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Triathlon Wins Fifth Straight National Title

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Triathlon Wins Fifth Straight National TitleTriathlon Wins Fifth Straight National Title
PETER VANDER STOEP
TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State triathlon claimed their fifth national championship, taking first place as a team on Saturday afternoon at Tempe Town Lake with senior Hannah Henry (1:04:46.3) earning second for the Sun Devils at the DI National Championships hosted by USA Triathlon and presented by Valley Toyota Dealers.
 
"It feels wonderful to win today especially because we were not competing last year, so just being able to get back to another title is great, "said head coach Cliff English. "We're such a strong team and we push each other every day which really brings up people."

As a team, the Sun Devils placed ahead of San Francisco (second) and South Dakota (third). 
 

WE'VE GOT RINGS! ????

WE'RE 5??x NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! ????#ForksUp x #O2V pic.twitter.com/9UUPMt3W5B

— Sun Devil Triathlon (@sundeviltri) November 14, 2021
Sun Devils Amber Schlebusch (1.06.05.1), Kyla Roy (1:06:12.1) and Alexe Coursol (1:06:23.4), rounded out the top-10 finishers of the DI National Championship race placing sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
 
Canadian freshman Coursol's outstanding season and performance at championships earned her the USA Triathlon Division I Freshman of the Year honor. The honor marks the fourth-straight season in four seasons of coaches voting on the award in which a Sun Devil was named Freshman of the Year.
 
"I feel really good, I feel really happy for the team as a whole and I'm honored to be a part of this team," said Coursol. "We're surrounded by people who try to achieve their best each day so you're usually going to achieve more as a team because we're all pushing each other."
 

Freshman of the Year ??????#ForksUp x #O2V pic.twitter.com/RLSFV0JHfH

— Sun Devil Triathlon (@sundeviltri) November 14, 2021
Junior Liberty Ricca led the Sun Devils in swimming with a time of 10:15, just two spots out of first with teammate Henry one second behind. Just 11 seconds later Kira Stanley exited Tempe Town Lake for the 20k bike ride.
 
Henry completed her ride in 34:35, five seconds behind the first-place rider. In a matter of thirty seconds, Coursol, Roy and Schlebusch would also cross the transition marker into the 5km run for the Sun Devils.
 
Finishing the run in 18:37, Henry was the second to cross the finish line before the rest of the Sun Devils and racers.
 

In her final race, @hannah_henry33 claimed ?? at the 2021 DI National Championships with a time of 1:04:46.3! ????#ForksUp x #O2V pic.twitter.com/pI0HESuWRZ

— Sun Devil Triathlon (@sundeviltri) November 14, 2021
Just outside the top-ten, placing 12th and 15th overall for the Sun Devils were seniors Stanley (1:07:39.6) and Audrey Ernst (1:08:14.5).
 
Junior Liberty Ricca (1:15:42.2) finished the race at 39th, much lower than anticipated due to her bicycle chain dropping off.
 
For the latest updates and information on the Sun Devil Triathlon program during the offseason, follow our Twitter/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilTri), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/sundeviltri), and visit our website (thesundevils.com).