Mia Morente '24 Recruiting Profile

In college, I had initially hoped to run cross country but as I have trained and developed my skills as a triathlete that is now what I hope to do. In August of 2021 I raced my first real triathlon and fell in love with it (Lake Tye Triathlon, sprint distance, time: 1:19:38). Not just the racing itself , but also the training and culture surrounding it. I have always been exposed to triathlon, as both my parents and their friends were triathletes. But now having competed in one of my own I felt that I had connected with the sport on a new level. This past summer (summer of 2022), I raced in my second and third triathlons, both sprint distance. I again enjoyed it. One of them (Tri Monroe, time: 1:11:14) was draft-legal which was an exciting introduction to a different side of competition in triathlon. I loved the relationship I had with the girls I raced alongside. My goal was now not just to beat them, we worked together, drafting off of each other, to make it to the finish line. This required lots of communication skills and at a few points pushed me to work a lot harder than I felt comfortable with at that point in the race. It taught me important lessons in adapting to my circumstances during a race. My second race this summer was Age Group Nationals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Due to weather issues, the sprint-distance race was adapted to a super-sprint. I found that while I do prefer normal sprint distance to super-sprint, the entire experience was exhilarating with the speed of the race enhancing the competitive spirit of everyone, including myself. I ended this race placing 12th, and am very excited to return to compete there again in 2023. Being a triathlete requires teamwork skills that I have developed through years of training with, swim, cross country, and track teams and clubs. An important skill I have also learned while training, is how to balance my athletics with academics. There is a balance that I have worked for years to strike. I found that committing fully to the task at hand is what has allowed me to be the most successful with this, and I hope to take this skill with me into college.