University of San Francisco Athletics

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, VA. - The University of San Francisco triathlon team finished the Women's Collegiate Triathlon East Regional over the weekend.

"Any time you have races where you have to work through some challenges, you always come out better on the other end," said head coach Gina Kehr. "With this being our third race, I am looking forward to the team putting their mental toughness into play."

The Dons started the swim portion of the race with a run-in start where the competitors were given a 25-yard run into the lake. The swim was a 750-meter loop and shaped like a rectangle.

Elizabeth Moore was first out of the water for the Dons, coming out in the top 15. Katherine Badham followed about a minute behind Moore and Hannah Weymuller exited another 90 seconds later.

The bike portion of the race consisted of a 10K two-loop ride through the rolling terrain and winding roads. The start was fast and aggressive, and Badham rode up through the field until both she and Moore ended up in a pack together a few minutes down from the leaders. 

On the second lap, Badham bridged the gap between her and the group ahead of her, gaining about 10 spots to start the run. Elizabeth followed her teammate which helped break apart the pack and rode with a smaller group for the remainder of the ride while Weymuller's race was on par for a personal best performance.

The run started with a slight uphill start and quickly went to the rolling terrain. Kehr said that the Dons gutted it out on the run and really attacked it. Badham started the run in the top 25 and quickly passed about seven to 10 other competitors. 

The finish had a short uphill that turned into a slight downhill to the finish shoot. Badham pushed hard, hitting the crest of the hill where she lifted the pace for her finish and claimed an 8th Division I spot (14th overall) and a finish time of 1:04:13.

Moore started the run a few minutes behind Badham and continued to build her run to a 1:09:07 and 17th place Division I finish (35th overall). Weymuller pushed through and rounded out the race with a 1:28:10 final time.

UP NEXT
The Dons are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Regional in Tempe, Ariz.