PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis.—South Dakota freshman Micah Poellet placed eighth in her collegiate debut Saturday morning at the Pleasant Prairie Qualifier held at the Rec Plex.
 
Poellet completed the course in 1:02:14.3 to finish as the top Coyote. A standout prep runner, Poellet passed teammate Ella Kubas in the run portion of the event. Kubas finished in ninth place with a time of 1:02:58.1.
 
Freshman Andrea Cernuda placed 11th in the overall field, and 10th among Division I runners, with a time of 1:03:33.4.
 
Fourth-year junior Payton Ryz was USD's fourth finisher on Saturday with a time of 1:10:01.6 for 37th place overall.
 
Collegiate triathlon changed its team scoring from top-three finishers in 2019 to top-five finishers this season. South Dakota did not record a team score on Saturday with only a limited squad competing. The Coyotes' next chance at qualifying for nationals will be the Smith Mountain Lake Qualifier in Huddleston, Virginia, on Oct. 16.
 
Next on the docket for USD is the Arizona State Invitational in Tempe, Arizona, on Sept. 18.
 
Pleasant Prairie Regional Qualifier Div. I Results
 
1. Hannah Henry, Arizona State, 1:00:15.0
2. Kyla Roy, Arizona State, 1:00:19.7
3. Liberty Ricca, Arizona State, 1:01:15.6
4. Molly Elliott, San Francisco, 1:01:24.7
5. Amber Schlebusch, Arizona State, 1:01:52.3
6. Gillian Cridge, San Francisco, 1:01:54.6
7. Kira Stanley, Arizona State, 1:02:13.5
8. Micah Poellet, South Dakota, 1:02:14.3
9. Ella Kubas, South Dakota, 1:02:58.1
10. Andrea Cernuda, South Dakota, 1:03:33.4
11. Katy Clausen, Arizona State, 1:03:48.2
12. Hannah Ye, San Francisco, 1:04:11.5
13. Avarie Faulkner, Denver, 1:04:39.5
14. Olivia Ebenstein, Denver, 1:05:06.3
15. Hayley Diemar, San Francisco, 1:05:15.5
16. Lane Mcdonald, East Tennessee State, 1:05:36.4
17. Emily Pincus, Denver, 1:05:40.5
18. Katherine Badham, San Francisco, 1:06:12.9
19. Chloe Ramirez, San Francisco, 1:06:37.6
20. Lindsey Batkiewicz, East Tennessee State, 1:06.50.4
21. Sara Plant, East Tennessee State, 1:06.53.5
22. Noga Gottlieb, San Francisco, 1:07:13.5
23. Amanda Ballard, Denver, 1:08:22.3
24. Olivia Jenks, Arizona State, 1:08:39.1
25. Carla Garcia Alcantarilla, East Tennessee State, 1:09:03.8
26. Holle Guntz, East Tennessee State, 1:09:18.4
27. Izi Belogay, East Tennessee State, 1:09:32.4
28. Payton Ryz, South Dakota, 1:10:01.6