University of Indianapolis Women’s Triathlon, in just their second year under head coach Doug Robinson, continues to rise as another successful athletic program at the University.
During the 2024 season, the team competed in four regular season events. Defeating Trine University head-to-head and finishing in the top five in other multi-team events. The team qualified for the NCAA Regional Qualifier, where they finished fourth in NCAA Division II. This qualified them to compete in the NCAA National Championships in Clermont, Florida at Lake Louisa State Park. At nationals, the team finished 20 out of 37 teams, eighth among Division II programs, according to UIndy Athletics.
Robinson’s decades of coaching experience, along with his prior stops, such as serving as the Strength and Conditioning Coach at Butler University for its women’s soccer program for nine years, established Robinson as one of the best athlete developers in the area, according to his bio page.
Inside the triathlon training center, athletes have just about every piece of equipment that they could ask for when it comes to training and recovery. Next door to the triathlon training center is the UIndy athletics training room, where cold tubs, heating pads and other recovery equipment are accessible.
Robinson mentioned that recruiting for triathlon can be challenging, as there are minimal high school programs in Indiana and surrounding states that have an affiliated triathlon program. Due to this, Robinson has had to pivot to recruiting nationally and internationally. Of the 11 athletes on the 2025 Women’s Triathlon team, five of the athletes are not from the state of Indiana, with one coming to the program from Guadalajara, Mexico.
“We take our high achieving young women who don’t like to suck at anything, and put them into situations where they’re going to suck or they’re going to be challenged, ” Robinson said. “Our athletes are not going to feel as accomplished as what they want or they’re used to.”
Direct competition with rival teams, coupled with internal battles for position and recognition, serves as the team’s motivation, driving the group to excel both individually and collectively.
“Everyone has their own personal goals that they are chasing, and we are often competing against each other in practices,” Graduate Student-Athlete Sydney Rhodehamel said. “Coach Robinson is always yelling out team names that finished in front of us at nationals last year.”
The Hounds’ next competition leads them to Davidson, North Carolina to compete in the Lake Davidson Sprint Triathlon. The competition begins at 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 14.
