CLINTON, Ill. - The Black Hills State University women's triathlon team traveled east for the first time in the 2026 season, taking part in the Prairie State Cup at the Clinton Lake State Recreation Area where they finished seventh as a team with 150 points. Leading the way for the Yellow Jackets were a pair of top-30 finishes as Chantel Bickler turned in a 23rd place performance and Teagen Flint concluded the day in 26th place. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The Yellow Jackets were led by senior, Chantel Bickler, on Saturday morning, racing to a top-25 finish as she completed the triathlon in a time of 1:11:46 for 23rd place. She was the second-fastest for the Green & Gold in the 750-meter swim, clocking a time of 14:50 before sprinting through the first transition in just 19 seconds. Then in the 20-kilometer biking portion of the race, she was again the second-fastest of the BHSU athletes, reaching a speed of 21.16 miles per hour as she recorded a time of 34:02. Heading into the final discipline of the day, she ran through the second transition in 28 seconds, and then went on to post the fastest 5-kilometer run for Black Hills State with a time of 22:09. 
• Close behind in 26th place with an overall time of 1:12:31 was Teagen Flint, who recorded both the fastest swim and bike time of the day for Black Hills State. She began the day with a time of 13:32 in the 750-meter swim, then moved into the first transition where she made it through in a time of just 20 seconds. In the 20-kilometer bike she sped through the course at a pace of 22.08 miles per hour, resulting in a time of 32:37, which was also the 11th fastest bike time of the day among all competitors. She concluded the day by making it through the second transition in 24 seconds and rounding out the course with a time of 25:40 in the 5-kilometer run. 
• Third in the BHSU lineup was Mathilda Sarota, who recorded an overall time of 1:16:08 for 32nd place. She began the day by notching a time of 15:55 in the 750-meter swim and then moved on to the first transition which she made it through in 21 seconds. She reached a speed of 20.47 miles per hour in the 20-kilometer bike portion of the triathlon, clocking a time of 35:10. She concluded her morning by completing the second transition in 26 seconds and then posted the second-fastest 5-kilometer run time by recording a time of 24:17. 
• Rounding out the Black Hills State lineup was Ava Elliott, who recorded an overall time of 1:23:25 for 49th place. She opened up the day by clocking a time of 17:13 in the 750-meter swim and then worked her way through the first transition in 22 seconds. In the 20-kilometer bike she completed the course in a time of 40:20, reaching a speed of 17.86 miles per hour before racing through the second transition in the fastest time of any of the Yellow Jackets in just 21 seconds. She then crossed the finish line with a time of 25:11 in the 5-kilometer run. 

BLACK HILLS STATE RESULTS 

TEAM RESULTS 

UP NEXT 
The No. 8 Black Hills State University women's triathlon team will next be in action on Sunday, October 18, as they travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to compete in the NCAA West Regional.