VERMILLION, S.D.—The two-time national runner-up South Dakota triathlon team will have three opportunities to qualify for the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship.
Among the four courses on South Dakota's schedule, three of them are the same venues the Coyotes raced at last season – Pleasant Prairie RecPlex, Smith Mountain Lake and Tempe Town Lake.
"Our student-athletes will feel a sense of familiarity this fall as we return to three courses we visited a year ago," said head coach
Kyle Joplin. "We are very excited for races where our athletes are familiar with the terrain."
The Coyotes kick off the season at the Pleasant Prairie Qualifier, the first of the three chances to meet the qualification criteria for the national meet. To officially qualify, a team must place in the top-two at any of the three regional qualifiers. One of the more notable rule changes for the 2020 season is the move from scoring three to four triathletes in the team score.
South Dakota accomplished that feat in their first qualifier in the program's first two seasons.
The Pleasant Prairie Qualifier, formerly called the Central Regional Qualifier, is scheduled for Sept. 5 at the RecPlex in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The Coyotes finished runner-up at the meet a year ago led by top-five finishes from
Leah Drengenberg and
Ella Kubas.
The new course this season is the Branson Qualifier to be held at Moonshine Beach on Sept. 26 in Branson, Missouri. Hosted by Drury and Heartland Racing Company, it will mark the first USA Triathlon event in the state of Missouri.
For the final tune-up of the regular season, the Coyotes will head to the Smith Mountain Lake Qualifier on Oct. 17 in Huddleston, Virginia. Formerly called the East Regional Qualifier,
Payton Ryz led the Coyote contingent at the meet a year ago.
The USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships return to Tempe Town Lake on Nov. 14 in Tempe, Arizona. South Dakota finished runner-up at the national meet in the program's first two seasons. Drengenberg made history as the program's first All-American last fall, placing third in the race with a time of 1:07:21.
2020 Schedule
Sept. 5 | Pleasant Prairie Qualifier | Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
Sept. 26 | Branson Qualifier | Branson, Mo.
Oct. 17 | Smith Mountain Lake Qualifier | Huddleston, Va.
Nov. 14 | USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship | Tempe, Ariz.
