DENVER – The University of Denver women's triathlon team begins its 2023 season on Saturday morning as the Pioneers host an aquathlon eliminator duel against Colorado Mesa University on the DU campus.
Warmup begins at 7 a.m. and the races are set to start at 7:30 a.m. at the El Pomar Natatorium and the adjacent Denver Soccer Stadium.
"It will be good to race against CMU," said Denver head coach
Barbara Perkins of the battle between NCAA programs on the eastern and western slope of Colorado. "They have some really strong ladies on their team too, so we'll kind of see where we'll stack up and get a good opener to the season."
This is the second time that the Denver triathlon team has hosted a multi-sport event on campus following the success of the Mile High Relays last season against Arizona State, San Francisco and South Dakota.
Saturday's distance will be the same as in the 2022 relays, but it will feature an individual competition instead of three-person relay teams. Each triathlete will take part in a 200-meter swim at the El Pomar Natatorium before transitioning into a nearly one-kilometer run around the adjacent sports fields of the Ritchie Center to complete the circuit.
The meet begins with preliminary-round heats for the athletes to qualify for the semifinals. Eight individuals will advance to the finals, with each team being represented by at least three competitiors.
"It's a different format. I don't think anybody has ever done it like this before, so we're really excited to do it," said Perkins. "We did the aquathlon Mile High Relays last year, and some people said it was their favorite race they've ever done. So doing the eliminator format, it should be competitive, but short, fast and fun."
Scoring will be similar to the regular-season triathlon races, with the top five finishers from each squad earning points to total the team's final score. Athletes that don't advance to the finals are still eligible to score for their team but can't finish higher than ninth place.
Saturday's race is the start of six meets this season for Denver that culminate with the Collegiate National Championships on Nov. 12 in Tempe, Ariz. DU came in second at the 2022 Mile High Relays and finished third at last year's nationals.
The Pioneers are welcoming four newcomers to their nine-member team in incoming freshmen
Cameron Bell,
Alex Campbell and
Maira Carreau and graduate student
Maren York. Denver is returning two All-Americans in juniors
Olivia Ebenstein (second team; 2021, 2022) and
Clara Normand (honorable mention, 2022), as well as 2021 honoree
Avarie Faulkner (honorable mention).
Coco Diemar and
Elizabeth Harita, who were both competed on Denver's national championship squad a year ago, are also back for their sophomore campaigns.
Nearly everyone on the Pioneers is expected to race on Saturday except for Carreau, who will be taking part in an Olympic-distance triathlon in Veracruz, Mexico,
Colorado Mesa, which is located in Grand Junction, Colorado, won their fourth consecutive Division-II West Regional championship in 2022 and placed second at the D-II national championships.
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Women's Triathlon on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @denverwomenstri on Twitter
Follow @DenverPioneers and @denverwomenstri on Instagram
