LONGMONT, Colo. – Participating in its second event of the 2022 fall season on Saturday morning at Union Reservoir, the Montana State University Billings women's triathlon team completed the Oktoberfest Triathlon.
 
Freshman Alahna Lien led the way, while Madisan Chavez and Izzy Siegle each also competed on Saturday. "All three ladies had solid swims, which gave Madi and Alahna a chance to group up and do some pack riding on the bike which was great," said MSUB head coach Kevin Bjerke. "We weren't sure until yesterday if they were going to allow the NCAA athletes to draft so that was welcome news. They both came off the bike to complete solid run legs."
 
Lien crossed the finish line in 1:13:00, highlighting the Yellowjackets' lineup with a 35th-place finish among the field of 49 participants who completed the race. Lien posted a mark of 10:53 minutes in the swim, 38:06 minutes in the bike, and 21:24 minutes in the run to complete the triathlon.
 
Chavez finished right behind Lien, taking 38th place with a time of 1:14:04 in her second event of the year. Chavez posted times of 12:53 in the swim, 35:20 on the bike, and 23:32 in the 5k run on Saturday.
 
Completing her first event of the year, Siegle took 44th place with a time of 1:31:42. She crossed the line with marks of 13:48 in the swim, 43:11 on the bike, and 31:44 in the run. "Izzy has been battling through a few injuries, so it was refreshing to see her get through the bike unscathed and successfully execute the 5k run," said Bjerke.
 
Naomi Ruff of Arizona State University won the individual title, posting a time of 1:01:57 to hold off University of San Francisco's Kira Gupta-Baltazar by just two seconds. Arizona State claimed the team title with 233 points, for a comfortable 21-point win ahead of second-place University of Denver.
 
THE BUZZ: Lien was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Athlete of the Day.
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets are set to participate in the NCAA National Qualifier, which is scheduled for Oct. 15 at Stockton State Park in Stockton, Mo.