The Milligan University Triathlon team kicked off their inaugural season with a phenomenal result in the Hendersonville Triathlon Sprint Distance. With this being Milligan’s first appearance on the scene, curiosities ran high to see how the team would perform. The challenge was well received by the athletes, who raced away with the win in amazing fashion.
Head Coach Jason Onks described the result, “We had six female and male MU triathletes who set a high bar for competition. They overcame the challenge of a very cool morning to lay down strong swim-bike-run times.”
Onks commended his team for the strong showing as well. “Jonah Sanchez finished second overall with Faith Powell finishing fifth overall out of 115 athletes. Caden Heupel finished eighth, Duncan Arnold 13th, Manuela Escobar 18th, and Helen Mitchell 40th. We placed first in the collegiate team competition beating King Universities NCAA program. Coach Nave and I are excited about the future of the team’s potential on the national stage.”
The team as a whole achieved accolades for their first place overall achievement, but that success can be equally attributed to strong individual performances from each member of the team. All six members of the team received top 40 finishes out of over 100 competitors. Two Buffs, Sanchez and Powell ranked within the top five finishers and played key roles in leading Milligan to the first place overall finish.
Second place finisher Sanchez described his strategy, “It was a great first race weekend for the team! Personally, I didn’t know what to expect, so my strategy was to stay contained until the end of the swim. In the end, we all played our strengths and the team came away with the overall victory!”
It was a promising result for the team, and spirits are riding high after the big win over tough competition. The team looks forward to the next race with vigor and hopes to replicate results and capitalize on the well earned momentum.
Headline photo: The triathlon team after the race.