TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Triathlon head coach Wes Johnson has appointed Jocelyn Bonney as the program's first ever assistant coach. Bonney was a pioneer student-athlete in triathlon and a national champion at Queens University (NC) before competing and coaching professionally. She will join the staff of Arizona's newest program that will begin official competition in Fall of 2023.

"Jocelyn was the first ever NCAA Triathlon champion and has been a mentor, coach, and leader in women's triathlon ever since," said head coach Wes Johnson. "She has a unique ability to spot the talent, character, and drive we are looking for here at Arizona. Her ability to communicate as a coach is accomplished in a way that I have never seen before. She has been coaching junior triathletes of all levels before taking this job as well as living at the Olympic training center as a guide for visually impaired athletes striving to compete at the Paralympic games. I'm grateful to kickstart this program with Jocelyn as a coach, leader, and someone who truly understands high performance."

A trailblazing student-athlete at Queens University, Bonney was one of the first women in the nation to earn a triathlon scholarship and was the first individual triathlon national champion in NCAA history. She also helped guide the Royals to a pair of NCAA Division II team national championships.

Bonney was also an elite international triathlon competitor, beginning at age 17 in the International Triathlon Union World Circuit. Her professional experience also includes coaching as the Junior Elite Team Head Coach for Balanced Art Multisport. The Southern California native has also served as guide for USA Paratriathlon's visually-impaired triathlon team in preparation for the 2024 Paralympic Games in France.

Women's Triathlon was announced as the University of Arizona's 22^nd athletic program in August of 2022 as part of the athletic department's 50^th anniversary celebration of the passing of Title IX. It is a fall sport, and the varsity season includes national qualifiers followed by the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships, held in November. The draft-legal races are sprint-distance, featuring a 750-meter open-water swim, draft-legal 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run. 

Triathlon was approved as the next Emerging Sport for Women for all NCAA institutions in January of 2014. Over 40 institutions, across all levels of NCAA competition, sponsor women's triathlon. Division I institutions in the region who sponsor the sport include Denver, TCU, San Francisco and Arizona State. The NCAA's current scholarship maximum for Women's Triathlon is 6.5.