LEASBURG, N.C. - The Daemen women's triathlon team made its long awaited return to competition by racing to a fifth place finish at the East Region Invitational held today as part of the Hyco Lake Triathlon and Hyco Lake Park about an hour outside of Raleigh. It marked Daemen's first race since the 2019 Collegiate Triathlon National Championships held in Tempe, Arizona some 518 days ago.
The Wildcats were one of six NCAA Division II teams competing today and the race was scored by adding the placements of each team's top four finishers. Defending national champion Queens (N.C.) topped the team standings as their top four triathletes placed first, second, third and fourth. They were led by Sam McInnes who completed the race in 1:03:14, nearly a full minute ahead of teammate Natalie Bash (1:04:05).
Davis & Elkins (53) had a pair of top-10 finishers and edged Lenoir-Rhyne (58) for second place, while Drury (68) came in slightly ahead of Daemen (88). King (Tenn.) rounded out the field with 154 points in the standings.
Daemen was paced today by sophomore Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) who completed the race in 1:09:21 to place 12th out of 44 total competitors. Merrill came out of the race's 750-meter swim in 36th place, but managed to steadily move up thanks to a 36:36:00 time in the 20-kilometer cycling portion and a 5-kilometer running time of 19:41.
Freshmen Lydia Smith (Williamsport, Pa.) and Bella Buenting (Chanhassen, Minn.) each made impressive collegiate debuts, placing 14th and 17th respectively. Smith finished the race in 1:09:43 and ranked 11th in the field with a 20:07 running time. Buenting's best portion was in the water as she ranked 11th in the field with an 11:17 swimming time, finishing the overall race in 1:10:15.
Newcomer Savannah Warner (Elma, N.Y.), a senior cross country/track and field convert, rounded out the Daemen scorers by placing 34th with a time of 1:17:32. As expected, Warner was strongest in the running portion, completing the 5-kilometer jaunt in 20:29.
Sophomores Caitlyn Yap (Kennesaw, Ga.) and Keagan Carroll (Woodbridge, Va.) also competed for the Wildcats today, finishing 38th and 42nd respectively. Yap finished in 1:20:54 while Carroll crossed the finish line in 1:28:55.
Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.
