CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Queens University of Charlotte Head Women's Triathlon Coach Sonni Dyer welcomes eight new student-athletes to his 2022-23 roster. Martyna Bugala, Beth Cook, Maisie Gibbons, Natalia Hidalgo, Cara Macdonald, Letizia Martinelli, Emilie Noyer, and Weronika Ptaszynska will join the Royals this fall on the NCAA squad.
 
"Given the historic move to NCAA DI announced this week, it's completely fitting that we welcome this class of incoming triathletes," Dyer stated. "There are numerous national champions and world qualifiers amongst this recruiting class. We're ready to compete at the highest level of collegiate triathlon. Bring on the season!"

Bugala will hail from Lublin, Poland where she attended the General Education High School which ranked No. 10 in Lublin. A champion of many events, she finished first in the Triathlon Junior Polish Championships, the Triathlon Junior Polish Cup Olsztyn, the Junior Polish Cup Pniewy, and first in the general classification Triathlon Junior Polish Cup. Burgala also competed in the final B in Kitzbuhel ETU Triathlon Youth European Championship Festival taking 11th place, and in the Zilina ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup taking 22nd place.
 
Cook joins the squad from Great Britain where she is attending Bexhill College. In 2021 she placed 29^th at the Junior World Triathlon Championships and 13^th at the Junior European Triathlon Championship. Cook is a two-time Super League Triathlon Champion winning in 2019 and 2021, and a three-time British Triathlon Champion. Additionally, she is a two-time British Super Series Triathlon winner and a three-time British cross-country championship competitor.

Gibbons will join the Royals from Oxted, Surrey where she attended Eastbourne College. She ranked 10^th overall in the British Youth Super Series.

Hidalgo joins the Royals from Murcia Spain as a transfer from Davis & Elkins College located in West Virginia. During tjhe 2021 season, Hidalgo finished second at both the DII National Championship and East Region Championship. Prior to that, she was the 2019 DII Individual National Champion finishing third overall going against DI and DII schools. The three-time CTCA Scholar All-American also won the East Region Championship individually in 2019. Hidalgo was also named an All-American.

Macdonald joins Queens from Ottawa Ontario, Canada where she attends Glebe Collegiate Institute. She was the eighth junior in the 2021 Triathlon Quebec Grand Prix Series. She also competed in the Gatineau Triathlon, the Triathlon Mondial Groupe Copley, the Trimemphre Magog, and the Triathlon Espirit de Montreal Super Sprint.
 
Martinelli will come to Queens from Switzerland, where she attends Liceo Lugano 1. In 2021, she competed in the Junior European Cup Wels placing fourth. Following that race, Martinelli placed eighth in the Junior European Cup Silver Lake in Serbia. She ended her 2021 season participating at the Junior World Championships. In the 2020 season, she qualified at the Youth European Championships, however, that race was canceled due to COVID-19. In 2019, she competed in the Youth European Championships where she finished 11th. Martinelli also placed ninth in the Youth European Championships Mixed Team Relay and 15^th in the Junior European Cup Zagreb.
  
Noyer, a Chambery, France native who attended Lycee Vaugel, joins the stacked Royals team with an impressive resume as well. In 2019, she finished second at the French National Championships in the 3000m, aquathlon, and duathlon. She was also the French National Champion in cross country in 2019. In her 2018 season, Noyer placed was named the French National Champion in triathlon. She also earned the Bronze Medal at the Youth Olympic Games in the mixed team relay in Buenos Aires in 2018. 
 
Pstaszynska is coming to the Royals from Oswiecim, Poland. She placed second at the 2021 Sprint Triathlon National Junior Championships in Poland, sixth in the B final at the European Triathlon Junior Championships in Kitzbuhel, and 17^th at the European Triathlon Junior Cup in Tiszaujvaros. In the 2018-19 season, Pstaszynska placed first at the Olympic Hopes Tournament, which is an international tournament between Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, in the junior category.
 
The Royals won their sixth straight national championship in the fall of 2021. In addition, both the women's NCAA and varsity squads recorded GPAs that ranked top five in the department last fall. The NCAA team led the way with a 3.75 GPA.
 
Be sure to follow the Royals on Instagram @queenstriathlon and on Twitter @queens_tri for the latest news and updates surrounding the triathlon programs.