CLERMONT, Fla. – Sophomore Maira Carreau of the University of Denver women's triathlon fought her way through the field to earn a top-10 finish on Saturday afternoon at the 2024 Collegiate National Championships at Lake Louisa State Park, hosted by USA Triathlon.
 
Carreau placed seventh with a total time of 59:56 (10:05/30:34/17:43) and earned her second first-team All-American award with after also picking up one as a freshman following her 2023 individual national title.
 
The Pioneers had each of their five scorers place in the top 34 and all seven athletes came in the top 40 to gain the team 847 points, finishing fifth overall in the team standings. Denver's second-to-seventh place finishers were separated by just 54 seconds.
 
"The culture of this team is electric, and they love each other so much. It's been a huge learning year for the team with a lot of personal growth," said Denver Head Coach Barbara Perkins. "We fought all year for each other and never gave up.
 
"The team quickly came into one group on the bike and all seven girls were in one pack—there's never been a moment in our entire history of the program where we have been able to do that. Through the run we were all in packs running together. It was a thrilling race to watch and unfold and tight fight for the podium. We knew it was an uphill battle but never acted like it."
 
Carreau led DU and climbed through the field after entering the day in 40th following Friday's swim time trial. She recorded a 30:34 split in the 20-kilometer bike and then ran the 5K at 17:43—her second-fastest collegiate time ever at the distance, which was also three seconds faster than what she ran in her championship victory a year ago. Only Carreau's record 5K of 17:06 from the 2023 Eastern Regional Championships is faster in school history.
 
The performance by Carreau wrapped up a busy competition season that began in March at the same venue for Clermont Challenge. The La Prairie, Quebec, native's schedule included 10 events in six different countries—including the World Championships three weeks ago in Spain—defending her U23 Canadian National Championship and three NCAA races.
 
"Maira has had a very busy and successful year of racing," Perkins noted. "She stepped up to the World Cup level and finished in the top 20 at Valencia at the beginning of the fall, was the U23 Canadian Champion and finished third for us at regionals. She hopped on a plane directly from regionals to Spain where she finished top 25 at the World Championship and then got to be on the Mixed Team Relay for Team Canada.
 
"After a challenging swim, she was a magician out of T1 and quickly regrouped with her teammates. She conserved her energy on the bike and pounced on the run, fighting all the way up to seventh and All-American status. It was pure heart and love for her team out there today."
 
A trio of fellow Canadian teammates followed Carreau in the final Division-I standings, with freshman Beatrice Normand finishing 24th in 1:01:25 (10:16/30:15/19:14), senior Clara Normand in 27th with a time of 1:01:35 (10:18/30:13/19:25) and sophomore Alex Campbell in 27th with a mark of 1:01:37 (9:46/30:49/19:29).
 
The Normand sisters were 61st and 64th overall after the swim portion but worked together and used some of the fastest-bike times on the day to help the Pioneers climb the standings. Clara Normand clocked in with the second-fastest bike time among all athletes at 30:11 while Beatrice Normand was third-quickest among D-I athletes at 30:15.
 
Overall, four of DU's seven athletes finished the 20K-cycle distance with the fastest times in school history and all seven are now in the top eight in the record book. Clara Normand's time of 30:47 at the 2023 Clermont Challenge National Development Race was the previous program record.
 
Senior Olivia Ebenstein (9:52/30:44/19:44) and junior Elizabeth Harita (9:42/30:49/19:42) both timed in at 1:01:59, but Ebenstein crossed the finish line a split second before to place 34th. Freshman Ava Pfaff came in 37th in 1:02:19 in her national championship debut.
 
"There were so many incredible moments," Perkins said. "Crying before the race at our first graduating class at their last nationals, Olivia and Clara in the race and Avarie Faulkner cheering from the side. The Normand sisters, Bea and Clara, pulling the bike pack together. Maira running all the way up to seventh. Elizabeth being first out of the water and leading the charge on the bike. Alex gave everything through the entire race, and Ava battled back from a crash mid-season and was part of the fight through-and-through."
 
In the overall team standings, a new national champion was crowned for the first time since 2015 as Arizona overtook in-state rival Arizona State. The U of A Wildcats finished with 942 points, beating out the seven-time national champions by 22 points. Queens University of Charlotte rounded out the team podium in third place with 895 points, and Texas Christian University came in fourth with 869 points, just 22 ahead of Denver.
 
