SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University triathlon team opens its season this weekend, as seven competitors travel to the Southern Hills Triathlon. The race, in Hot Springs, South Dakota, is a sprint triathlon slated to begin at 8 a.m., on Saturday, September 2.

Seven Yellow Jackets will compete in the triathlon held at the Angostura Reservoir. Mathilde Bernard, Katie Christy, Taylor Ihmels, Kaylee Lamb, Sage Riss, Cayley Schmitt, and Emma Stone will be participating in the sprint triathlon, which consists of a 750 meter swim, a 12-mile bike, and a 5K run.

Bernard, Ihmels, and Stone will be competing in their first collegiate races for BHSU.

For some of the athletes, the first contest will serve as an opportunity to focus on setting benchmarks in one particular discipline for the season. For other athletes, the focus will be on quality splits in each discipline, and their total finish time. The first triathlon of the year will also give the team a good idea of the strengths of each Yellow Jacket, and where they stand heading into the rest of the season.
  Black Hills State is located in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota, sponsoring 13 NCAA sports with membership in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the NCAA emerging sport of women's triathlon and NIRA rodeo. For all information regarding Yellow Jacket Athletics, please visit BHSUAthletics.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @BHSUAthletics.