The women’s triathlon season is back in full swing this semester, kicking off with their first race in Wisconsin on Sept. 4.
The team is headed by Coach Allie Nicosia and consists of ten triathletes, three of which were named Scholar All-Americans in the spring of 2021 by the College Triathlon Coaches Association. The team added on three freshmen this year.
Lindsey Batkiewicz, a returning junior and one of the Scholar All-Americans, is excited to return to a somewhat normal triathlon season. “During Covid, I trained as much as I could, and I was very focused on my studies. I am very proud to be a female athlete and a member of ETSU’s women’s triathlon team, surrounded by a great group of women – we encourage and motivate one another. I strive to do my best academically and as a triathlete,” said Batkiewicz.
In triathlon at ETSU, athletes have to swim 750 meters, bike 12.4 miles, and run a 5K. Coach Nicosia, who has been coaching triathlon since 2015 and arrived at ETSU last fall, explains the rigorous practice her triathletes perform every week. “We bike four times, we swim five times, we run four to five times, and then we lift twice a week. So, we practice twice a day.”
The season consists of thirteen weeks and six races, with three normal races and the national championship in the fall and two races in the spring. The triathlon team will be traveling all around the country, with races in Wisconsin, Virginia, Arizona, and Florida.
“Virginia, which is a month out from nationals, is really just kind of a true test of where is everyone’s fitness at, and how likely are we going to be to maybe do something special,” said Coach Nicosia in response to which races the team was looking forward to.
ETSU’s triathlon team is one of just 37 school teams around the nation. Triathlon is still a NCAA Emerging Sport for Women and is just three schools away from the opportunity to apply for NCAA championship status.
According to Coach Nicosia, the sport is becoming more competitive as colleges begin to add on triathlon teams. One of the team’s big goals this year is to maintain a high placing even as bigger schools put together teams and bring on strong triathletes.
Coach Nicosia remains confident in her players. “We’ve got a pretty strong team, so I think we’re going to do some impressive stuff this year as they continue to build.”
