HOT SPRINGS, S.D.— Senior
Josie Williams took 32
nd while freshman
Sylvie Aardema Gagnon led the newcomers with a 37
th place finish as the Colorado Mesa University women's triathlon team got the 2025 fall season underway at Saturday morning Southern Hills Collegiate Cup here the Angostura Reservoir Recreation Area.
Williams finished in 35 minutes and two seconds while Aardema Gagnon was clocked in 35:18 to finish seven seconds and one place ahead of senior
Nadine Klive, who took 38
th place in 35:25.
Freshman
Ellayna Potter finished 41
st in 35:43 while senior
Fiona Graves rounded out the Mavs' team score with a 42
nd place finish and a time of 35:49.
The Mavericks finished sixth as a team with 120 points, defeating Black Hills State, the only other Division II program in the field. The host Yellow Jackets had 84 points. The Mavericks also finished ahead of Division I San Francisco (102)..
NCAA Division I co-preseason poll No. 1 Arizona topped the team standings with 248 points after placing four triathletes amongst the top eight, including Kelly Wetteland, who won the individual crown by 23 seconds with a time of 30:53. Arizona State's Alex Campbell finished second in 31:16 while Arizona's Mia Wentzy was third in 31:18.
Fourth-ranked TCU took second in the team standings with 227 points while Arizona State, the other co- No. 1 team in the Division I portion of Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association finished third with 207. South Dakota, ranked eighth in the Division I poll, placed fourth with 194 points while fifth-ranked Denver, was fifth with 169.
The Mavericks, ranked third in the Division II poll, ended up racing ten members of the team, including four newcomers. Freshman
Macy Arch finished 49
th in 38:38 while joining Aardema Gagnon and Potter in making their collegiate debuts. Arizona State transfer
Kaia Merrill finished 51
st in 40:05 in her first appearance in a CMU uniform.
Three other Maverick returners in
Mackenzie Mayer (43
rd, 35:55),
Jaycee Stephens (47
th, 37:17) and
Emma Meyers (52
nd, 40:18) also raced.
Saturday's race was a super sprint race and included a 375-meter swim, 10-kilometer bike and 2.5-kilometer run, half the distance of a normal collegiate sprint race.
The Mavericks will race again in 15 days, competing against much of the same competition close to home at the Desert's Edge Collegiate Cup on Sept. 14 at Highline Lake State Park in Loma, Colorado.
Team Standings
1. Arizona- 248
2. TCU – 227
3. Arizona State- 207
4. South Dakota- 194
5. Denver – 169
6. Colorado Mesa- 120
7. San Francisco – 102
8. Black Hills State - 84
Individual Standings (Top 10 + All CMU Triathletes)
56 Starters; 55 Finishers
1. Kelly Wetteland (Arizona)- 30:53
2. Alex Campbell (Arizona State)- 31:16
3. Mia Wentzy (Arizona)- 31:18)
4. Chelsea Webber (South Dakota)- 31:25
5. Maira Carreau (Denver)- 31:33
6. Marley Andelman (TCU)- 31:34
7. Dana Prikrylova (Arizona)- 31:36
8. Sara Crociani (Arizona)- 31:41
9. Britney Brown (Arizona State)- 31:47
10. Alexa Magallon (South Dakota)- 31:49
32. Josie Williams – 35:02
37. Sylvie Aardema Gagnon – 35:18
38. Nadine Klive- 35:25
41. Ellayna Potter- 35:43
42. Fiona Graves- 35:49
43. Mackenzie Mayer- 35:55
47. Jaycee Stephens- 37:17
49. Macy Arch- 38:38
51. Kaia Merrill – 40:05
52. Emma Meyers- 40:18
