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The offseason is here for most Arizona sports, the 2025-26 season in the books and the 2026-27 seasons still a few months away.
What better time than now to press pause and check the pulse of each Wildcat program?
Over the next few weeks we’ll take a look at each of the UA’s men’s and women’s athletic programs to see what shape they’re in, as well as the prospects for the near future. We’ll break down each team and evaluate how it has performed under the current coaching staff, comparing it to how it looked beforehand, and assess how it fits into the Big 12 Conference.
Next up: triathlon under Wes Johnson
How it looked before
Arizona added triathlon as a scholarship sport ahead of the 2023-24 academic year and quickly asserted itself as one of the nation’s top programs. Johnson, a former national team coach for Team USA, led the Wildcats to a top five finish at the 2023 Collegiate Triathlon National Championships.
Arizona doubled down on its success the next two years, winning national championships in 2024 and 2025. In the process, the Wildcats usurped rival ASU as the nation’s top triathlon program; ASU won seven consecutive national titles from 2016 to 2023.
Johnson attracted athletes from around the globe to Tucson. Seven countries were represented on the 2025 roster.
Taking Stock 2026
The offseason provides a great opportunity to evaluate each of Arizona’s athletic programs under its current leadership. Check back each day for another sport breakdown.
Tuesday, June 16: Men’s and women’s track and field
Sunday, May 31: Football
Monday, June 1: Volleyball
Tuesday, June 2: Soccer
Wednesday, June 3: Triathlon
Thursday, June 4: Cross country
Friday, June 5: Men’s and women’s swimming
Saturday, June 6: Women’s basketball
Sunday, June 7: Men’s basketball
Monday, June 8: Gymnastics
Tuesday, June 9: Beach volleyball
Wednesday, June 10: Women’s golf
Thursday, June 11: Women’s tennis
Friday, June 12: Men’s tennis
Saturday, June 13: Baseball
Sunday, June 14: Softball
Monday, June 15: Men’s golf
Where things stand now
Arizona will enter 2026 with a bullseye on its back having won the last two national championships. The Wildcats should enter the season in strong position to make a run at a third straight title. Johnson said at the end of last season that he expects to return Arizona’s entire roster, which includes All-Americans Kelly Lyn Wetteland, Margareta Vrablova, and Ellison Wolfe.
With a roster fulled of experienced athletes who’ve won at the highest level of collegiate triathlon, Arizona is only chasing itself.
Life in the Big 12
Women’s triathlon is part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program and is still seeking NCAA Championship consideration. Arizona is one of three Power Conference schools to sponsor triathlon, the other two being ASU and TCU. The trio of Big 12 schools have the most resources to support triathletes. They finished 1-2-3 at last year’s national championships.
One big question
Can Arizona win a third straight national title? The first three seasons under Johnson have featured spectacular success for a program that didn’t exist until 2023. Arizona broke through in 2024 with its first national championship, then repeated in 2025 with a dominant win at nationals.
A third straight title would cement Arizona’s dynasty and create even more separation between the UA and its closest competitors, ASU and TCU. The pressure that comes with remaining on top will create a fun storyline to follow throughout the fall.
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