Arizona triathletes completed their first intrasquad meet of the season early Saturday morning on Sept. 14 at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.
An intrasquad meet consists of a competition within the team itself, a lot like the highly anticipated Red-Blue Basketball game. The athletes divided themselves and performed a shortened version of their normal triathlon distances.
Due to it being an intrasquad meet, completing the full distances is not necessary as the team is merely trying to showcase and practice transitions according to head coach Wes Johnson.
For this event in particular, there were two teams; one being Team USA and the other being Team Internationals. Many of the triathletes come from all over the world, making the division of teams nearly even. There are fourteen athletes on the team, nine of which are international athletes. The other five are from various states in the U.S.
In this meet, only 12 members competed, making two of the five USA members complete the relay twice in order to make it even with the seven members of the International Team.
The competition consisted of two separate races. The first event focused on individual times. It included a 400 meter swim, a two minute bike, and a two and a half kilometer run. The swimming and running portions are about half of the normal NCAA distance the team usually conquers in their meets.
A fifteen minute break separated this event from the relay-style event that followed, allowing the athletes some time to recover before performing another mini triathlon.
The relay focused on team finishes and how individual times would affect the group’s performance. It was another combination of swimming, biking, and running. “The relay was only about a 100 meter swim, a one minute bike, and then a 400 meter run, really short and fast and then they would tag off to the next person,” says Johnson.
As one member of a team approached the finish line, they would high five, or “tag off” the next member, signaling the end of their turn and the next team member’s to begin.
Although the team was separated into two teams for the relay, all athletes maintained equal support for one another. Constant cheers of “Let’s go! Let’s go!” rang out as athletes transitioned from one event to another and as girls tagged off in the relays.
For all events, the athletes completed their swim in the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. The running and biking portions were both done within the University of Arizona campus around the Mckale Center and athletic facilities.
At the end of the relay-style competition, Team USA crossed the finish line first, all five members running together with a USA flag in their hands. However, Team International was not far behind. As their final runner appeared near the finish line, the team gathered around and ran with her to the end as well.
This was the team’s second event of the season, following their first meet on Aug. 31 in South Dakota. Johnson explains, “[We do this] to kind of go through the pre race routine and fully practice a race mindset. Also having a home event, which we’ve never had, is also [our] main point.”
Kelly Wetteland, a Junior and second year triathlon competitor at the University, was one of the athletes to complete the relay twice. She continues to lead the team to success with her high scores and rapid times. Wetteland won the entire Aug. 31 meet in South Dakota with a time of 32:20. In the Red-Blue Intrasquad meet, Wetteland contributed to “Team USA’s” success as well.
Looking Forward
As the season approaches, more meets are just around the corner. The triathletes will take on their next competition on Sept. 29 in Fort Worth, Texas for the Battle of the Fort Triathlon. This is the team’s last meet before the NCAA West National Qualifier in Springfield, Montana.
Follow the Daily Wildcat on Instagram and Twitter/X
