Reading, Pa. (June 4, 2021) - Alvernia University Director of Athletics and Recreation
Bill Stiles announced on Friday the addition of two new varsity sports, bringing Alvernia's total athletic offerings to 32 sports.
Alvernia will add Women's Triathlon and Women's Bowling as NCAA sports in the 2022-23 academic year.
"I am proud to continue our strategic growth and, in particular, our pattern of providing additional athletics opportunities for women, while also purposefully expanding our recruiting opportunities in areas outside of our traditional geographic markets," said Stiles.
Women's Triathlon is currently recognized as an NCAA Emerging Sport for women and is one of the most rapidly growing sports at the collegiate level. Sanctioned by USA Triathlon, Collegiate Women's Triathlon consists of a 750-meter open-water swim, a draft-legal 20-kilometer bike ride, and a five-kilometer run.
Triathlon's competitive season begins September 1st and runs through October 31st, with the USA Triathlon Women's Collegiate National Championship taking place in early November.
Alvernia's triathletes will train around Berks County on local trails and roads, as well as local pools and open water areas.
Alvernia will be the 37th NCAA institution, and 13th Division III institution, to sponsor Women's Triathlon. Alvernia will be the first institution in the state of Pennsylvania to offer Women's Triathlon.
"USA Triathlon is proud to welcome Alvernia University to the women's collegiate triathlon family as our first varsity program in Pennsylvania," said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. "This addition is particularly exciting as it brings us one step closer to full-fledged NCAA Championship sport status while opening up a new opportunity for student-athletes in the Northeast Region."
The NCAA named Women's Triathlon as an Emerging Sport in 2014, a designation that gives the sport a 10-year window to demonstrate its sustainability at the NCAA level. USA Triathlon and the NCAA are quickly nearing its goal of 40 sponsor institutions by 2024.
"The addition of Women's Triathlon will strengthen the existing and continuous growth of our women's programs," said Associate Athletic Director Laura Gingrich, who spearheaded the research of adding Triathlon at Alvernia. "Providing an additional opportunity for female student-athletes to participate in an NCAA Emerging Sport, and being the first to sponsor triathlon in the state, demonstrates our commitment to maximize the number and variety of athletic opportunities"
Women's Bowling is an NCAA sanctioned sport, with 87 NCAA institutions sponsoring the sport across all three NCAA Divisions.
Of the 87 NCAA institutions that sponsor Women's Bowling, 47 compete in the Northeast region and 15 compete within two hours of Alvernia, including Kutztown University and Chestnut Hill College. Berks County is also a hotbed for Women's Bowling, with Berks Lanes in Sinking Spring and Jay Lanes in Douglasville annually hosting the two largest collegiate invitationals on the east coast. In addition, every high school in Berks County competes in Girl's Bowling.
Women's Bowling became an NCAA sport for the 2003-2004 season.
"I'm disappointed that I didn't explore adding Women's Bowling before now, as there is a large amount of intercollegiate competition that takes place within an hour of Reading," added Stiles. High school participation numbers show it certainly meets the interest and ability levels of girls in Berks County and beyond."
Women's Triathlon and Women's Bowling will be Alvernia's fifth and sixth varsity sports announced in the past year. The University announced the addition of Esports, Men's Ice Hockey, and Women's Wrestling in August of 2020. Esports competition will get underway this fall, and Women's Wrestling and Men's Ice Hockey will begin competition in the 2022-23 academic year.
"As other universities from Division I to Division III drop programs and sports, I am delighted to continue to provide additional athletics opportunities, particularly for women," said Stiles. "This progress is not limited to athletics; however, as evidenced by Reading CollegeTowne and the addition of academic programs like Engineering and Physician Assistant. The Alvernia Advantage is real!"
The search for head coaches of Women's Triathlon and Women's Bowling will begin immediately.
