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D&E adding new sport 

TEMPE, Ariz. — Davis & Elkins College Director of Athletics Jamie Joss announced the addition of Women’s Triathlon at the Title IX reception Friday evening prior to the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championship on Sunday.

“The NCAA triathlon movement is gaining momentum, as we welcome the Davis & Elkins Senators to the family on the weekend of our third Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championship,” said USA Triathlon CEO Rocky Harris. “With four new varsity programs announced in the last month, we are nearly halfway to our goal of committing 40 schools by 2024. As the sixth varsity program on the east coast, Davis & Elkins will benefit from competitive racing opportunities regionally while raising the game for our Division II teams nationwide.”

The NCAA named triathlon an Emerging Sport for Women in 2014. The designation gives programs a 10-year window to demonstrate sustainability as a NCAA sport.

The varsity season, which is composed of three regional qualifiers and the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championship, features sprint-distance races covering a 750-meter open water swim, draft-legal 20-kilometer bike, and 5-kilometer run.

“Our continued commitment to inclusivity and offering unique opportunities with emerging sports for women were the driving force behind our decision to add women’s triathlon. We are proud to join 18 other institutions who are committed to providing young women opportunities to use their outstanding athletic gifts and apply their passion for sport competing in NCAA intercollegiate athletics toward the pursuit of their undergraduate degree. This reinforces our mission of Developing Excellence in student-athletes, coaches and staff through Education, Engagement, Character and Competition,” said Joss. “To become the first program in West Virginia to take advantage of access to outstanding training environments in Elkins and throughout the Appalachian region is a great honor. Adding to this is the opportunity to join other NCAA programs in Indiana, New York, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, along with accessibility to 100s of sprint triathlons within West Virginia and neighboring states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia provides an excellent platform for an outstanding student-athlete experience for our future triathletes.”

The addition of the women’s triathlon program is being made possible through a $70,000 grant from the USA Triathlon Foundation. The USA Triathlon Foundation Women’s Emerging Sport Grant is distributed to select NCAA membership institutions to develop, implement and sustain women’s triathlon programs at the NCAA varsity level.

With the assistance of USA Triathlon, D&E becomes the 19th school in the nation and 9th Division II institution to add varsity women’s triathlon.

The Senators plan to open competition in the fall of 2018 with at least five student-athletes competing in four events and eventually expanding the team roster to 16. The addition of women’s triathlon expands Davis & Elkins athletics sport offerings to 22, joining its most recent additions of men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track in 2016-17 and women’s acrobatics & tumbling in 2017-18.

Davis & Elkins has begun a national search for the head women’s triathlon coach and immediate recruitment of student-athletes for the program. Once a head coach is hired, D&E will pursue partnerships in the community to assist with the development of a varsity women’s triathlon program.

For more information about triathlon as an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women visit usatriathlon.org/ncaa.

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