The USF triathlon team opened their 2024 season on Sept. 1 at Mt. Shasta, where they dominated by a 35-point margin over California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), earning a first place finish in a five team race.
In front of the pack was sophomore, Mairte Kuestner, finishing with a time of 57:40 and leading the rest of her team into victory as all eight dons finished within the top 13 spots.
“I think overall our team did very well, we came in close together which is a good sign. Closer together is better because then you can score together better. That was nice to see and we had a fun time.” said senior kinesiology major Molly Elliott.
A big part of their success is due to the intensity of their practices held by coach Gina Kehr. According to Kehr, their weekly training involves swimming roughly 14,000 to 22,000 yards, biking 80 to 120 miles and running 18 to 40 miles.
“I run the program, where I try to make team workouts that everyone can do, however, I have to make adjustments based on where they are in their development and where they are in their fitness,” said Kehr.
Much of Kehr’s approach to leading her team is from her own time as a triathlon athlete. She began swimming in high school before being recruited by San Francisco State University where she swam for two years. In her junior year, she was recruited by Cal Poly and transferred to finish her last two years of collegiate swim. During her college career, she made NCAA Division Two Nationals all four years and was an All American all four years. In her mid 20s she discovered the triathlon sport, and by her late 20s she went pro, racing at the Olympic trials and the 2006 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Kehr wrapped up her pro career in her early 40s and started the Division 1 triathlon program at USF in 2019. Kehr focuses on developing the team mentally and physically.
“As a coach, I really put a lot of energy into helping the girls deal with adversity, as well as being quite gritty. The great thing with triathlon is that it’s never done until it’s done,” said Kehr.
She added, “If you get out of the swim and you’re already not in a good condition, it’s really helping the girls understand that that’s really just a moment in time and [to] try to keep moving forward.”
Despite the ongoing success amongst the team, triathlon is still a newer sport both at USF and in the NCAA. The original USF team started out with just three student athletes and has since expanded to eight.
Recently Coach Kehr recruited Sara Kos from the polo club. Kos is a sophomore biology major who grew up swimming and competed in high school. This season, she was recruited to join the triathlon team as a walk-on, and though new to triathlon itself, she’s been an athlete her entire life.
“I have a pretty good background in swimming but I was playing water polo with one of the other tri girls and she put in a word [for] me with her coach and it just kind of went from there,” said Kos.
The team continues to perform at their highest level while simultaneously balancing academics and fostering a community within the program.
Elliot said “It’s definitely been very freaking challenging, especially because with triathlon, we train usually three to four times a day, so most of the day is training, and it is more of trying to fit classes amongst our training schedule so it’s pretty hard to find time to study.”
She added, “I feel like triathlon training does also help with my procrastination habits because it kinda keeps a schedule for me so I’m more willing to fit my school into those slots rather than wait until the last minute to get it done.”
The team has high expectations for a successful season.
“Our team goal is [a] podium finish at nationals which we were able to achieve last year and in 2021. That means at regionals we have to be a top three team to automatically qualify, so that is another one of our goals,” said Elliott.
In support of her team, Coach Kehr has established an intense three week training plan, which is preparing them for their Sept. 29 meet in Texas. According to Kehr this three week buildup was extremely important, as they only have a week between their Texas and regional meets.
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