DENVER – The University of Denver women's triathlon team announced on Monday its 2023 schedule, which begins with the DU-hosted Aquathlon Eliminator on Saturday, Sept. 2 on campus.
 
Denver's NCAA Division-I triathlon program will compete in six races during the fall regular season, culminating in the 2023 Collegiate National Championships in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday, Nov. 11. The Pioneers are coming off a third-place finish at last year's nationals—their second-ever championship race and the highest placement by a women's individual program in DU history.
 
The Pioneers' fourth season gets underway with the team's second-ever race on campus during Labor Day Weekend. Building off the success of last season's Mile High Relays, Denver will host Colorado Mesa University in a three-round Aquathlon Eliminator at the El Pomar Natatorium and adjacent sports fields at the Ritchie Center.
 
Like last year's event, the DU and CMU triathletes will compete in a 200-meter swim followed by an approximate one-kilometer run. Every competitor will race, with those with the fastest times out of the three-heat first round advancing to the 14-athlete semifinals before the finals determines the winner. The race is set to begin at 7 a.m. MT.
 
Two weeks later, the Pios will travel down to Texas to take part in the Battle in the Fort Triathlon on Sunday, Sept. 17. The typical sprint event at Marine Creek Reservoir is hosted by Texas Christian University, which is in its first competing season at the NCAA D-I level.
 
Denver will ring in October with its final two regular-season meets in South Dakota. DU will be one of the competing teams at the Black Hills State Relays on Saturday, Sept. 30, which will be a similar aquathlon to what the Pioneers hosted in 2022 with the Mile High Relays. Denver will be back in action the next day on Sunday, Oct. 1 with the Black Hills Collegiate Cup at nearby Belle Fourche Reservoir.
 
After winning the 2021 Eastern Regional National Qualifier at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, DU will look for a similar result to begin postseason competition on Saturday, Oct. 14 as it returns to the site for this year's regional race. The Pios' third-place finish at last year's nationals put them in the east, while the western regionals will be held over the same weekend in Missouri. DU junior Clara Normand won the 2021 Eastern Regional National Qualifier while competing with Wagner College.
 
The Pioneers finished on the team podium in all six races last season, including placing first or second in five of them with wins at the 2022 Southern Hills Triathlon and Bearathlon.
 
2023 DENVER TRIATHLON SCHEDULE

Date	Race	Location	City
Saturday, Sept. 2	Aquathlon Eliminator vs. Colorado Mesa	DU Ritchie Center	Denver, Colo.
Sunday, Sept. 17	Battle in the Fort	Marine Creek Reservoir	Fort Worth, Texas
Saturday, Sept. 30	Black Hills State Team Relays	Black Hills State University	Spearfish, S.D.
Sunday, Oct. 1	Black Hills Collegiate Cup	Belle Fourche Reservoir	Belle Fourche, S.D.
Saturday, Oct. 14	Eastern Regional National Qualifier	Smith Mountain Lake	Huddleston, Va.
Saturday, Nov. 11	Collegiate National Championships	Tempe Town Lake	Tempe, Ariz.

 

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