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schmidt wtri recruit 2017

Women's Triathlon By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

Women's Triathlon Adds Two Out-Of-State Recruits

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College head women's triathlon coach Dr. Jon Metz announced a pair of commitments to the program's 2018 recruiting class today, adding out-of-state recruits Nicole Schmidt (Vienna, Va.) and Lexi Christie (Manassas, Va.) who inked their National Letters of Intent recently during the NCAA's early signing period. Both signees bring impressive resumes, and they will enroll in classes and join the triathlon program beginning in the Fall 2018 semester.

"We are thrilled by the signing of Nicole and Lexi," said Metz who has guided the Daemen triathlon program since its inception in 2015. "I can't tell you how excited I am and how excited we are as a program for the fall of 2018. Both ladies have competed at the junior elite level. They are very strong and dynamic athletes that, in addition to our current team members, will make this team a contender in 2018."

Competing with the M3/Machine Triathlon Club, Schmidt is presently 12th in the USA Triathlon national rankings and third in the Mid-Atlantic rankings for the 16-17 age group. A previous winner of the Mid-Atlantic Region Junior Talent ID Series and the Virginia State High School Triathlon Championship, Schmidt earned a spot on Team USA for the International Triathlon Union Under-19 World Championships held September 17 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. There, Schmidt finished 32nd out of 50 total competitors representing 12 different countries.

At George C. Marshall High School suburban Washington, D.C., Schmidt has lettered in cross country, swimming and track and field, earning Scholar-Athlete accolades in each. She'll major in Political Science/History at Daemen.

Christie will come to Daemen after placing 30th out of 69 competitors at the 2017 USA Triathlon Junior Elite National Championships held Aug. 5 in Liberty Township, Ohio. She has risen to prominence while competing with her triathlon club, Endorphin Fitness.

Like Schmidt, Christie has been a tri-sport letter-winner (cross country, swimming, track and field) during her scholastic days at Osbourn Park Senior High School, earning all-conference honors in both cross country and swimming. A National Honor Society member, Christie will major in Physical Therapy at Daemen.

The pair of highly-touted recruits will join a Daemen triathlon program that just sent redshirt freshman Amber Custodi (Ransomville, N.Y.) to the Collegiate Triathlon National Championships where she finished 44th earlier this month.

Triathlon was approved as an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women in January of 2014, and the first varsity National Championship was held in the fall of that year. The sport has a 10-year window to demonstrate sustainability as an NCAA sport option by recruiting at least 40 schools to offer the sport at the varsity level. Daemen is now one of 20 institutions nationwide to sponsor a varsity triathlon program for women. 

For continuing coverage of the Daemen women's triathlon team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenTriathlon on Twitter.
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Players Mentioned

Amber Custodi

Amber Custodi

5' 7"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Amber Custodi

Amber Custodi

5' 7"
Freshman