TEMPE, Ariz. - The University of San Francisco triathlon team wrapped up its fall season on the road at the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championship over the weekend.

"I thought we did the best we have done," said head coach Gina Kehr. "This season has definitely been challenging. In this first season, we were figuring everything out as we went so there were some ups and downs throughout the year, but the Dons came together in the last couple of weeks, we're excited about being at this venue and we all realized it was the first time a USF triathlon team was on the NCAA start line." 

To cross the finish line first for the Dons was Kathrine Badham with a time of 1:10:37 and a 14th place overall finish, and Kehr thought Badham looked phenomenal on the bike and run portions of the race.

"With Kat's swim not being as strong as the other competitors in the upper packs, she relies on her bike and her run," Kehr said. "She came out of the swim where she typically does and when she got out of the water, she just rode through everyone. She didn't draft off of anyone — she basically time-trialed — and then ran her way through the field to get 14th place."

Elizabeth Moore was next for the Dons as she finished 25th with a time of 1:15:07. Kehr said Moore came out of the water where she has in the past, but since the pack Moore was in was much bigger than the packs have been in the past, the race unfolded a bit differently.

"That big pack she was in ended up splitting into three or four smaller packs," Kehr said. "[On the bike], Moore rode with some girls through the different packs. Moore also ran a solid run — her best run as far as being mentally tough and strong — and stayed the course the whole way through so she did really well."

In her first triathlon for the Dons — and her first triathlon ever — Louise Nielsen clocked in at 1:27:51 and finished in 29th place. 

"Nielsen did amazing," Kehr said. "This was a huge ask of her. She jumped in with only two weeks to go before this race, she did her first open water swim on Tuesday (Nov. 12), wore a wetsuit for the first time and was taught transitions in the last weeks. So it was a lot of stuff she had to take in for one race, but she did amazing. It was a strong day across the board for her, not just as a triathlete but as a person.

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