HOT SPRINGS, S.D. – There was no shortage of talent throughout the course on Saturday morning at the Angostura Recreation Area as six nationally ranked programs in NCAA Division I and II converged on the largest collegiate field of The Southern Hills Triathlon to date, which consisted of 52 student-athletes. The No. 5 Black Hills State University program ended the day with a sixth-place finish and showcased their youth and veteran talent with a pair of freshman and seniors leading the team lineup.
 
The Horned Frogs of TCU narrowly edged the Denver Pioneers for the team title, despite not having a top-5 finisher and the 2021 D1 Individual Champion, Kira Gupta-Baltazar, crossing the finish line back in ninth. Arizona's 3-sport athlete, Kelly Wetteland, ran away from the field for the individual title with a time of 32:20, while DU's pair of Avva Pfaff and Olivia Ebenstein earned second and third place with times of 32:46 and 32:47 respectively.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Team Finish: 6^th (91 Points)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• In her first collegiate triathlon, freshman Keira Wilkinson led the way for BHSU in the season opener. She was the first Yellow Jacket out of the water on the 375-meter swim, posting a time of 6:14. After losing one spot during the first transition, she regrouped and used a 20 miles per hour pace during the 10-kilometer bike portion of the race to record a time of 18:36 during the segment and move up to 32^nd place entering the final transition and running phase. After falling three spots during the final transition, she picked up the pace with a 2.5-kilometer run time of 10:22, which was second-best among BHSU competitors and gained a total of eight positions for a final time of 36:07 and a 27^th place finish.
• Crossing the finish line second for BHSU was senior Natalie Moose-Elkin. She was among the lead group of Yellow Jackets exiting the water with a time of 6:17 and exited the first transition 37^th overall. She began to pick-up ground during the 10-kilometer bike with a time of 18:33 and a 20.05 miles per hour pace, allowing her to move up four spots entering the final run. During the running portion of the event, she picked off two more competitors with a time of 11:05 to end the morning 31^st overall with an time of 36:50.
• The second freshman among the lead group of teammates in the Green & Gold was Payton Sheehan, starting her debut appearance with the second fastest swim among BHSU athletes with a time of 6:15. With a quick first transition, she gained a pair of positions entering the biking phase where she continued to move up in the race field. With a pace of 20.02 miles per hour during the bike, she posted a time of 18:35 to move into the top-30 entering the final transition. A time of 31 seconds during transition from biking to running and a time of 11:23 during the 2.5-kilometer run brought Sheehan across the finish line with an overall time of 37:05 in 33^rd place.
• Just seconds behind Sheehan crossing the finish line was teammate and senior Cassidy Teeslink. Following a swim that ended with a time of 6:48, she gained a total of 14 spots from the start of the first transition to the start of the second transition. With a pace of 20.69 miles per hour, Teeslink was the lone Yellow Jacket to break the 18-minute mark during the bike portion of the race with a time of 17:59 to move up to 31^st. After a time of 30 seconds during the final transition and a 2.5-kilomer run that clocked 11:25, she ended her first triathlon of the year with an overall time of 37:07.
• Rounding out the team scoring in the BHSU lineup was senior, Sydney Gasper. She exited the water with a time of 6:33 to begin the race and then gained a pair of positions during the bike portion of the triathlon. With a speed of 18.92 miles per hour and a time of 19:40 during the 10-kilometer bike she entered the final transition in 40^th place. A quick transition that only took 27 seconds, set the tone for a late race push that saw Gasper gain another three spots in the 49-athlete field with the fastest 2.5-kilometer run by a Yellow Jacket with a time of 10:18. She crossed the finish line 37^th overall as the clock stopped at 37:24.
• Next in the BHSU lineup was Sydney Campbell, who opened the first race of the morning with a time of 7:09 during the 375-meter swim. A time of 25 seconds during the first transition set up the bike portion of the triathlon where she gained a total of four spots with a time of 20:17 and a pace of 18:34 miles per hour. She flew through the second transition with the second fastest time of all collegiate student-athletes at just 20 seconds, passing one competitor and leading into the final stage where she recorded a 2.5-kilometer run time of 10:42. Campbell maintained 42^nd place as she crossed the finish line with an overall time of 38:51.
• Third among the Yellow Jacket freshman was Scarlett Walsh in the season the opener. She began her collegiate career with a time of 6:17 during the swim portion of the race, exiting the water among the leaders in the Green & Gold and in 38^th place. A time of 21:00 during the biking stage and transition times of 43 and 49 seconds saw her position in the race fall, however she quickly regained spots in the collegiate field during the final run. Walsh posted the third fastest time among members of the BHSU squad, clocking a time of 10:33 to pick up two more spots before finishing the race 43^rd overall with a time of 39:21.
• Anna Austad held steady during the early portions of Saturday morning's event, notching a time of 6:36 during the 375-meter swim and adding a 37 second transition to enter the second stage in 44^th place. During the biking phase she passed a pair of competitors thanks to a time of 20:36 and an 18:06 miles per hour pace. Following the final run in the triathlon where she clocked a time of 12:28, Austad crossed the finish line 45^th overall with a time of 40:49.
• Rounding out the Black Hills State athletes competing in The Southern Hills Triathlon was Chantel Bickler. The Yellow Jacket sophomore posted times of 9:05 during the swim and 21:14 during the bike ride to go along with transitions of 37 and 36 seconds entering the final phase. Bickler tied for the fifth fastest 2.5-kilometer run among athletes in the Green & Gold with a time of 10:42, allowing her to pick off a pair of competitors for a 47^th place finish and an overall time of 42:12.

BLACK HILLS STATE RESULTS

Place	Name	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Total Time
27.	Keira Wilkinson	6:14	0:25	18:36	0:31	10:22	36:07
31.	Natalie Moose-Elkin	6:17	0:27	18:33	0:30	11:05	36:50
33.	Payton Sheehan	6:15	0:22	18:35	0:31	11:23	37:05
34.	Cassidy Teeslink	6:48	0:27	17:59	0:30	11:25	37:07
37.	Sydney Gasper	6:33	0:27	19:40	0:27	10:18	37:24
42.	Sydney Campbell	7:09	0:25	20:17	0:20	10:42	38:51
43.	Scarlett Walsh	6:17	0:43	21:00	0:49	10:33	39:21
45.	Anna Austad	6:36	0:37	20:36	0:34	12:28	40:49
47.	Chantel Bickler	9:05	0:37	21:14	0:36	10:42	42:12

 
TEAM RESULTS

1.	#5 TCU (DI)	203
2.	#4 Denver (DI)	202
3.	#7 South Dakota (DI)	199
4.	#2 Arizona (DI)	183
5.	#3 Colorado Mesa (DII)	126
6.	#5 Black Hills State (DII)	91

 
POST RACE INTERVIEW (KEIRA WILKINSON & NATALIE MOOSE-ELKIN)


UP NEXT
The No. 5 Black Hills State University triathlon team will next be in action on Saturday, September 21, when they travel to Clinton, Illinois. The Prairie State Cup, which will be held at the Clinton Lake State Recreation Area, is slated to get underway at 10:30 a.m. MST while local time the race will start at 11:30 AM CST. The triathlon will be hosted by Millikin University.