BELLE FOURCHE, S.D. – Freshman Maira Carreau led the University of Denver women's triathlon team with a podium finish and was one of three Pioneers in the top 10 on Sunday afternoon at the Black Hills Collegiate Cup at Rocky Point Recreation Area and Belle Fouche Reservoir.
 
Making her collegiate debut, Carreau placed second in the field of 51 triathletes, clocking in with a total time of 59 minutes and 15.4 seconds. She finished four seconds behind winner Maite Kustner of San Francisco (59:11.3) and 33 seconds ahead of South Dakota's Kayla Ribbink in third place (59:48.9). The podium finishers were the only three athletes to complete the course in under an hour.
 
Carreau's finish was the best by a Denver triathlete making their NCAA debut in a full sprint race in program history. Sophomore Elizabeth Harita previously held the mark after placing third in the Southern Hills Triathlon in South Dakota in September 2022. Freshman Alex Campbell, who did not race on Sunday, won her collegiate debut on Sept. 2 this season, but it wasn't a full triathlon as instead it was a three-round, aquathon (swim and run) duel versus Colorado Mesa.
 
Joining the La Prairie, Quebec, native in the top 10 was sophomores Clara Normand in eighth (1:018.6) and Olivia Ebenstein in ninth (1:01:42.4). The Pioneers' other two scorers were Harita in 14th (1:02:50.4) and junior Avarie Faulkner in 19th (1:04:43.2).
 
Denver finished third in the team standings with 208 points behind winner San Francisco (216 points) and second-place South Dakota (208 points). While DU tied USD for the same amount of points, the Coyotes earned the tiebreaker by having their sixth finisher place higher (Ellas Perras in 20th) than the Pioneers' sixth athlete (Maren York in 21st).
 
DU graduate student Maren York came in two spots behind Faulkner in 21st (1:05:18.8), sophomore Coco Diemar was 27th (1:07:03.5) and freshman Cameron Bell placed 39th (1:14:32.3).
 
Colorado Mesa was the highest Division II finisher in the team leaderboard in fourth (181 points), while host Black Hills State was fifth. Cal Poly Humboldt came in sixth and Montana State Billings rounded out the field of seven NCAA clubs that competed.
 
Carreau stayed near the front for most of the race, as she was the sixth athlete out of the swim with a 7:01.8 split before holding her position in the 20-kilometer bike portion with 32:20.9 time. Her climb up the leaderboard came in the final 5K run where she clocked in with the fastest split among all athletes at 18:53.1, which also marked the sixth-fastest run at that distance in program history.
 
Normand, who was 15th in the swim, made her climb into the top 10 with the third-fastest bike (31:06.9), while Ebenstein was third out of the water at 6:55.4 and held onto her position for the duration of the race.
 
WHAT'S NEXT: Denver now gets set for regionals in two weeks as the squad travels to Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Huddleston, Virginia, for the Eastern National Qualifier on Saturday, Oct. 14. The Pioneers are heading east instead of racing in closer western national qualifier in Springfield, Missouri, that same day due to their third-place finish at last year's national championships. DU won Eastern Regionals the last time the team competed at Smith Mountain Lake in 2021.
 
THE COURSE: The swim off the west side of the recreation area was shortened from its original 750-meter distance due to windy conditions on Sunday. The triathletes then transitioned into a three-lap, 20-kilometer bike course in and out of Rocky Point Recreation before finishing with a two-lap, out-and-back run totaling 5K on the northside of the peninsula to the reservoir.
 
WEATHER: The temperature was approximately 64 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly cloudy skies at the 1 p.m. local start (mountain time). Clouds dispersed a bit as the race progressed, leading to more clear skies.
 
NOTES:

• DU's three finishers in the top 10 tied San Francisco for the most in the race.
• All five Denver scorers were in the top 20. DU tied with San Francisco for the second-most athletes overall in the top 20 (five) behind South Dakota (six).
• Clara Normand registered her seventh career top 10.
• Olivia Ebenstein picked up her seventh top 10 as well and her best finish since coming in eighth at the last year's Western Regional National Qualifier on Oct. 14, 2022.
• Sophomore Coco Diemar made her season debut.
• Cameron Bell had her best finish of the season in a full triathlon (39th).
• Junior Avarie Faulkner earned her 14th top-20 result of her career.
• Olivia Ebenstein was the third athlete out of the water (6:55.4), while Maira Carreau (7:01.8) and Elizabeth Harita (7:08.6) were sixth and seventh, respectively.
• Clara Normand posted the second-fastest bike split at 31:06.9.
• Maira Carreau had the ninth-fastest bike time (32:22.0) before posting the fastest run at 18:53.1.
• Olivia Ebenstein had the third-fastest first transition in the entire field at 30.2 seconds and the second-fastest T2 at 25.2 seconds.
• Elizabeth Harita was fourth in the first transition at 33.1 seconds, while Coco Diemar was sixth at 34.0 and Maira Carreau was seventh at 34.1.
• Maira Carreau was third quickest in the second-transition at 25.3; Elizabeth Harita was sixth at 27.0 and Coco Diemar was seventh at 27.2 

RESULTS:
Denver Triathletes
*2. Maira Carreau, 59:15.4 (7:01.8/32:20.9/18:53) – 50 points
*8. Clara Normand, 1:01:18.6 (7:26.9/31:06.9/21:33.7) – 44 points
*9. Olivia Ebenstein, 1:01:42.4 (6:55.4/32:32.2/21:19.1) – 43 points
*14. Elizabeth Harita, 1:02:50.4 (7:08.6/33:14.9/21:26.7) – 38 points
*19. Avarie Faulkner, 1:04:43.2 (8:01.2/33:14.3/22:07.4) – 33 points
21. Maren York, 1:05:18.8 (7:41.4/34:25.1/21:57.5) – 31 points
27. Coco Diemar, 1:07:03.5 (7:28.6/34:41.4/23:52.1) – 25 points
^39. Cameron Bell, 1:14:32.3 (7:43.7/39:07.6/26:21.9) – 13 points
DNS: Alex Campbell
*-scorer
^-designated as non-team scorer
 
Women's Top 10 Individual Finishers (51 Entries, 4 DNFs)
1. Maite Kustner, San Francisco, 59:11.3 – 51 points
2. Maira Carreau, Denver, 59:15.4 – 50 points
3. Kayla Ribbink, South Dakota, 59:48.9 – 49 points
4. Chelsea Webber, South Dakota, 1:00:21.4 – 48 points
5. Gillian Cridge, San Francisco, 1:00:23.9 – 47 points
6. Kira Gupta-Baltazar, San Francisco, 1:00:28.4 – 46 points
7. Shannon Feran, Colorado Mesa, 1:01:05.1 – 45 points
8. Clara Normand, Denver, 1:01:18.6 – 44 points
9. Olivia Ebenstein, Denver, 1:01:42.4 – 43 points
10. Natalie Mitchell, Colorado Mesa, 1:01:54.4 – 42 points
 
Women's Team Results
1. San Francisco – 216
2. South Dakota – 208**
3. Denver – 208**
4. Colorado Mesa – 181
5. Black Hills State – 129
6. Cal Poly Humboldt – 50
7. Montana State Billings – 28
 
**-South Dakota earned tiebreaker over Denver with its sixth athlete finishing higher


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