NPS Triathlete Wins at All Navy, Moves on to World Competition
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U.S. Navy photo by Javier Chagoya
NPS Triathlete Wins at All Navy, Moves on to World Competition
By Javier Chagoya
NPS student Lt. Elizabeth Bochner recently placed 3rd at the All Navy Triathlete competition held at Naval Base Ventura in Pt. Mugu, Calif. The victory qualifies her, along with two other naval officers, to compete in the Military World Games, scheduled for August in Warendorf, Germany.
The first quarter operations research student says she is excited about making the competition with two of her fellow Navy officers, both of whom she has trained with and competed against.
“There will be eight of us on the women’s team who will go on to the World Games.
One of my former Naval Academy teammates, Ens. Kayle Coleman, and Naval Reserve Cmdr. Colleen O’Connor, a former shipmate, will be joining me in Germany as contenders for the U.S. Navy side,” said Bochner.
During Bochner’s high school years in her hometown of Radnor, Pa., her first attempts at distance running were challenging and perhaps a mismatch. She battled through the pain and developed her endurance, and says she owes a debt of gratitude to her coach, who helped shape her running form early on.
“I couldn’t walk for a week after running my first course, but as time went on and doing more training with my coach, my times improved,” Bochner said. “Coach Tom Flanagan was an inspirational trainer and mentor for me. He put me through three seasons in four years of high school and I’m deeply indebted to him.”
After high school, Bochner was accepted at the U.S. Naval Academy and joined the cross-country team as a plebe, eventually becoming team captain in her senior year. While at the Academy, she placed second in the All Patriot League’s 3,000-meter competition. Bochner says that while she seems to place well, she tends not to win a lot of races ... Although she was a team member of the 2011 USNA women’s Cross Country Team that won big that year for the Academy.
“I enjoy the idea of representing the Navy on a big scale. While it’s a challenge to train for a big event like this, and hard when time may not permit to compete like when I was on deployment one year, it’s still an awesome opportunity,” said Bochner.
Regardless of time limitations for training, Bochner just wrapped up her refresher quarter and is about to begin her first official quarter in the Operations Research department.
“I’ve competed continuously since 2013, following graduation from the Academy except for one year while on deployment. When I arrived in Monterey, I started riding with the NPS Foundation Cycling Club and joined a local swimming club. Swimming is not my strongest suit so I really needed to improve my swim regimen. I have to say it’s the one weakness I have but the training is making a big difference in my personal best times,” said Bochner.
Bochner has served on USS Anchorage, LPD-23, where she qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer. Prior to coming to NPS, Bochner served aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71. And recently, Bochner made a lateral transfer to the Human Resources community. She has been in the Navy for four years, and will be at NPS for about 27 months.
NPS student Lt. Elizabeth Bochner recently placed 3rd at the All Navy Triathlete competition held at Naval Base Ventura in Pt. Mugu, Calif. The victory qualifies her, along with two other naval officers, to compete in the Military World Games, scheduled for August in Warendorf, Germany.
The first quarter operations research student says she is excited about making the competition with two of her fellow Navy officers, both of whom she has trained with and competed against.
“There will be eight of us on the women’s team who will go on to the World Games.
One of my former Naval Academy teammates, Ens. Kayle Coleman, and Naval Reserve Cmdr. Colleen O’Connor, a former shipmate, will be joining me in Germany as contenders for the U.S. Navy side,” said Bochner.
During Bochner’s high school years in her hometown of Radnor, Pa., her first attempts at distance running were challenging and perhaps a mismatch. She battled through the pain and developed her endurance, and says she owes a debt of gratitude to her coach, who helped shape her running form early on.
“I couldn’t walk for a week after running my first course, but as time went on and doing more training with my coach, my times improved,” Bochner said. “Coach Tom Flanagan was an inspirational trainer and mentor for me. He put me through three seasons in four years of high school and I’m deeply indebted to him.”
After high school, Bochner was accepted at the U.S. Naval Academy and joined the cross-country team as a plebe, eventually becoming team captain in her senior year. While at the Academy, she placed second in the All Patriot League’s 3,000-meter competition. Bochner says that while she seems to place well, she tends not to win a lot of races ... Although she was a team member of the 2011 USNA women’s Cross Country Team that won big that year for the Academy.
“I enjoy the idea of representing the Navy on a big scale. While it’s a challenge to train for a big event like this, and hard when time may not permit to compete like when I was on deployment one year, it’s still an awesome opportunity,” said Bochner.
Regardless of time limitations for training, Bochner just wrapped up her refresher quarter and is about to begin her first official quarter in the Operations Research department.
“I’ve competed continuously since 2013, following graduation from the Academy except for one year while on deployment. When I arrived in Monterey, I started riding with the NPS Foundation Cycling Club and joined a local swimming club. Swimming is not my strongest suit so I really needed to improve my swim regimen. I have to say it’s the one weakness I have but the training is making a big difference in my personal best times,” said Bochner.
Bochner has served on USS Anchorage, LPD-23, where she qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer. Prior to coming to NPS, Bochner served aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71. And recently, Bochner made a lateral transfer to the Human Resources community. She has been in the Navy for four years, and will be at NPS for about 27 months.