First tri!!

Need? No. You can do it absent a wetsuit no problem, assuming you're a reasonably ok swimmer. But unless getting one is prohibitively costly I would highly recommend it. I did my first couple tris without a wetsuit but IMHO it is a shockingly helpful device. If you've never worn one (I had not before I finally got one for racing) it's inherent boyancy, and presumably it's streamlining of ones shape, makes swimming much easier and faster. All this aside from the warmth.

So then my next question is what type and kind of wetsuit should I get?

At 60 degrees I would want a full sleeve wetsuit...that’s pretty chilly. Roka is a good brand and they have theirs on sale right now.

i just bought a xterra vector. had them on sale for 120 bucks for the sleeveless model and 160 with sleeves using the bt2 code. dont know if they still do or not. its my first wetsuit so i cant compare it good or bad for you, but seems very very nice.
i havnt had a chance to swim in it yet, but have never heard anything but good about them. if you can afford it get one, if not you can do races without, i have.

Thanks for all of the great information. I ended up getting one from ROKA. I got a sleeveless because I feel the full sleeves would restrict and drive me nuts. I feel it will be a good one to start with and give me an idea what I might want to get next.

congrats let us know how you like it.