Wildcat Wrap: Arizona triathlon opens season with dominant win

Editor’s note: With several sports going on, Wildcat Wrap serves as a recap that focuses on the Arizona programs that we do not have the time to cover on a regular basis but are certainly worthy of recognition.

The Arizona triathlon program started off its 2026 campaign in impressive fashion, winning the Duquesne Cup with a first place finish.

Arizona earned the top places, including 11 of the top 13 spots. Senior Kelly Wetteland won the race with a time of 1:00:44.35. Junior Margareta Vrablova finished second with a time of 1:00:54.33, followed by freshman Amit Ben Adiva, who took third with a time of 1:01:31.60.

Coach Wes Johnson’s program appears to be in good position to maintain its place atop the sport.

Men’s and women’s tennis

Arizona men’s tennis coach Clancy Shields recently announced the addition of assistant Mitch Stewart.

Stewart returns to Arizona after previously serving as a volunteer assistant during the 2020-21 season. Stewart most recently worked as a junior development coach at a tennis academy in Seattle.

Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at Denver, Elon and Washington, his alma mater.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Mitch back to Arizona,” Shields said. “Mitch is incredibly loyal, and he made a tremendous impact on our program during his first stint here. He is a tireless worker who brings infectious energy every day, and his passion for tennis and developing our players is undeniable. Mitch understands what Arizona Tennis is all about, and we’re thrilled to have him back in our family.”

Men’s tennis has shared its fall schedule, which starts off with the Wildcat Invite next weekend in Tucson, followed by ITA All-Americans from Sept. 19-27 in Tulsa, Okla.

The NCAA Individual Championships will be held Nov. 19-24 in Orlando.

Arizona has three players in the ITA singles preseason rankings, led by No. 37 Sasha Rozin.

The women’s tennis program also has announced its fall schedule, which begins with ITA All-Americans from Sept. 19-27. in Cary, N.C.

Arizona will send athletes to tournaments September through November. The program will host the Wildcat Invite Nov. 13-15, ahead of NCAA Individual Championships Nov. 17-22 in Athens, Ga.

Swimming and diving

The swimming and diving program has also announced its schedule for the upcoming season.

Arizona will open the season with the Red vs. Blue Intrasquad on Oct. 2. The Wildcats’ first match will come Oct. 9-10 when it travels to Dallas for the SMU Classic.

The Wildcats will take on familiar foes in Los Angeles for a Nov. 6-7 meet against USC, UCLA and ASU.

Conference play gets underway on Jan. 16 with a home meet against ASU, Utah, BYU and Kansas. Arizona travels to Tempe on Feb. 6 for a head-to-head duel with ASU.

The Big 12 Championships will be held Feb. 23-27 in Greensboro, N.C.

Cross country

The cross country program opens its season Friday when it hosts the Dave Murray Invitational at Silverlake Park.

The meet starts at 7 a.m. PST and features a women’s 6k and a men’s 8k.

The Arizona men are ranked No. 5 in the West Region and just outside the top 25 nationally.

 “We’re really excited about the upcoming cross country season,” head cross country and track and field coach Andrew Dubbs said. “We have two strong teams and are excited to improve from last season. Our schedule reflects our goal, which is to qualify for the NCAA Championship as a team. We will have some outstanding opportunities this fall, against some top-level competition, to earn points toward qualification.”