Big Blue Women's Triathlon Earns Second Place Finish at National Collegiate Triathlon Championships

The Big Blue women's triathlon team headed to sunny Tempe, Ariz. for the Collegiate Triathlon National Championships on Saturday, November 13. Millikin entered into the race in third place in the power rankings in the Division III race. Millikin's performance earned them a second place team finish, the highest the team has placed at Nationals since the inception of the program.

The Big Blue faced tough competition in North Central, Trine, and Transylvania, among three other squads and several individual competitors. The race, consisting of a 750 meter swim, a 20 kilometer bike, and a five kilometer run, began at 11:30 AM Mountain Time in the 80+ degree weather. With the water in Tempe Town Lake at a cool 67 degrees, the race became wet suit optional during the swim.

In a venue packed with plenty of fans, Millikin saw an abundance of support from their families and fellow teammate Julia Druml throughout the course.

All seven Big Blue athletes that participated in the race made good time on the swim, with Hope Roderick and Katie Yelaska coming out of the water in third and fourth. Brigid Duesterhaus and Aly Barnes were not far behind in sixth and seventh.

In the bike, the course was set up for three laps before transitioning to the run. Yelaska posted the fastest bike time at 39:01. On the run, it was Hope Roderick leading the pack with a time of 22:29.

At the finish line, North Central's Hailey Poe, also named the Division III Freshman of the Year by USA Triathlon, was the top finisher with a time of 1:12:56.5. Trine's Amira Faulkner was the second triathlete to cross the finish line in a time of 1:12:56.5, followed by North Central's Annika Cotner in third. Roderick placed fourth in the race in a time of 1:14:26.3, Yelaska was not far behind in seventh place in a time of 1:16:37.1.

Duesterhaus marked the third Millikin athlete to cross the finish line in a time of 1:18:43.6 for 11th place, and Barnes was the final scoring athlete for the Big Blue in 16th place with her time of 1:21:02.7. Millikin finished with a team score of 38 to place second. North Central was close behind with a team score of 39 for the third place slot.

Millikin's Sarahi Villafana completed the race in a time of 1:26:11.6 for 26th place, followed closely by Jaden Lockard in 29th place in her time of 1:27:05.6. Rounding out the Millikin triathletes was Amanda Fathman in 32nd in a time of 1:27:40.3.

Trine University won their first national title with five of their athletes finishing in the top 15 for a team score of 30.

Announcements regarding All-Americans will be released shortly, but the Big Blue anticipates all four scoring athletes will receive recognition. With the National Championships, the triathlon season has come to a close.

To view the entire race results, click here.

All ten triathletes will be back in action in the swimming pool this winter as members of the Millikin women's swim team.

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Players Mentioned

Julia Druml: Sophomore

Brigid Duesterhaus: Senior

Jaden Lockard: Senior

Hope Roderick: Senior

Sarahi Villafana: Junior

Katie Yelaska: Junior

Aly Barnes: Freshman

Amanda Fathman: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Julia Druml
: Sophomore

Brigid Duesterhaus
: Senior

Jaden Lockard
: Senior

Hope Roderick
: Senior

Sarahi Villafana
: Junior

Katie Yelaska
: Junior

Aly Barnes
: Freshman

Amanda Fathman
: Freshman