Race Coverage

Sibling Rivalry...

Monday, 16 January 2023 00:10

GREEN LAKE SPRINT TRIATHLON - MORGAN BELL, 19, has a voracious racing appetite. She has raced in seven regional tris this year, never missing the overall women's Top 10, and her last three efforts have landed her on the podium. She's worked hard and paid her dues.

Last weekend at Green Lake Sprint, she recorded her first adult tri win.

Her sister MACY, 17, also has raced seven times, cracking the Top 10 on all but one occasion. Closing the time gap between herself and her older sister is how she marks her improvement, and she came closer than ever before at Green  Lake. Typically the finish line crowd has  to wait a minute-or-two after Morgan crosses the line before Macy (photo L)  strides into sight. But that was not the case last Sunday. When Morgan's chip burped for the final  time, Macy was less than two hundred yards back, and she was flying. Her second career podium finish was in the bag, but more importantly, her final time was only 37-seconds slower than her sister's...

Sisters finishing 1-2 is a rare thing. It is also a very, very cool thing to witness. Congrat's Bells on your breakout seasons!

Claiming the bronze medal  was elite Grand Master TERESA VAN HYFTE, 56, of Hartford South Dakota, who could easily pass for 40. A veteran of ten Green Lake Sprint races and winner in three of them, Teresa owns two GLS divisional records (50-54W, 55-59W). 

Van Hyfte was not the only South Dakotan to fourish at Green Lake this year. Sioux Falls' KEVIN MITCHELL was able to follow up his 3rd here in 2020 and 2nd in 2021 with a win on Sunday.  He took control of the race on the bike leaving STEVE MILLS and TYSON MOLITOR to duke-it-out for the other two podium steps. 

Mitchell came into the race with at least  four regional wins on his 2022 scorecard, but with #5 (or 6?) secure, it remained to be seen if he would push hard enough to break the one-hour mark, something he accomplished in 2021 in a 2nd-place effort. Turning for home it wasn't a foregone conclusion that he would do it. It would be very close, but unless he sprinted his chances were slim. 

Then the crowd got loud. Very very loud. Kevin hit the gas and sped across the line in 59:55. Exciting stuff.

Mills, a former Minnesotan now residing in Melbourne, Florida, claimed 2nd place just 37-seconds ahead of Molitor.

The battle for 4th and 5th was between talented teens CARSON ROEHL, 19, and SEAN PICKLE, 17. Carson is a seasoned  tri veteran who has claimed the junior crown in his previous two regional starts this season. Pickle is an ambitous rookie. Carson did record his 4th AG win and 4th place overall, though his margin over Sean was only 26 seconds.

Two-hundred and twenty-one athletes finished this year's Green Lake Sprint.  RESULTS