In their first competition of the season, the UC San Diego Triathlon Team cleaned out the off-season cobwebs and showcased some of its new talent.

Competing at UC Irvine's first annual “Zot Trot 5K and Triathlon”, the Triton women sent a strong statement that once again they will be a force to be reckoned with in the West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference. Placing 3 athletes in the top 4, the Tritons domintated the women's race. Rookie triathletes, Lauren Chiodini and Allison Johnston, placed 1st and 4th, respectively, while veteran team-member Darlene Hunt stepped onto the podium in 3^rd place. Chiodini's winning time of 1:01:51 was just enough to edge out UCLA's Ashley Erickson by 2 seconds at the finishing line.

In the men's competition, Richard Armenta was the Triton's top finisher with a time of 57:59 which earned him 10th place. Also in the top 20 were UCSD's Frank Uyeda in 12th, Adam Strobl in 15th, and Marc Schommer in 16th.

The Zot Trot was different in format than the majority of Collegiate races, with the legs of the triathlon proceeding in reverse order. The race began with a mass-start, 5K trail-run over moderate hills, followed by a very technical 10-mile, bike course and finishing with a 250-meter, pool swim.