathlon team headed to Springfield, Montana on Oct. 12 for the NCAA West National Qualifier, where they tied for first place with ASU with both teams scoring 614 points. 

The Wildcats came into the qualifier as the No. 1 ranked team in the country and with the team’s success in Springfield they punched their ticket to the USA Triathlon National Championship. 

Arizona needed to finish in the top three to qualify as a team for the National Championship. Though the Wildcats tied for first with ASU, the Arizona team placed second due to a tiebreaker determined by the finishing place of the sixth finisher on both teams.

The entire team of eight triathletes managed to complete the race and all racers placed in the top 25. Junior and second-ranked triathlete in the nation, Kelly Wetteland, placed second among all 128 competitors. Her teammates Margareta Vrablova and Molly Lakustiak placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

Though the next stop for the team is the USA Triathlon National Championship in Clermont, Florida on Nov. 9, head coach Wes Johnson will be taking six athletes to the World Championship in Torremolinos, Spain.

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