LONGMONT, Colo. – In their first opportunity to qualify for November's national championships in Tempe, Sun Devil triathlon did just that, with a Sun Devil sweep of the podium and six finishing in the top seven.
"I'm incredibly pleased with the team," said head coach
Cliff English. "It was a very strong performance by everyone. I think altitude definitely surprised some of the girls yet it's the same for everyone and we're looking forward to our sea level competitions."
Reigning individual national champion
Hannah Henry finished first just ahead of teammates
Charlotte Ahrens and
Katie Gorczyca going 1-2-3.
Kyla Roy,
Sarah Quintero, and
Kira Stanley finished 5-6-7 behind South Dakota's Leah Drengenberg while
Olivia Jenks finished 15th to round out the team's scoring seven.
Rebecca Naughton also competed a non-scoring individual, coming across the finish line in ninth place.
"South Dakota is definitely getting stronger, which is good. A big shout out to the race organizers – it was a nice course."
Stanley had the race's fastest swim (7:33), Ahrens and Jenks were tied for the fastest bike (32:18), one second ahead of
Hannah Henry (32:19) while Henry had the Sun Devils' fastest run, second-fastest overall (19:14).
The Sun Devils' final chance to compete prior to nationals will be in just under a month, Saturday, Oct. 20 at the East Regional Qualifier in Huddleston, Va. ASU hosts the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship for the second consecutive year on Sunday, Nov. 4.
