Elite

University of Arizona’s Wetteland, Canada's Beaulieu Win 2026 Americas Triathlon Cup Gulfport

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by USA Triathlon

GULFPORT, Miss. — University of Arizona senior collegiate triathlete Kelly Wetteland and Canada’s Mathis Beaulieu won the elite women’s and men’s races on Friday, March 27 at the 2026 Americas Triathlon Cup Gulfport.  

The elite triathlon event, hosted by CLASH Endurance, showcased Olympic triathletes and the sport’s up-and-coming talent in an exciting, draft-legal race environment held near the Gulfport Municipal Marina.  

A rare opportunity to race draft-legal triathlon in the U.S., Americas Triathlon Cup Gulfport offered athletes from more than 20 countries the chance to compete for valuable ranking points to determine their eligibility to enter the World Triathlon Championship Series events, World Triathlon Cup events and World Triathlon Continental Championship events. 

Athletes racing on Friday included 2016 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen (Boulder, Colo.), fellow U.S. Triathlon National Team member Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) and Paris 2024 Olympians Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto of Colombia and Erica Hawley of Bermuda.  

It was Wetteland (Los Alamos, N.M.) who prevailed in the women’s race, winning the sprint-distance triathlon (750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5k run) in a time of 59 minutes, 35 seconds.  

Wetteland is a member of the Mallow U25 Development Team, USA Triathlon’s developmental team for junior and U25 athletes competing at Continental Cups and World Triathlon events. Fully funded by longtime triathletes and USA Triathlon Foundation donors Audra and Michael Mallow, the program provides support for travel expenses, racing and training equipment, personal coaching stipends, and access to USA Triathlon training camps.  

Last November, Wetteland won the individual NCAA Division I title at the 2025 Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships, helping lead the University of Arizona to its second consecutive DI team title.  

On Friday in Gulfport, Wetteland put together a complete swim-bike-run race, turning in the day’s second-fastest swim. She rode in the lead bike pack and ran an 18:59 5k to hold off a fast-charging Jorgensen. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist ran the day’s fastest 5k (18:16) to finish second, 7 seconds behind Wetteland in 59:42.  

Margareta Vrabolva of Slovakia placed third, with a time of 59:48. A teammate of Wetteland’s at the University of Arizona, she placed second at the 2025 Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships.  

The two Paris 2024 Olympians, Velasquez Soto of Colombia and Hawley of Bermuda, placed fourth and fifth, respectively.  

(Photo by CLASH Endurance)

U.S. athletes dominated the top five standings in the men’s race, but it was Beaulieu of Canada who took the overall win thanks to the day’s strongest run. He ran a 16:13 5k en route to an overall time of 52:42 — 28 seconds ahead of Braxton Legg (Tampa, Fla.).  

Blake Bullard (Southlake, Texas) placed third in 53:22.  

Beaulieu trains with Legg and Bullard, who are members of USA Triathlon’s development training group Project Podium, based in Tempe, Arizona. Fellow Project Podium athlete Sullivan Middaugh placed fifth, while U.S. Triathlon National Member Darr Smith, placed fourth.  

For more information about the 2026 Americas Triathlon Cup Gulfport, including full results, click here.  

In addition to Americas Triathlon Cup Gulfport, CLASH Endurance is also hosting the 2026 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships.  

(Photo by CLASH Endurance)

2026 Americas Triathlon Cup Gulfport 

750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run 

Complete Results 

Elite Women 

1. Kelly Wetteland (Los Alamos, N.M.), 59:35 

2. Gwen Jorgensen (Boulder, Colo.), 59:42 

3. Margareta Vrablova (SVK), 59:48 

Top 20 U.S. Finishers 

7. Rachel Werking (Brookfield, Wis.), 1:00:45 

9. Joy Gill (San Antonio, Texas), 1:01:11 

13. Ruth Pardy (Sioux Falls, S.D.), 1:01:22 

14. Ellison Wolfe (Columbia, Pa.), 1:01:23 

15. Chelsea Webber (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:01:27 

16. Liberty Ricca (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:01:42 

Elite Men 

1. Mathis Beaulieu (CAN), 52:42 

2. Braxton Legg (Tampa, Fla.), 53:10 

3. Blake Bullard (Southlake, Texas), 53:22 

Top 20 U.S. Finishers 

4. Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.), 53:40 

5. Sullivan Middaugh (Vail, Colo.), 54:02 

7. Porter Middaugh (Vail, Colo.), 54:15 

8. Keller Norland (Corvallis, Ore.), 54:25 

13. Jake Derouin (Eden Prairie, Minn.), 54:47 

18. Mark Romano (U.S. Air Force Academy), 55:06 

20. Graham Hummel (Richardson, Texas), 55:20 

About USA Triathlon 

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon, paratriathlon, and indoor and virtual multisport events in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 3,500 events and races and connects with and supports more than 300,000 unique active members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Triathlon World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.