The University of Arizona women’s triathlon team secured a spot in the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship on Oct. 12, in Springfield, Mont. after the Wildcats scored 614 points and tied for first place against in-state rival school ASU at the NCAA West National Qualifier.
Arizona’s swimming and diving women’s team defeated GCU and NAU but fell short against ASU, losing 201-80 to the Sun Devils in the season opener on Saturday, Oct. 12 in Mona Plummer Aquatic Center in Tempe. Although the team didn’t come out on top, Brooke Earley stood out with a stellar performance in the women’s 1-meter dive.
Team: Women’s Triathlon
The Wildcats went into the qualifier as the No. 1 ranked triathlon team in the College Triathlon Coaches Association team rankings. This achieved a new program record for Arizona, allowing the Wildcats to climb from their initial preseason ranking of No. 7 to their current position at No. 2.
Arizona demonstrated its prowess in the qualifier as the Wildcats grabbed the second place spot behind ASU due to a tiebreaker determined by the results of the sixth finisher on both teams. The top three finishing teams qualified to play at the national collegiate level next month which included ASU, Arizona and the University of Denver.
The Wildcats came in with a stacked roster containing seven of the top 50 individually ranked athletes, including No. 2 Kelly Wetteland, No. 5 Margareta Vrablova, No. 6 Mia Wentzy, No. 7 Ellison Wolfe, No. 8 Dana Prikrylová, No. 19 Laura Holánszky and No. 26 Molly Lakustiak. Freshman Anika Visser, originally from Cape Town, South Africa also competed in the meet.
Wetteland finished second overall, securing 207 points. Alongside Wetteland, other finishers in the top 15 included Vrablova (fifth), Lakustiak (sixth), Wolfe (eighth) and Sara Crociani (15th). Holánszky (17th), Wentzy (21st) and Visser (24th) all finished in the top 25.
Athlete: Brooke Earley – Women’s Swim and Dive
Earley, a consistent performer over the past three seasons at Arizona, is poised for a breakout year. Her victory in the women’s 1-meter dive at the season opener is just a taste of what’s to expect this season.
The two-time Pac-12 Women’s Diver of the Week grabbed a final score of 307.80 in the 1-meter dive at the All-Arizona Quad-Meet. She surpassed her opponent, Victoria Knapp from NAU, who trailed by more than 15 points.
Earley will be exciting to watch this year as last season she accomplished so much, she was a two-time Pac-12 Championship finalist in the 1-meter (fourth place, 296.55) and 3-meter (third place, 312.15) as well as a two-time NCAA Championship qualifier in the 1-meter and 3-meter events.
Earley, an Aliso Viejo, Calif. native, completed the season last year in Athens, Ga. at the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Despite not making it to the finals, Earley’s appearance at the event shows a chance of her reaching that level once again.
Looking Ahead
Women’s triathlon head coach Wes Johnson will lead six athletes to the World Championship next weekend. The Wildcats will then compete for a national title at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship in Clermont, Fla. on Nov. 9. The Arizona swim and dive team will host the University of Utah on Friday, Oct. 25 at 4 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. in Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.
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