by Alex Bautista

Coming out of the pool to finish strong.

On Saturday, February 11th months of hard work paid off for the UCSD Triathlon team as the Tritons faced down longer-than-expected runs, rolling bike hills with treacherous turns, and pool swims that at times more resembled underwater wrestling than lap swimming.  All things the team is more than familiar with from practices.  Also a twist at the UC Irvine season-opening race was the reverse order of events – run, then bike, then swim.  The team did exceptionally well – both guys and girls ran away 3 of the top ten places.

‘Oh captain, our captain’ Bill Jones took first overall, with Daniel Heineck and Will Pandori finishing off the top 10.  Gina Horath led the girls with a close 3rd place finish, while Joanna Coker and Kat Ellis battled into 5th and 6th.  Many Triton racers were thrilled with the results of their first race, others vowed to fly even faster in the next triathlon.  But for all of our athletes, one thing is clear: another very successful and very fun season is in store for the team.

The bike course was a bit damp, but the Tritons came out ready to race.