BELLE FOURCHE RESERVOIR, S.D. – Sun Devil triathlon is back on the road this weekend, making the 1,200-mile trip to South Dakota for the West Regional Qualifier this Sunday. While the squad has already qualified for the Tempe-hosted National Championship, the qualifier will provide valuable competition experience for the relatively young team.
Last time out, the Sun Devils swept the podium and also placed all seven racers in the top-15 at the Central Regional Qualifier. Kyla Roy led the field of competitors with a total time of 1:00:44, just 10 seconds in front of teammate Audrey Ernst. Kira Stanley rounded out the podium for a time of 1:01:29, meaning less than 40 seconds separated all three podium Devils.
Stanley finished with the fastest swim among the Sun Devils (9:47) and the second-fastest among all competitors. Ernst's time of 31:31 for the bike accomplished both the fastest from ASU and in the entire field, while Roy used the run to kick things into overdrive with a field-best time of 18:19.
Head coach Cliff English will send seven more racers to the starting line in South Dakota: Ernst, Roy, Stanley, Hannah Henry, Gal Rubanenko, Kenzi Wilson and Rebecca Naughton. Henry, Rubanenko and Naughton will make their 2019 debuts Sunday, as Henry is fresh off her return from national competition this summer.
Henry won silver as a part of the Canadian mixed relay team at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru this past Monday. With the win, the team made history as the first Canadians to ever podium in that event at a Pan American Games. Henry raced the third leg of the relay, finishing with an individual time of 22:07, the third-fastest of the 10-team pool.
Rubanenko is set to make her Sun Devil debut Sunday, joining the Sun Devils this fall after a successful junior triathlete from Israel. She finished 14th at the U23 European Championship in 2018 and is a three-time National Junior Champion, also representing her country of Israel in three World Championships and six European Championships as the top-ranked Israeli Elite triathlete.
Fans can keep up with the action all season-long by following @SunDevilTri on Twitter.
Last time out, the Sun Devils swept the podium and also placed all seven racers in the top-15 at the Central Regional Qualifier. Kyla Roy led the field of competitors with a total time of 1:00:44, just 10 seconds in front of teammate Audrey Ernst. Kira Stanley rounded out the podium for a time of 1:01:29, meaning less than 40 seconds separated all three podium Devils.
Stanley finished with the fastest swim among the Sun Devils (9:47) and the second-fastest among all competitors. Ernst's time of 31:31 for the bike accomplished both the fastest from ASU and in the entire field, while Roy used the run to kick things into overdrive with a field-best time of 18:19.
Head coach Cliff English will send seven more racers to the starting line in South Dakota: Ernst, Roy, Stanley, Hannah Henry, Gal Rubanenko, Kenzi Wilson and Rebecca Naughton. Henry, Rubanenko and Naughton will make their 2019 debuts Sunday, as Henry is fresh off her return from national competition this summer.
Henry won silver as a part of the Canadian mixed relay team at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru this past Monday. With the win, the team made history as the first Canadians to ever podium in that event at a Pan American Games. Henry raced the third leg of the relay, finishing with an individual time of 22:07, the third-fastest of the 10-team pool.
Rubanenko is set to make her Sun Devil debut Sunday, joining the Sun Devils this fall after a successful junior triathlete from Israel. She finished 14th at the U23 European Championship in 2018 and is a three-time National Junior Champion, also representing her country of Israel in three World Championships and six European Championships as the top-ranked Israeli Elite triathlete.
Fans can keep up with the action all season-long by following @SunDevilTri on Twitter.