The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Triathlon duo of Samantha Biss and Phoebe Hemmerling seeks to capture the program's first-ever Collegiate National Championship on Saturday afternoon at Tempe Town Lake North Park in Tempe, Arizona. The Division II event begins at 3:15 p.m. (EST)/1:15 p.m. (MST)

How They Got Here - By virtue of their finish in the USA Women's Collegiate Triathlon East Regional Qualifier on October 16th in Huddleston, Virginia, Samantha Biss and Phoebe Hemmerling qualified for the USA Triathlon Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships as individual competing triathletes. In that Regional Qualifier, both Biss and Hemmerling both finished the race and respresented the college very well, despite setbacks by their teammates, including a lap out situation and bike equipment failure (flat tire). 

The Match-up - The Spartans will be taking on triathletes from across Division II. STAC will see first year participants, seasoned veterans of the sport and everyone in between. In total, approximately 100 female collegiate triathletes will be participating in the Division I & II and Division III & Club National Championship events on Saturday.

The Event - Consists of a 750 Meter Lake Swim (0.46 Miles/1 lap), a 20K Bicycle Race (12.42 Miles/3 laps) and a 5K Run (3.10 Miles/2 laps).

Pre-National Championship Preparations - St. Thomas Aquinas College will have had approximately 28 days between Regional and National Championship events, which has allowed for Biss and Hemmerling to adequately rest and recuperate. However, second year Head Coach Anthony Muscarello and his staff have kept the both Spartans active with daily running, biking and swimming training sessions. All participants are healthy and ready to contribute at the National Championships.

Athletes to Watch - Samantha Biss and Phoebe Hemmerling will attempt to bring a National Championship crown back to Sparkill.

What's at Stake - A chance to capture the program's first-ever USA Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championship in only its fourth year of existence. 

To learn more about the USA Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships, or to find official results post race, click here.