By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Riga Grubis (Fy.) from Willamette University took second place as the Bearcats battled Cal Poly Humboldt during the Splash and Dash on Sunday, Sept. 3. Cal Poly Humboldt won the team competition with a score of 71, while Willamette earned a score of 64. The meet featured a 500-yard swim at the WU Natatorium followed by a 3-kilometer run on the WU campus.
A total of 18 student-athletes from the two teams competed in the aquathlon. It was the Willamette triathlon team's first meet of the school year.
"It was a great start to the season," Willamette Head Women's Triathlon Coach Brett Franz said. "Getting to compete on campus was really fun. The team was awesome. With half the team being new, it is always nice to see where everyone is at. I am looking forward to watching this team improve in the next few months."
Farrah Tyler of Humboldt claimed the individual title with a time of 18:45.3. She placed third in the swim at 6:58.4 and completed the run in 11:46.9. Grubis followed with a time of 20:25.9, including 11:53.7 for the run. Eve Wendley of Humboldt placed third at 20:49.5. Mariska Kessler of the Lumberjacks grabbed fourth place in 20:59.87. Ella Isaacson (Jr., Saint Paul, MN/Central HS of Willamette was fifth with an overall time of 21:03.6, just 3.8 seconds behind Kessler. Veronica Castille (Jr., Round Rock, TX/Cedar Ridge HS) placed sixth for the Bearcats in 21:31.7.
In addition to Grubis, Isaacson, and Castille, other Bearcats in the top 10 were Abbey Staniec (So., Stockton, CA/Lincoln HS) in eighth and Natalie Thomas (Fy., Jensen Beach, FL/American Cooperative School of Tunis) in 10th. Staniec registered a time of 22:07.0 and achieved the second-best time in the swim at 7:02.5. Thomas completed the swim and the run in an overall time of 22:34.2.
Also competing for Willamette were Paulina Pioszak (Fy., Boulder, CO/Boulder HS), Maya Ryley (Fy., Eugene, OR/North Eugene HS), Alessazndra Armenta-Lopez (So., Portland, OR/Gladstone HS), Molly Parsons (So., Dallas, OR/Dallas HS), and Lana Gouin-Hart (Fy., Grandville, MI/Jenison HS). Gouin-Hart competed only in the swim.
Willamette's next action is set for Sunday, Sept. 10 at the Best in the West Triathlon Festival. The triathlon will be held at Lewis Creek Park in Foster, Oregon, at 8 a.m. (PDT).
