SARASOTA, Flor. – Participating in their first event of the spring season, and first event since Triathlon Nationals, MSUB Triathlon had two solid finishes in the Age Group Draft Legal race.
 
Freshman Alahna Lien led the way, and Izzy Siegle also competed on Sunday for the Yellowjackets. "Both ladies raced very well," said MSUB head coach Kevin Bjerke. "It was a warm morning here in Florida, but both ladies handled the conditions well to put together strong races to start the spring."
 
Lien crossed the finish line in third place, finishing with a total time of 1:09:35.1. Lien finished the swim in 12:23, the bike in 34:23 and the 5k run in 21:20. "Alahna was able to hold about 20mph on the bike which is a good mark for her, and is also impressive as she ended up biking alone after the competition spaced out after the swim. I am very excited for her to be back competing and have a solid result after she had an injury setback in the fall," Bjerke added.
 
Siegle was not far behind as she finished seventh on the women's side with a total time of 1:16:05.2. Siegle finished the swim in 14:18, the bike in 35:55 and the 5k run in 24:15. "Siegle built some good momentum after her last race at Nationals in Tempe, AZ last fall, and had another impressive result this morning," Bjerke said. "Izzy finished with a great run, which ended up being her fastest sprint time of her career."
 
Competing their first event of two this spring, MSUB Triathlon had a solid showing at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, FL. Mackenzie Hall was the top finisher with a time of 59:52.8 and the only other finisher ahead of Lien was Chloe Coronado Winn with a time of 1:04:22.1.
 
THE BUZZ: Lien was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Athlete of the Day following her third place finish..
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets are set to participate in the Black Hillls Tri Fest on April 23rd in Spearfish, SD. This race in South Dakota will complete the spring schedule for the Yellowjackets.