TEMPE, AZ - The TriBears are back on top! The Lenoir-Rhyne women's triathlon team won the Division II national championship for the third time in four years, defeating runner-up Wingate by a mere four points to secure the title. 

As a team the Bears finished with 762 points, four above the Bulldogs' 758. This mark would have placed them sixth in the DI race as well, just above the likes of ETSU and the University of Denver. 

The leader of this Bears squad, head coach Harley Mason, was awarded with her fourth National Coach of the Year award following the race. She has now won it every year she has coached the Bears.  

The highlight of the day was Zoila Sicilia, who won the individual Division II title with a time of 1:03:59.0, becoming the second individual triathlon champion in Lenoir-Rhyne  history. Her time placed her 11th overall out of 190 competitors, and her 5k time of 18:14.1 was the eighth fastest in the event. Sabrina Fleig, who won the individual title in 2023, was runner-up in this race, finishing just behind Sicilia with a time of 1:04:26.1. The senior was the third fastest Division II swimmer and closed things out with an 18:47.6 5k. Coming up big in this one was fellow senior Claudia Teran-Romagosa, who took fourth with a time of 1:05:50.6. She was the second Division II swimmer out of the water and had a strong bike time of 33:55.8. This was Teran-Romagosa's highest nationals placing in her four years as a Bear.

The fourth scorer for Lenoir-Rhyne was sophomore Isis Gaskin, who took 10th in Division II and 50th overall with a time of 1:08:06.1. She passed plenty of people on the run, finishing the 5k in 19:25.6. The final scorer for the Bears was junior Alex Linden, who took 21st in Division II with a time of 1:11:35.1. This was Linden's first time competing at the national competition as she was an alternate last year. Freshman Ana Brown, who has come on strong for coach Mason's squad this season, finished her first national championships with a time of 1:12:22.3. Finishing four spots better than her seed was freshman Agathe Claude, who came out of the B wave 28th with a time of 1:13:02.4. 

Senior Sabrina Fleig closes out her career as one of the most decorated Lenoir-Rhyne athletes of all time, having placed fifth, first, second, and second at nationals. Her and Claudia Teran-Romagosa were a part of all three national champion Bear squads.