ASU triathlon will travel to Utah to compete in the St. George National Qualifier Saturday. The race will be the team's last before the Sun Devils host the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships on Nov. 13.
Normally, only seven Sun Devils on the team would compete in a race, but this weekend's meet is unique in that 11 women will compete in three different races.
Sophomore Katy Clausen and senior Olivia Jenks will compete in an Elite Development Race, which will be raced with a super sprint distance. Junior Liberty Ricca and graduate student Kyla Roy will compete in a separate Olympic-distance race, which is twice as long as the collegiate length.
The remaining seven Sun Devils going to the meet will be competing in the collegiate race. Two women on the roster will not compete in Utah, head coach Cliff English said.
The team is viewing the races in Utah as a warm-up before the National Championships. Even having already secured a spot in Nationals, English said the race is a chance for the team to improve its performance.
"When it comes to racing, you are able to get more out of yourself," English said. "We are really looking at this as an opportunity to raise and lift performances."
English said five out of its seven roster spots for Nationals are filled, and Saturday's race will serve as a chance for the remaining Sun Devils on the team to compete for the final two spots. He said his team is heading into the weekend "very fit and very fast" that will compete well.
"One of our biggest strengths is that no one is the best at one single event, so everyone can push each other," Ricca said.
ASU has performed well so far this season, sweeping the podium earlier this season at the Pleasant Prairie National Qualifier and winning the Dual in the Desert challenge. The team's performance has created high expectations, and senior Kira Stanley said ASU still looks to perform at its highest level.
"We have so many eyes on us that it's kind of hard to go into a race and not be nervous because there's so much expectation for us to win," Stanley said. "I think it's pressure we put on ourselves."
The collegiate race, hosted by Intermountain Triathlon, will be the last chance for schools to qualify for the National Championships next month. The top eight teams, as well as the top 20 individuals who are not already qualified as part of a team, will get to compete.
Reach the reporter at ahoppes1@asu.edu and follow @aviannahoppes on Twitter.
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