TCU Triathlon: They're Here!

TCU head triathlon coach Jenny Garrison announced the signing of ten student-athletes who will compose the inaugural TCU Triathlon class.

Jenna Buchanan, Kennedy Calcagno, Maria Coral, Erica Francesconi, Monica Lopez, Anabella Veltcheva, Elena Viejo and Hannah Ye have each signed and will enroll at TCU in the Fall 2022 semester, while Sara Gimena and Alejandra Segui will join the Horned Frogs the following Spring semester.

TCU’s initial roster includes a pair of collegiate transfers and eight incoming freshmen, who hail from four different states and three different countries. All 10 incoming Horned Frogs will use the 2022-23 season for practice ahead of TCU’s inaugural one in 2023-24. The addition of women's triathlon gives TCU 22 sports, the most in the Big 12 Conference.

It's here! Our first official triathlon roster!

🔗 - https://t.co/E30l0k1uJg #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/F4rv5h9DKJ
— TCU Women's Triathlon (@TCUTriathlon) June 21, 2022

“We are extremely excited about TCU triathlon’s first signing class,” said Garrison. “We feel very strongly about the 10 young women that make up this roster and look forward to getting them on campus, so that we can begin preparing to compete in the Fall of 2023. It will be a unique year ahead for this group, but we are overjoyed that they made the decision to join us at TCU and help build this program.”

Jenna Buchanan

Buchanan hails from Bartlett, Illinois, where she attended Bartlett High School, competing in cross country, track and swimming. She was a four-time state qualifier and all-conference selection in cross country, as well as a sectional champion and state qualifier in track in the 3200-meter event. Her triathlon honors include winning the Clermont Triathlon earlier this year. Earlier this summer, she won the Jenny Lee Cup in Pennsylvania.

Kennedy Calcagno

Calcagno, who made program history as TCU triathlon’s first signee, makes the move to Fort Worth following a prep career at IC Catholic in Elmhurst, Illinois. She was a two-time track & field all-state qualifier, as well as a four-time state qualifier in cross country. Her top triathlon finishes include a fourth-place finish at the Wasach Elite Cup and a sixth-place completion at the Richmond Elite Cup.

Maria Coral

Coral is one of five student-athletes hailing from a foreign country, joining TCU from Bogota, Columbia. While attending Colegio Nacional Nicolas Esuerra, she competed in both track and swimming. She has won numerous gold medals in triathlon competition, including top honors at National Sport Games, National Inter High School Finals, Junior National Interclup Championships and National Interleague Sprint Championships. She finished in second at the 2022 America’s Triathlon Junior Cup Formosa, while qualifying to represent Columbia in the 2022 World Championships in Montreal, Canada.

Erica Francesconi

Francesconi, from Westlake, Ohio, will transfer to TCU following a two-year career at Ohio State, where she competed in both cross country and track & field. With the Buckeyes, Francesconi set a 6K personal-best time of 21:59.7 at Pre-Nationals and a 5K personal-best time of 18:19.7 at Notre Dame. She was the 2019 Cleveland Triathlon Olympic Distance Women’s Overall Champion, as well as a two-time USA Triathlon National Championship qualifier.

Sara Gimena

Gimena is one of three incoming student-athletes hailing from Spain, headed to Fort Worth from Ondara, Spain, which lies about 275 miles southeast of Madrid and off the coast of the Balearic Sea. She finished third-place at the National Triathlon Championships in 2020 and sixth-place overall in 2021. In addition, she has a pair of top-15 finishes at the European Junior National Championships earlier this year.

Monica Lopez

Lopez hails from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, where she attended Liberty University Online Academy. Her triathlon honors include being a three-time IRON Kids National Champion, four-time USAT Youth National Champion, a silver medalist at the Mexico Triathlon National Games and a gold medalist in the 1500-meter event at the Mexico National Games.

Alejandra Segui

Segui is from Valencia, Spain, and is one of two signees deferring to enroll in January 2023. Segui’s triathlon honors include a pair of top-20 finishes at the European Junior Cup races in 2022. She also took home fourth-place honors at the Duathlon Nationals Junior Championships earlier this year.

Anabella Veltcheva

Veltcheva will head to TCU from Gainesville, Florida., where she attended Gainesville High School. Veltcheva was a 21-time All-American and nine-time National Champion in both cross country and track & field, while also competing in swimming for the Hurricanes. Last year in cross country she was the regional meet winner and took home runner-up honors at state. Her swimming honors include a 10th-place finish at Senior Zones and an eighth-place finish at the state meet.

Elena Viejo

Viejo will join the Horned Frogs after moving from Madrid, Spain. Her triathlon honors include a third-place finish at the European Junior Cup and Spanish Triathlon Qualifiers for the European Championship. Her third-place finish at the European Junior Cup qualified her to represent Spain in the 2022 World Championships in Montreal, Canada. She took home a first-place finish in both the Madrid Duathlon Championship and Spanish Duathlon Championship.

Hannah Ye

Ye rounds out our two incoming transfers, making the move to TCU after a two-year career at San Francisco. She competed in two events while attending USF, placing 11th overall at the Sarasota-Bradenton Junior Elite Triathlon as a freshman, and then taking 13th-place overall at the 2021 America Triathlon Junior Women Championships her sophomore season. Originally from Leesburg, Va., Ye was a Virginia All-State 100m breaststroke and Class 3A State Champion. She was instrumental in Riverside High School winning the team state championship in 2017. She was also a two-time state champion in triathlon.

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