Former Mustang Swimmer Laura Bennett Wins Nautica Malibu Triathlon
Sep 16 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Sept. 16, 2009
LOS ANGELES (SMU) - Former Mustangs swimmer Laura Bennett, formerly Laura Reback, won the Olympic distance Nautica Malibu Triathlon presented by Toyota Saturday, posting a time of 2:00:20.1.
The 2008 Olympian bested the 2008 winner of the event by 12.1 seconds in the race, which included a ½-mile swim in the Pacific Ocean, an 18-mile bicycle ride along the Pacific Coast Highway, and a four-mile run on Zuma Beach. Proceeds from the event benefitted the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and its Pediatric Cancer Research Center.
During her time at SMU, Bennett led the Mustangs to the WAC Championship as a senior in 1997. The team also finished third in the NCAA Championships that year, with Bennett swimming the third leg of the school-record breaking 400-yard medley relay. The WAC Championship was the first in the Mustangs' current 12-year conference championship run. Bennett also earned the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship at the end of her four-year career at SMU.
Bennett, a native of North Palm Beach, Fla., is married to Greg Bennett, who also competed at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, finishing second in the men's division with a time of 1:48:33.7. The former Mustang also won the Classic Race on Sunday.
