The UCSD triathlon team competed in the Southwest Regional Championships in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, earlier this month, kicking off the collegiate triathlon season that runs through September.

UCSD placed sixth out of the 10 schools participating.

The event was Olympic distance, with a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and a 10-kilometer run.

The race was on a relatively flat course, but weather was not too friendly. High winds and heat visibly took their toll on the athletes.

The overall team scores were based on that school’s combined times of its top three finishers.

The men finished sixth with a combined time of 7:04:56. The top school overall was University of Colorado.

The women also came in sixth, finishing with a combined time of 9:09:17. UC Santa Barbara took the top mark in a time of 7:43:04.

A squad also represented UCSD in Big Bear last weekend at the Bird Rock and Damn Sprint Races.

At Bird Rock, UCSD’s Megan Anderson placed first, Esther Merki took third and Patrick Fischer placed ninth in their respective age groups.

At the Damn Sprint, Dave Schurig came in third. The team has a number of events in the near future, including nationals at San Luis Obispo.