The University of Arizona’s Women’s Triathlon team had 10 members on the roster for its inaugural season last year. It now has 14.

Only five are from the United States. 

The rest are from Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. 

The team was able to attract new recruits after it finished fifth in the nation last year, landing them the No. 2 ranking in the 2024 Coaches Preseason Poll heading into this season.

Head Coach Wesley Johnson had just six months to recruit an entire class for the inaugural triathlon season in 2023. 

“It was risky bringing people here on such short notice, but they ended up being such a good cohesive group that really built the culture from day one,” said Johnson, whose resume includes nine years as a USA Triathlon national coach, where he led Junior World Championship, U23 World Championship and Pan American Championship athletes.

What could’ve been seen as an obstacle for the group quickly became a strength.

“I think that’s probably what makes us so close, is that we are so different,” said junior Kelly Wetteland from Maryville, Tennessee. “Being able to complement each other and laugh about the things that are different has helped us get close really quickly.”

Wetteland also is a member of the UA track and cross country teams. 

“Last season was amazing in every way. I felt so seen and loved by everyone on the team,” Wetteland said. “It was really special because we all came in together, so everyone was still trying to get their two feet on the ground.”

Wetteland swam Arizona’s second-fastest leg at Collegiate Triathlon National Championships last season with a time of 10:06 and went on to finish 35th. She started this season off strong with a first place finish at the Southern Hills Triathlon last month. 

Margareta Vrablova, a freshman from Nova Dubnica, Slovakia, easily adjusted to being on the team and credited the smooth transition to the group’s diversity. 

“It might be because our team is more international,” said Vrablova, who took fifth place at the World Triathlon Junior World Championships in 2022 and 2023. “I think it’s making us fit better.”

The team speaks a variety of languages, but Vrablova said it has never been a problem. They regularly learn words or phrases in each other’s languages to connect on a deeper level. 

“Everyone wants to help however they can,” she said. 

Vrablova was delighted to learn that she could speak her native language with Dana Prikrylová, a sophomore on the team from the Czech Republic. Even 6,000 miles away, the two found a connection to home.

“They are very similar languages, but it’s not quite the same,” Vrablova said. “Each of us can speak our own language and we can understand each other.”

At times, conversations can be lost in translation as the international athletes pick up on the nuances of American English. 

“The Americans try to help us when we say something wrong, and we make fun quotes from it,” said Vrablova.

Second-year team member Laura Holánszky, a graduate student from Budapest, Hungary, recognized the unique group assembled by Johnson.

“Wes recruited people from all over the world, from Argentina, Hungary, Brazil, Czech Republic, all these people not even speaking the same language,” she said of the inaugural season in 2023. “He had this vision and somehow we made it work.”

Holánszky was an 11-time national champion in swimming in Hungary before deciding to take a step back from sports. A former swim coach encouraged her to give triathlon a try, and the rest is history. 

When she arrived in Tucson last fall to begin training, she knew making the move from Hungary was worth it. 

“They were all very welcoming and nice,” said Holánszky. “There wasn’t a doubt in my mind. This is the place I’m supposed to be.”

Holánszky is also a member of the cross country and track teams at the University of Arizona. She represented Hungary at the U23 Triathlon World Championships in 2023 and was Arizona’s top finisher at Collegiate Triathlon National Championships last season, taking home 11th place.

Anika Visser, a freshman from Cape Town, South Africa, spoke on the unique camaraderie of the team, describing it as a blend of friendship and fun.

“I’ve never been constantly surrounded by a group of similar girls. It feels great,” she said. “I always have friends and it’s just one party the whole time. We are the perfect balance of serious and unserious.” 

Visser is a South African national champion in triathlon and cycling and competed on the South African National Team at the 2023 Junior World Championships. She also won a cycling gold medal at the African Junior Triathlon Championships.

Accepting one another’s diversity has allowed the athletes to flourish, they say.  

“It is an atmosphere in which you can grow,” Vrablova said. “Everyone is trying to help and support each other.”

“I always compete the best when I’m at a place where I feel like I’m really loved and cared for,” Wetteland added. 

The team has provided Holánszky with a place where she said she can be authentically herself.

“I’m not Laura who does triathlon. I’m just Laura,” said Holánszky. “I like being looked at as a human first and I think that’s the core of everything.”

After its fifth place finish at last month’s Southern Hills Triathlon, the team is heading to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Battle of the Fort Triathlon on Sept. 29. 

To follow the team’s season, check out @arizonatriathlon on Instagram or @aztriathlon on X. 

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.