ETSU women’s triathlon head coach Janine Pleasant is retiring, the East Tennessee State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Tuesday.
Pleasant was the first triathlon head coach for ETSU, having been officially hired on July 14, 2016. She has led the triathlon squad since competition officially began in the fall of 2016.
“It’s been so much fun representing ETSU,” said Pleasant. “I like to say that I bleed blue and gold. Being involved in that is incredible.”
Pleasant, a 1986 ETSU graduate of the computer science program, had worked various jobs related to her major before landing as the women’s triathlon head coach, including time as an information technology specialist, network administrator and a project manager.
However, Pleasant was no stranger to the rigors of training and outdoor exercise before she began coaching the Buccaneers.
“In 1998, I was training for my first marathon, and they had us cross-training in biking and swimming,” recalled Pleasant. “After that, I was one hundred percent thoroughly addicted. Since [then] I’ve been doing several triathlons per year. I started coaching individuals, [and] I started the local triathlon club.”
Pleasant said she takes a lot of pride in pursuing her triathlon passion, while having provided Buccaneer student-athletes with the opportunity to compete in triathlon at the national level, regardless of their previous experience with the sport.
“The sport itself is a huge passion of mine,” explained Pleasant. “I loved getting to introduce athletes to it that came to me with separate skills but not necessarily triathlon experience.”
Despite retiring from coaching, Pleasant’s presence at ETSU will continue in the form of teaching the aquatics class, which is a requirement for the physical education major on campus.
Additionally, Pleasant explained how she is determined to carry on with a very active lifestyle in the years to come.
“I plan to go out and hike several sections of the Appalachian Trail,” she said. “[I will] do a lot more scuba diving and a lot more traveling.”
