Women's Triathlon 2019-20 Season Review

4/22/2020 7:00:00 PM

QUICK HITS

The 2019-20 season marked the fifth in the history of the Daemen women's triathlon program.
Veteran Amber Custodi welcomed a trio of newcomers to the roster as freshmen Courtney Merrill, Caitlyn Yap and Keagan Carroll gave the Wildcats arguably their most talented group since the inception of the program.
A grueling early season schedule saw the Wildcats compete four times from Sept. 1-29, including a pair of events designed specifically for NCAA triathlon teams - the Central Regional Qualifier and the Trine Triple Sprint Invitational.
By placing second at the Central Regional Qualifier, Daemen claimed a berth to the Collegiate National Championship where their season ended in mid November following a sixth-place finish among Division II teams.

SCHEDULE / RESULTS

ROSTER

JON METZ // HEAD WOMEN'S TRIATHLON COACH

Head coach Jon Metz returned for his fifth season at the helm in 2019-20 and guided the Wildcats to a fourth trip to the Collegiate National Championship in Tempe, Arizona.

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wisc. - The Daemen College women's triathlon team opened their 2019-20 season today by claiming second place among participating NCAA Division II teams at the Central Regional Qualifier. The Wildcats sent four triathletes into competition today, including three who made their collegiate debuts; all four placed among the top 50 finishers.
FULL RECAP

First athletic competition of 2019-20 is in the books as ?@DaemenTriathlon? claims 2nd place at Central Regional Qualifier #DCWildcatNation #WNYsD2Team pic.twitter.com/cZ4JZosoUT
— Daemen Wildcats (@DaemenAthletics) September 1, 2019

Freshman Courtney Merrill made her presence felt immediately as she paced the Wildcats at the season-opening Central Regional Qualifier. She went on to earn first-place finishes within her age group at the Finger Lakes Triathlon and Deer Creek Fall Challenge, and was also Daemen's top finisher at the Trine Triple Sprint.

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y.. - Amber Custodi (Ransomville, N.Y.) placed third overall, and freshmen Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.), Caitlyn Yap (Kennesaw, Ga.) and Keagan Carroll (Woodbridge, Va.) all placed in the top five of their age group as the Daemen College women's triathlon team competed for the second time in as many weeks, this time at the Finger Lakes Triathlon. This morning's race played out a bit differently than planned as the open-water swim in Canandaigua Lake was cancelled due to high algae levels; a one-mile run was added in its place.
FULL RECAP

Keagan Carroll posted a season-best time of 1:19:03.4 at the season-opening Central Regional Qualifier, placing 10th among NCAA Division II entrants. She went on to post top-five finishes within her age group at the Finger Lakes Triathlon and Deer Creek Fall Challenge.

ANGOLA, Ind. - Freshman Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) made the most of her first collegiate triathlon in her home state of Indiana, placing 10th overall to pace the Daemen College women's triathlon team at the Trine Triple Sprint today. Merrill's performance helped the Wildcats to a third-place finish out of the 10 competing teams which included nine NCAA programs and one collegiate club team.
FULL RECAP

MT. STERLING, Ohio - The Daemen College women's triathlon team will head into the latter stages of their fall season on a high note after putting on an impressive display at the Deer Creek Fall Challenge this morning. Redshirt junior Amber Custodi (Ransomville, N.Y.) and freshman Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) placed first in their respective age groups, while freshmen Caitlyn Yap (Kennesaw, Ga.) and Keagan Carroll (Woodbridge, Va.) had strong showings as well.
FULL RECAP

Caitlyn Yap placed second in her age group at the Deer Creek Fall Challenge - her second top-five finish of the season. Her season-best time (1:13:11.2) came at the season-opening Central Regional Qualifier where she placed sixth among NCAA Division II participants.

Amber Custodi made her third career appearance at the Collegiate National Championship in 2019, placing 21st with a team-best time of 1:18:06.

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Daemen College women's triathlon team claimed sixth place out of 10 competing NCAA Division II teams today at the USA Triathlon Women's Collegiate National Championships. It marked Daemen's fourth trip to the national meet in five years as a varsity program.
FULL RECAP

Congratulations to @DaemenTriathlon on their 6th place finish today at the USA Triathlon Women's Collegiate National Championships in Tempe, Arizona #NCAATri pic.twitter.com/5K1vnydr9b
— Daemen Wildcats (@DaemenAthletics) November 16, 2019

Courtney Merrill, Caitlyn Yap and Amber Custodi were honorable mention selections to the Scholar All-American Team by the College Triathlon Coaches Association

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

We are excited to welcome Lydia Smith who will join us this fall! #2020 #triathlon #welcome2020 #welcome pic.twitter.com/wJV8c5FFbO
— Daemen Triathlon (@DaemenTriathlon) January 3, 2020

Women’s Triathlon #UnitedAsOne pic.twitter.com/YoYrWhjQqr
— Daemen Triathlon (@DaemenTriathlon) March 23, 2020

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