The collegiate triathlon futures of girls like Dabney could all change by January, when the NCAA votes on adding women’s triathlon as an “emerging sport,” a designation that could lead to the sport eventually being added as a full NCAA championship sport.
So far, Arizona, Air Force Academy, Denver, Drake, Monmouth, University of North Carolina-Asheville, Northern Iowa and Stanford have submitted letters of support for Division I teams. Adams State and University of Colorado Colorado Springs have done the same at the Division II level, with Maine-Farmington and Marymount offering support for Division III teams.
Being granted status as an emerging sport would likely encourage other schools to add women’s triathlon. If 40 schools follow the lead of schools like Arizona and Air Force, women’s triathlon will be granted full NCAA varsity status. Other current women’s NCAA championship sports that have followed the same emerging sport path include ice hockey, water polo and rowing.
Women’s ice hockey, which was listed as an emerging sport in 1995, grew from 21 schools in that first year to 63 schools by 2000-01, earning championship status. Women’s triathlon is the first sport to be recommended to emerging sport status since women’s sand volleyball in 2009. Currently, there are almost 30 schools with sand volleyball programs.
Former USA Triathlon Director of National Events Jeff Dyrek and Brad Hecker, Director of Women’s Basketball Relations for the Atlantic Coast Conference, have spent the past four years preparing the proposal, which was presented to the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics in April. Dyrek and Hecker were joined at the presentation by USA Triathlon Southeast Regional Athlete Development Coordinator Kathleen Johnston and 2013 USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals champion Michelle Mehnert.
“[They’ve] done an excellent job of giving them a very thorough proposal,” said Johnston, who also served as Dabney’s coach on the Southeast Regional Junior High Performance Team.
While Johnston and the contingent in Indianapolis were cautious about triathlon’s chances of gaining emerging sport status, the group left the meeting at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis with a good feeling about the sport’s collegiate future.
“During the process, we knew there was support for triathlon, but following the presentation, you could truly see how much support,” Dyrek said. “Committee members were asking thoughtful questions and approaching us after the meeting to discuss the sport in more detail.”
Johnston added: “You’ve got to follow the process. A victory at each level of the process continues to feed your encouragement that it’s being approached in the proper manner.”
Athletes, their parents, coaches and others involved in the sport at all levels said the January vote could have a dramatic impact on the sport at the NCAA level and beyond.
“You just have to look at what our national swimming program looks like,” Johnston said.
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