The offseason is here, with all of Arizona’s sports done for 2024-25 season and the 2025-26 campaigns still a little ways away.
Which makes this a great time to step back and see how all of the Wildcats’ programs are doing and how they’ve handled the move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12
Over the next few weeks we’ll take a look at each of the UA’s men’s and women’s athletic programs to see what shape they’re in and what prospects they have for the near future. We’ll break down each team and evaluate how it is performing under its current coaching staff, looking at the state of the program before he/she arrived and comparing it to now while also evaluating how that program fits into its new conference.
Next up: Wes Johnson’s triathlon team
How it looked before
The University of Arizona added women’s triathlon as a varsity sport ahead of the 2023-24 academic year, making Arizona one of just three Power 5 athletic departments to sponsor the sport. Johnson was hired as head coach in December 2022 and quickly assembled a roster of elite athletes from around the globe.
In Arizona’s inaugural season, the Wildcats finished fifth at the 2023 Collegiate Triathlon National Championship, setting the stage for the success the program would experience the following year.
Where things stand now
It only took two full seasons for Arizona to become the top dog of college triathlon. Arizona won the 2024 national championship last November, usurping rival ASU as the sport’s top program. All of Arizona’s top scorers at the national championship were underclassmen.
Among the key returners are Kelly Wetteland, a senior who also competes for Arizona track and field, was the UA’s top performer at the 2024 national championship, finishing second place individually. Sophomore Margareta Vrablova, senior Molly Lakustiak and junior Dana Prikrylova all finished in the top 10.
Arizona’s experience from 2024 should carry over to the coming season and push the program to even stronger performances.
Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Neither the Pac-12 or the Big 12 sponsor triathlon. The sport is not yet fully sponsored by the NCAA. Arizona, ASU and TCU are the only power conference schools to support triathlon as a varsity sport.
With the House v. NCAA settlement poised to remake how college athletic departments invest in programs, it’s to be determined whether triathlon will benefit or suffer from the new landscape. The fact that several schools are already cutting non-revenue scholarships, or in some cases axing programs entirely, it doesn’t seem likely that triathlon will receive an immense amount of support on an administrative level.
One big question
Can Arizona repeat? That’s the question that will hang over the heads of Johnson and the Arizona squad after the Wildcats won their first national title last season.
Arizona certainly has the talent in store to win another championship, as every key member of last season’s team returns. With that said, personnel varies year-to-year and there’s no guarantees that the team will stay healthy throughout the season.
Arizona’s biggest competition will come from up north. ASU is still considered the premier university for triathlon, having won seven straight national championships before the Wildcats ended the Sun Devils’ run in 2024.
Arizona can build the foundation of a dynasty of its own with another championship in 2025.