VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota triathlon head coach Kyle Joplin has been elected to serve as the President of the College Triathlon Coaches Association for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2021.
 
Joplin has served as the CTCA's Vice President for the past four years. He has been a founding member of the organization under the umbrella of the USA Triathlon.
 
South Dakota announced its plans to add triathlon as the school's 18th intercollegiate sport in November of 2017, hiring Joplin as the program's inaugural coach the following January. He has led South Dakota to a pair of runner-up finishes as the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in the program's first two seasons. Leah Drengenberg became the program's first All-American with her third-place finish at the national meet in 2019.
 
The NCAA identified triathlon as an emerging sport for women back in 2014. In order to gain championship status with the NCAA, the sport must gain a minimum of 40 NCAA varsity programs within 10 years or show steady progress toward that goal to remain on the list. Women's triathlon currently has 37 varsity programs across the country.