ASU triathlon competed for the first time in two years Saturday, sweeping the podium at the Pleasant Prairie National Qualifier in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The Sun Devils did not compete in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Along with sweeping the podium, ASU placed five athletes in the top seven. The performance qualified the Sun Devils for the Women's Collegiate National Championship, which will take place in Tempe in November.
Graduate student Hannah Henry secured first place with a time of 1:00:15.0. Following in their teammate’s footsteps, graduate student Kyla Roy and junior Liberty Ricca took second and third with times of 1:00:19.7 and 1:01:15.6, respectively. Sophomore Amber Schlebusch finished fifth, and senior Kira Stanley rounded out the top seven.
Ricca and sophomore Katy Clausen finished with the second and third-fastest times in the swim portion of the race, only behind Molly Elliott of the University of San Fransisco. Henry and Roy finished with the two fastest times in the cycling portion of the race.
The Sun Devils dominated the run section, with Henry, Roy and Ricca finishing with the three fastest times. Senior Olivia Jenks finished 31st overall in the race.
ASU sent seven athletes to Wisconsin out of the 14 it has on the roster. Schlebusch and Clausen were the youngest on the team to make an appearance on Saturday.
The Sun Devils will compete next at the Kinetic Cup Triathlon Festival in Huddleston, Virginia, on Oct. 16.
Reach the reporter at ahoppes1@asu.edu and follow @aviannahoppes on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
Continue supporting student journalism and donate to The State Press today.
