HOT SPRINGS, S.D. – Sophomore Maira Carreau earned a fifth-place finish for the University of Denver women's triathlon team on Saturday morning at the Southern Hills Triathlon super sprint at Angostura State Recreation Area.
 
Carreau led the Pioneers in the season-opening race by clocking in at 31:33 after being fifth out of the water (5:43) and staying in that position for most of the morning. She posted the 13th-best bike split (16:05) and was the sixth quickest in the run (9:10), including beating out sixth-place Marley Andelman of TCU in a sprint to the finish (31:34).
 
It was the La Prairie, Quebec, native's eighth top-five finish in 11 career races and first since placing third at the 2024 Western Regional Championships.
 
Denver placed fifth in the team standings with 169 points. Defending national champion Arizona picked up the win with 248 points, beating out second-place TCU by 21 points (227). Arizona State was third (207) while South Dakota placed in front of the Pioneers in fourth (194).
 
Saturday's super sprint was a tune-up of sorts to the start of the full sprint season, as the triathletes did half the distance of a normal collegiate triathlon with a 375-meter swim, 10-kilometer bike and 2.5K run.
 
DU freshmen Jenna Topott (33:14) and Lucrezia Gowdy (33:55) made their collegiate racing debuts and placed 25th and 28th, respectively. Senior captain Elizabeth Harita was 31st (34:41), and freshman Olivia Wimberger also competed in her first college triathlon and came in 45th.
 
Kelly Wetteland of Arizona won the individual race in 30:53, while Arizona State's Alex Campbell was second (31:16) and Arizona's Mia Wentzy was also on the podium. Chelsea Webber of South Dakota placed fourth in 31:25, eight seconds ahead of Carreau.
 
WHAT'S NEXT: The season continues in two weeks back in Colorado with the Desert's Edge Triathlon at Highline State Park near Grand Junction on Sunday, Sept. 14. That race will be the first full sprint of the season and mark the first time that DU will race in a full triathlon in its home state since the 2022 Oktoberfest Sprint in Longmont.
 
THE COURSE: Beginning with a running start off Breakers Beach, the swim was one lap of approximately 375 meters in Angostura Reservoir. No wet suits were required. The 10K bike portion featured an out-and-back course through and out of the state recreation area that included several steep hills and tight turns with the college competitors turning around after 5K. The run was another out-and-back that headed south out of transition along a paved walking path that went along the eastern shore of the lake and featured several hills.
 
WEATHER: The air temperature at the 7:30 a.m. MT start was 61 degrees Fahrenheit with mostly cloudy skies.
 
RESULTS:
Denver Triathletes
5. Maira Carreau, 31:33 (5:43/0:18/16:05/0:20/9:10) – 52 points
25. Jenna Topott, 33:14 (6:16/0:21/16:23/0:21/9:55) – 36 points
28. Lucrezia Gowdy, 33:55 (6:31/0:20/16:06/0:23/10:37) – 33 points
31. Elizabeth Harita, 34:41 (6:09/0:22/16:32/0:24/11:17) – 31 points
45. Olivia Wimberger, 36:28 (6:28/0:26/18:08/0:22/11:05) – 17 points
DNR: Coco Diemar, Mia Stanley-Hunt
 
Women's Individual Finishers (61 Entries, 55 Finished, 1 DNF, 5 DNS)
1. Kelly Wetteland, Arizona, 30:53 – 56 points
2. Alex Campbell, Arizona State, 31:16 – 55 points
3. Mia Wentzy, Arizona, 31:18 – 54 points
4. Chelsea Webber, South Dakota, 31:25 – 53 points
5. Maira Carreau, Denver, 31:33 – 52 points
6. Marley Andelman, TCU, 31:34 – 51 points
7. Dana Prikrylova, Arizona, 31:36 – 50 points
8. Sam Crociani, Arizona, 31:41 – 49 points
9. Britney Brown, Arizona State, 31:47 – 48 points
10. Alexa Magallon, South Dakota, 31:49 – 47 points
 
Women's Team Results
1. Arizona – 248 points
2. TCU – 227 points
3. Arizona State – 207 points
4. South Dakota – 194 points
5. Denver – 169 points
6. Colorado Mesa – 120 points
7. San Francisco – 102 points
8. Black Hills State – 84 points