San Francisco finished sixth (784), while South Dakota was seventh (777), East Tennessee State was eighth (726), Duquesne was ninth (609) and Delaware State (452) rounded out the top-10 in the D-I results.
 
Arizona State's Naomi Ruff is this year's individual national champion and was joined on the podium by two Arizona Wildcats in Kelly Wetteland in second and Maragreta Vrablova in third. Overall, U of A had four finishers in the top 10 and each of their scorers in the top 13 while ASU's five point-getters all placed in the top 20.
 
This year's national championships marked the first time the event was held across two days, but the change was necessitated due to damage caused to the swim venue at Lake Louisa State Park by Hurricane Milton last month. Nationals turned into a pursuit-style race, which began with a 750-meter open water swim at Sawgrass Lake at nearby Clermont Watersports Complex on Friday. The athletes had a staggered start on Saturday and were released into transition and into the bike portion based on their times from the swim.
 
"For a very unorthodox style of race, we adapted and overcame," Perkins said. "The team all worked together and left it all out there. It was all happy tears and hugs at the end. We are so lucky to have this team, be surrounded by our support staff and also be lifted up by friends and family, near and far. It was a great day to be a Pioneer."
 
WHAT'S NEXT: Denver's athletes will now have a well-deserved rest and recovery break before resuming training as a team in early January and opening the spring season in March to kick off the 2025 competition year.
 
THE COURSE: The swim was a one-lap, triangular course around two buoys off the primary Sawgrass Lake beach at the nearby the Clermont Watersports Complex on Friday. Saturday's bike is a four-lap loop on Lake Louisa State Park's main road that features several hills and a 180-degree turnaround. The run is a two-lap out-and-back that follows the same course as the bike.
 
WEATHER: The air temperature on Saturday at the 1:30 p.m. ET start was 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The 66-percent humidity and partly cloudy skies made it feel like 89 degrees.  The conditions for Friday's swim was 83 degrees Fahrenheit but partly cloudy skies and humid conditions made it feel closer to 92 degrees at the 10:42 a.m. ET start. Wetsuits were not needed, as the water temperature was 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
RESULTS:
 
Denver Triathletes (D-I Results)
7. Maira Carreau, 59:56 (10:05/30:34/17:43) – 188 points*
24. Beatrice Normand, 1:01:25 (10:16/30:15/19:14 – 169 points*
27. Clara Normand, 1:01:35 (10:18/30:13/19:25) – 166 points*
28. Alex Campbell, 1:01:37 (9:46/30:49/19:29) – 165 points*
34. Olivia Ebenstein, 1:01:59 (9:52/30:44/19:44) – 159 points*
35. Elizabeth Harita, 1:01:59 (9:42/30:49/19:42) – 158 points
37. Ava Pfaff, 1:02:19 (9:59/30:36/19:58) – 155 points
   *-denotes scorer
 
Top-10 Finishers (202 Entries, 9 DNFs)
1. Naomi Ruff, Arizona State, 59:08 – 194 points
2. Kelly Wetteland, Arizona, 59:20 – 193 points
3. Maragreta Vrablova, Arizona, 59:24 – 192 points
4. Amber Schlebusch, Arizona State, 59:38 – 191 points
5. Beth Cook, Queens, 59:43 – 190 points
6. Molly Lakustiak, Arizona, 59:50 – 189 points
7. Maira Carreau, Denver, 59:56 – 188 points
8. Livia Wespe, Queens, 1:00:06 – 187 points
9. Dana Prikrylova, Arizona, 1:00:09 – 186 points
10. Josi Seerig, San Francisco, 1:00:13 – 185 points
 
NCAA Division-I Team Results
1. Arizona – 942 points
2. Arizona State – 920 points
3. Queens University of Charlotte – 895 points
4. TCU – 869 points
5. Denver – 847 points
6. San Francisco – 784 points
7. South Dakota – 777 points
8. East Tennessee State – 726 points
9. Duquesne – 609 points
10. Delaware State – 452 points
11. Navy – 405 points
12. Wagner – 207 points
13. Northern Kentucky – 96 points
14. Hampton – 20 points