Black Hills State triathlon placed first out of four teams at the Black Hills Tri Fest, with four of the top five finishers Sunday afternoon.

BHSU placed first with 60 points, as Colorado Mesa followed closely in second (56), Cal Poly Humboldt in third (42) and MSU Billings in fourth (17).

"The race was a great way to complete our Spring season and we were really pleased with how our team performed," said Triathlon Head Coach Connie Feist. "Lilja McKendry had a very good race as our top finisher and placing second overall. Many of our athletes excelled on the bike portion of the triathlon, with three of the four athletes in the lead pack being Yellow Jackets."

Lilja McKendry was the first Yellow Jacket to cross the finish line, placing second in a time of 1:17:11.65, as BHSU individuals took eight of the top-nine spots.

Emily Gilbert finished third (1:17:43.75), as Natalie Elkin placed fourth (1:18:56.25), Cassidy Teeslink fifth (1:22:01.82), Myna Buckley sixth (1:23:06.46), Jadyn Johnson seventh (1:24:29.81), Sydney Gasper eighth (1:25:52.02), and Hannah Hirschi ninth (1:26:16.29).

Madelynn Potter placed 15th in a time of 1:31:17.29 and Lilly Brophy finished 16th in 1:31:52.05 to round out the Yellow Jacket finishers.

"Another standout performance on the bike came from Cassidy Teeslink," said Feist. "She started in the second wave of collegiate swimmers and didn't have anyone to draft with, so she rode the 15-mile course solo and ended up with a similar bike split to that of the front pack of riders who drafted with each other.

The triathlon team will now take a well-deserved rest and will be looking forward to start training again when they return to campus for their championship season in the fall.
 

-BHSUAthletics.com-