Kaitlyn Hughes | editor-in-chief

Through rain and sweat, freshman Daria Ermolova crossed the finish line Oct. 4 at the Navy Collegiate Cup with not only a smile on her face, but a historic win for the Duquesne University Triathlon team — back-to-back first place wins.

“I’m extremely happy. It’s so exciting for me. It shows me that yes, I can do it,” Ermolova said. “It gave me more confidence.”

Ermolova’s top spot win led the team to a second-place finish.

The race in Annapolis was modified to a duathlon, which contained two running portions split up by a 19k bike portion. Ermolova dominated for the Dukes in all three segments, recording an 8:19 opening run, a 32:55 bike and a 16:26 final run to finish in 58:23.2 — she was one of two athletes to complete the course in under an hour. The runner up came in more than 90 seconds after her.

Her final run was the fastest by 20 seconds, and her opening run and bike splits each ranked second.

Duquesne finished second in the team standings with 278 points, just behind Texas Christian University’s 286.

The race prior, Ermolova won at Duquesne’s course in Brady’s Run Park with a time of 1:02:24.95, recording splits of 10:05 in the 750 meter swim, 31:27 for the 11.8 mile bike and a race-leading 18:37 in the 5k run. The runner up was more than 30 seconds behind her.

Her win marked the second consecutive season a Duke has won the Duquesne Invitational, following then-freshman Kadance Ribbnik’s 2025 performance.

Focus first

The freshman from Tula, Russia has been cycling and taking swimming lessons since she was 7. She was constantly fueled by her parents’ support. Her sister, Mariia, is also a triathlete, and the pair constantly trains together.

“When I grew up I improved my skills, my performances, and I understood that I like it. I want to be in this career,” Ermolova said.

She was mainly a cyclist but switched to compete in all three — running, swimming and cycling.

“I like this variety of sports because you never get bored,” she said.

She decided to take three flights, which took more than 24 hours, from her hometown Tula to the Steel City because she liked the NCAA program and the support the United States gives to both students and athletes.

Head coach Joella Baker said Ermolova first reached out to her.

“She’s very dedicated. She works very hard,” Baker said.

Her teammate and fellow freshman Isabella Fernández has noticed this work ethic as well. Every practice Ermolova shows up with passion and determination, according to Fernández.

“She’s always striving to be better,” Fernández said. “Even if she feels bad … She’s concentrated and giving her best. She hypes up the other teammates.”

Before her time at Duquesne, Ermolova was a three-time Youth & Junior Russian Duathlon Champion and an Africa Triathlon Junior Cup Champion. She placed 2nd at the U19 Russian Duathlon Championship and 8th at the U23 Russian Triathlon Championship.

She imagines a career in the sport post-graduation.

Before a race, Ermolova tries to remain calm and remain confident in her abilities.

“Of course, I have some nerves, but it’s okay, it pushes me faster,” she said.

During every race since the beginning of the season Aug. 30, Ermolova makes sure to remain concentrated on her own race, not compare herself to other competitors and remain calm.

She visualizes the race before she even walks on the course, and she is particular in her warm up, according to Baker.

“Seconds are important,” Ermolova said. “Don’t do stupid mistakes during the race.”

Racing 5,000 miles away from home

But most importantly, Ermolova views each race as another opportunity to assess her skills and enjoy participating in the sport.

This positive attitude is something people immediately notice about her.

“She’s been a great leader to the other freshmen on the team,” Baker said.

Fernández said she bonded with her quickly because of her positive personality.

Ermlova keeps up the optimism despite being about 5,000 miles away from home and dedicating 20 hours a week to practice — four to five days of swimming, three to four days of biking, four days of running and two days of strength training.

“It’s a part of the sport,” Baker said. “A lot of athletes who do triathlons are very positive.”

Duquesne travels to the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon East Regional Championship on Saturday at Lake Lanier in Georgia. The Dukes’ season ends Nov. 8.

Kaitlyn Hughes can be reached at hughesk10@duq.edu