LONGMONT, Colo. – The University of Denver Triathlon Team won the women's team event at the 2021 Oktoberfest Sprint at Union Reservoir on Sunday morning, taking each of the top-five spots and placing all nine of its athletes in the top 16.
Denver freshman
Freya McKinley, competing in only her second collegiate race, won the individual women's competition in a total time of 1:03:28. Graduate student
Emily Pincus followed in second place at 1:05:17, while freshman
Avarie Faulkner finished less than a minute later (1:06:10) to round out the podium for the Pioneers. Freshmen
Olivia Ebenstein (1:06:26) and
Bella Chirafisi (1:07:25) joined their teammates in the top five.
The race was the DU program's first-ever in its home state.
"It was just a dominating performance, wire-to-wire," said head coach
Barbara Perkins. "They mixed it up a little bit with their positions during the race, but it was a super exciting meet for us. We're just so thrilled to be here, back to racing in our home state and just show what we can do. It was a strong showing, but we still have a lot more to prove this season."
Also finishing for the Pioneers were senior
Amanda Ballard in 11th (1:13:48), junior
Stormy Hegg in 13th (1:14:57) and freshman
Marta Meinardi in 16th (1:16:13). For Hegg and Meinardi, the race represented their first as collegians.
Senior
Grace Arlandson was among the leaders following the swim and was the first into the second transition after the bike leg, but she didn't complete the race as she was a pre-planned DNF.
Pincus led all women out of the 750-meter swim in Union Reservoir and was followed closely behind by teammates Meinardi, Chirafisi, Arlandson, McKinley and Ebenstein. The Pioneers held each of the first seven spots heading into the first transition, and it was a lead they never relinquished in the race
McKinley posted the fourth-fastest swim at 9:31 and moved out to the front heading into the run after recording the second-fastest bike time, finishing the 12.9-mile non-draft ride at 32:59, six seconds behind Arlandson. She completed the 5-kilometer run in 19 minutes and 12 seconds, the best mark among the women.
"It was a phenomenal race, I really enjoyed it," McKinley said. "Being out there with everybody and having the motivation of the other girls and the support was so nice. To be able to race a local race in Colorado was awesome."
The University of Colorado came in second place in the women's team event after placing athletes in each of the 6-10 spots, while the Air Force Academy finished third.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Pioneers will have roughly a month off as their next competition isn't until Oct. 16 when they head to the Eastern National Qualifier at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. It will be the start of three meets in a four-week span, as DU will travel to the Western National Qualifier two weeks later on Oct. 30 in St. George, Utah, and then the NCAA National Championships on Nov. 13 in Tempe, Arizona.
THE COURSE: Starting with a one-lap swim on the west side of Union Reservoir, the bike portion featured a single 12.9-mile loop clockwise around the lake's vicinity on East County Line Road, highway 66, County Roads 7, 26, 5 ½ and highway 119. The run featured an out-and-back course on County Road 26 that turned around at County Road 5 near Oligarchy Ditch.
WEATHER: The air temperature at the 8 a.m. MT start was 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The water temperature was 69 degrees Fahrenheit. The conditions were sunny with no real cloud cover.
NOTES: Stormy Hegg and
Marta Meinardi made their collegiate triathlon debuts …
Bella Chirafisi and
Freya McKinley completed their first college race after crashing on the bike and posting DNFs at the Pleasant Prairie National Qualifier on Sept. 4 …
Emily Pincus posted a new season-high time of 1:05:17, doing so at elevation and on a longer course than at Pleasant Prairie …
Avarie Faulkner has been among the top Pioneer finishers in both races this season after leading all DU triathletes in 13th place at Pleasant Prairie … The swim was wetsuit legal and most of the Pioneers wore one … The bike portion was non-draft legal and was slightly longer at 12.9 miles than a typical NCAA race (20 kilometers/12.4 miles)
RESULTS:
Denver Triathletes
1.
Freya McKinley, 1:03:28 (9:31/32:59/19:12)
2.
Emily Pincus, 1:05:17 (8:47/33:30/20:59)
3.
Avarie Faulkner, 1:06:10 (10:27/34:06/19:40)
4.
Olivia Ebenstein, 1:06:26 (9:34/34:39/20:23)
5.
Bella Chirafisi, 1:07:25 (9:27/35:35/20:11)
11.
Amanda Ballard, 1:13:48 (10:33/38:26/22:41)
13.
Stormy Hegg, 1:14:57 (13:31/36:17/23:10)
16.
Marta Meinardi, 1:16:13 (9:25/39:27/25:23)
Did Not Finish:
Grace Arlandson (9:31/32:53/DNF run, planned)
Women's Individual Top 10 Overall (36 finishers)
1.
Freya McKinley, Denver, 1:03:28
2.
Emily Pincus, Denver, 1:05:17
3.
Avarie Faulkner, Denver, 1:06:10
4.
Olivia Ebenstein, Denver, 1:06:26
5.
Bella Chirafisi, Denver, 1:07:25
6. Gabrielle Trueblood, Colorado, 1:07:37
7. Hailey Leader, Colorado, 1:09:13
8. McKinley Coppock, Colorado, 1:10:54
9. Maren York, Colorado, 1:11:32
10. Lily Harris, Colorado, 1:12:46
Women's Team Results
1. Denver
2. Colorado
3. Air Force
4. Montana State Billings
5. Colorado State
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