HOT SPRINGS, S.D. - The No. 6 Black Hills State University women's triathlon team began the 2026 season in the southern Black Hills, competing against some of the nation's strongest NCAA Division I programs in the sport at The Southern Hills Triathlon. Competing alongside five NCAA Division I programs and another nationally ranked NCAA Division II squad, the Yellow Jackets completed the opening race of the year with a seventh-place finish and 122 team points. On a hot morning at the Angostura Recreation Area, the Green & Gold broke in a squad that returns six, including four national qualifiers, and introduces three freshmen to the sport of collegiate triathlon. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Payton Sheehan, who led the team line up in four of the five triathlons in 2025, was back at the front of the Yellow Jacket line up on Saturday morning as she finished with a full course time of 37:30 for 54th place. She was third out of the water for  BHSU with a 375-meter swim time of 6:47 and she then proceeded to post the fastest transition one time at 19 seconds. She then notched the fastest times on the team for the 10K bike (18:06) as she reached a speed of 20.56 miles per hour and the second transition (21 seconds). She concluded the day with the fourth fastest time in the 1.55 mile run, clocking a time of 11:59. 
• Scarlett Walsh, who was the team leader at the 2025 national championships, finished second on the team with a full course time of 38:37 for 57th place. She was first out of the water for the Yellow Jackets to begin the race with a 375-meter swim time of 6:31 and then ran through transition one in 30 seconds. She cruised through the 10K bike portion of the race at 19 miles per hour, notching the third-fastest time for BHSU in the discipline at 19:35, and then was able to post the second-fastest transition two time at 22 seconds. She rounded out the first race of the season with a 1.55 mile run time of 11:41. 
• Sydney Campbell, another 2025 national qualifier, was third in the Black Hills State line up with a full course time of 39:07 for 58th place. She began the day with times of 7:17 during the 375-meter swim and a quick 22 seconds in transition one. She then reached speeds of 18.68 miles per hour and recorded a time of 19.56 during the 10K bike before getting through the second transition in 25 seconds. She concluded the first triathlon of the year with the Green & Gold's fastest 1.55 mile time of 11:10. 
• Rounding out the returning national qualifiers for the Yellow Jackets from the 2025 squad was Chantel Bickler, who finished with a full course time of 39:18 for 59th place, closely behind Campbell for fourth in the team line up. She began the opening race of the year with a time of 7:48 for the 375-meter swim and quickly moved through transition one with the second-fastest time by a Yellow Jacket at just 21 seconds. She cruised through the 10K bike portion of the race at 19.12 miles per hour for a time of 19:28, the second-fastest by a BHSU athlete, and then ran through transition two in 26 seconds. She closed out the day with the second-fastest time for BHSU in the 1.55 mile run at 11:18. 
• Teagen Flint was the highest finishing newcomer for the Yellow Jackets, tallying a 62nd place finish in her first collegiate triathlon. She started the race with a 375-meter swim time of 7:34 and worked her way through the first transition in 23 seconds. During the 10K bike she reached a speed of 18.9 miles per hour as she clocked a time of 19:41 and reached the final stage of the race after a time of 34 seconds in transition two. She closed out her first collegiate triathlon with a 1.55 mile run time of 13:04 for a full course time of 41:14. 
• In her first race back since the 2024 season, Anna Austad recorded a 63rd place finish with a full course time of 41:39. She was second out of the water for the Yellow Jackets with a 375-meter swim time of 6:37 and was then out of transition one in 23 seconds. She reached a speed of 17.93 miles per hour during the 10K bike portion of the race, clocking a time of 20:45 before a transition two time of 29 seconds. She completed the race by crossing the finish line with a 1.55 mile run time of 13:27. 
• The second freshman in the line up saw Isabella Accardi finish 64th with a full course time of 41:53. She was fourth out of the water in the 375-meter swim for the Green & Gold, posting a time of 6:50 as she moved on to transition one where she was in and out in 24 seconds. Then on the 10K bike ride she reached a speed of 17.47 miles per hour and notched a time of 21:18 and followed it with a time of 27 seconds in transition two. She closed out her first collegiate triathlon with a time of 12:56 in the 1.55 mile run. 
• The third and final freshman in the line up was Mathilda Sarota, who completed her first collegiate triathlon in a time of 42:29 for 65th place. She began the day with a 375-meter swim time of 8:53 and then made her way through the first transition in 30 seconds. She then picked up speed in the 10K bike, reaching 18.57 miles per hour as she clocked a time of 20:02 before getting through the second transition in 33 seconds. She concluded her day with a 12:33 1.55 mile run to complete her collegiate debut. 
• Ava Elliott recorded a career-best super sprint course time of 47:14 in her second appearance at the Southern Hills Triathlon for 67th place. She began the day with a 375-meter swim time of 9:24 and then sped through the first transition in just 24 seconds. On the 10K bike she reached a speed of 15.61 miles per hour to record a time of 23:51 before working her way through the second transition in 26 seconds. She concluded the day with a time of 13:12 in the 1.55 mile run. 

PAYTON SHEEHAN & SCARLETT WALSH INTERVIEW


BLACK HILLS STATE RESULTS 

TEAM RESULTS 

UP NEXT 

The No. 6 Black Hills State University women's triathlon team is back in action at the end of the month when they travel to Loma, Colorado, to compete in the Desert's Edge Triathlon on Sunday, September 27.