The Central Dutch women's triathlon team officially started their season with a fully packed, quick three-day trip to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

Yes, that's right, Pennsylvania. The team brought five seniors, one junior, two sophomores, and one freshman, rounding out their team of nine girls (six returners and two first-timers). Head coach, Jennie Hedrick-Rozenberg (sixth year) and assistant, Summer Brand (third year), lead the charge again this year.  

The team left before the sun was up on Thursday, September 18th and drove to Clear Lake, Indiana to compete in the Trine University Splash and Dash. The race was a 750-meter swim and 2-mile run. An early morning and 7+ hour drive proved to be the Dutch's superpower, as the team came away with a first-place finish against Trine, Northern Kentucky, and Chicago State. Luci Laidlaw (senior, Pella), one of the team's seasoned veterans, was the overall first place finisher with a time of 23:45; Adeline Koritz (sophomore, Clinton) placed fifth overall, with first-timer Madi Whalen (senior, Park Hill) and another veteran, Grace Benson (senior, Newton) close behind, placing eighth and ninth, respectively.  

Trine's Splash and Dash was only a pit-stop along the way to the main event: the Duquesne University Invitational/Beaver County Tri Cup. This full race was a 750 meter swim, followed by an 11.8 mile bike, and capped off by a 5,000-meter run. Surrounded by the changing colors of fall, and supported by a crowd of Dutch fans, the team placed 8th overall in a field of 13 teams and finished 3rd for Division III with a score of 216 behind North Central  [Ill.] (154) and Trine [Ind.] (172).  

Laidlaw took home another top finish for the Dutch, placing fifth overall in Division III with an overall time of 1:11:26. When asked about her success in the race, Laidlaw said what worked well for her was "having girls in a large pack to compete and draft with, because they challenged me on my bike and pushed me to stay fast." Behind Laidlaw, the next four finishers for the Dutch were Koritz (1:14:15),  Benson (1:17:24), Katelyn Freeman (senior, Castle Rock, Colo., Castle View HS) (1:18:50), and Wahlen (1:20:27). Only scores from the top five finishers decide the total team score.  

For senior Madi Whalen, a dual-sport athlete also on the Central women's tennis team, this was her first collegiate-level triathlon. After the race, Whalen shared, "Even though triathlon could be called an individual sport, it's also very much a team sport. It's great when you're racing and you run into your teammates along the course and can cheer each other on. We ran into each other many times on the bike and a few times on the run, and it was encouraging every time!"  

Central will compete at the Prairie State Cup in Dewitt, Illinois on Saturday, October 4th.  

For full race results from Saturday's competition, go here: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/147869/TeamResults/TeamDetails-43418-1149359 

Central finishers:  

1st - Luci Laidlaw, 1:11:26.8 

2nd - Addie Koritz, 1:14:15.4 

3rd - Grace Benson, 1:17:24.3 

4th - Katelyn Freeman, 1:18:50.2 

5th - Madi Whalen, 1:20:27.7 

6th - Estella Allen, 1:22:57.9 

7th - Georgia Havlicek, 1:35:13.4 

8th - Sara Sienkiewicz, 1:40:35.3 

DNF – Aubrey Peterson