LOMA, Colo. - Once again competing against the top competition in collegiate triathlon, the No. 8 Black Hills State University women's triathlon team posted a ninth place finish with 100 points at the Desert's Edge Collegiate Cup on Sunday morning at the Highline Lake State Park. Going up against six of the top-10 teams in NCAA Division I, two top-5 teams in NCAA Division II, and a top-10 NCAA Division III program, the Yellow Jackets were led by a 33rd place finish by Payton Sheehan in the first sprint distance triathlon of the year for the Green & Gold. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• For the second consecutive race to start the season, Payton Sheehan led the way for Black Hills State with a 33rd place finish and overall time of 1:09:55.0. She was second out of the water for the Green & Gold with a time of 11:40 in the 750-meter swim, then tied for BHSU's fastest time through transition one at 49 seconds. She flew through the 20-kilometer bike portion of the race in just 33:31 and made her way through the second transition in 48 seconds. She posted the fastest time by a Yellow Jacket in the 5-kilometer run in a time of 23:10. 
• Second in the lineup for Black Hills State was Scarlett Walsh, who finished 45th with an overall time of 1:16.:10.0. She was third for BHSU in the 750-meter swim, clocking a time of 11:46 before running through the first transition in a time of 49 seconds. She notched a time of 37:30 in the 20-kilometer bike and worked her way through the second transition in 52 seconds. She closed out race with a time of 25:05 in the 5-kilometer run. 
• Sydney Campbell added a 49th place finish and overall time of 1:18:39.0 for the Yellow Jackets. She opened the race with a 750-meter swim time of 13:32 before a 55 second first transition. In the 20-kilometer bike she rode through the course in a time of 39:56 and matched the fastest time of a BHSU athlete through the second transition in 48 seconds. She concluded the triathlon with the second-fastest time by a Yellow Jacket in the 5-kilometer run in 23:30. 
• The fourth Yellow Jacket to complete the first sprint triathlon of the season was Anna Austad, crossing the finish line 55th in an overall time of 1:22:25.0. She swam the 750-meter course in 12:08 before making it through the first transition in 57 seconds. In the 20-kilometer bike portion of the race she notched a time of 40:32, which led her into the second transition where she clocked a time of 59 seconds. She concluded the race with a time of 27:52 in the 5-kilometer run. 
• Hudson Towler, who was competing in her first collegiate triathlon as a Yellow Jacket, was not able to finish the race. The grad student clocked the fastest 750-meter swim by a BHSU athlete in 11:20 and then made it through the first transition in one minute exactly. She sped through the 20-kilometer bike with the second-fastest time for the Green & Gold in 33:44 and recorded a time of 55 seconds in the second transition. She was unable to complete the 5-kilometer run. 

BLACK HILLS STATE RESULTS 

TEAM RESULTS 

UP NEXT 
The No. 8 Black Hills State University women's triathlon team will send athletes east this upcoming weekend to the Prairie State Cup in Dewitt, Illinois, which is set to take place Saturday, October 3, at the Clinton Lake State Recreation Area.