DENVER – The Denver Pioneers women's triathlon team is a few weeks into pre-season training in preparation for the start of the 2022 campaign.
Nine student-athletes reported on Aug. 17 and took part in their first practice the following morning with an open water swim at nearby Chatfield State Park and a run at Waterton Canyon. DU has spent nearly every morning in the water at the El Pomar Natatorium on campus and has had a second practice session in the afternoon, alternating between running, cycling and strength training.
With the fall quarter not beginning until mid-September, this is a good time of the year for the team to get to know one another and build chemistry for the season. Denver is adding five newcomers to its 2022 squad, including three incoming freshmen.
"I think it's a good opportunity to have their first workouts together and spend some time together, adjust to the altitude a little bit," said head coach
Barbara Perkins of the opening few weeks. "We took it fairly easy for the first few days and then did some testing last week and now we're getting race ready for South Dakota."
The Pioneers have also stayed busy over the weekend. The team volunteered at the Outdoor Diva triathlon in Longmont on Aug. 21 and spent last Saturday doing its annual bike climb to the top of Lookout Mountain in Golden.
Denver's squad features the return of senior
Stormy Hegg and sophomore All-Americans
Olivia Ebenstein,
Avarie Faulkner and
Freya McKinley. The Pioneers also added graduate student
Melissa Funes, who joins the squad after competing for the DU swimming and diving team the last four years, and sophomore transfer
Clara Normand from Wagner College.
The 2022 freshmen class features
Coco Diemar of Eagle, Colorado;
Elizabeth Harita of Anaheim, California; and
Nadiya Linde-Elmhirst of Keene, Ontario. Linde-Elmhirst is joined by another Canadian on the squad in Normand, who is from Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, and represented her country at the World Triathlon Junior Championship over the summer.
"It's a really good energy this year. A lot of people that want to get better," Perkins said of the 2022 squad. "There are a lot of great attitudes, so I'm really excited about the team atmosphere and how hard they want to work and work together."
The season kicks off on Saturday with the Southern Hills Triathlon in Hot Springs, South Dakota, and concludes with the Collegiate National Championships on Nov. 12 in Tempe, Arizona.
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