FEATURES
More Breakouts - Sort of....
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Saturday, 28 September 2024 00:10
KAITSY BAKER, 24, Plymouth - Can rookies have a breakout season? Sort of. Most rookies fly under the radar because they need a year or more to learn the sport. In Kaitsy's case, her success was visible and immediate: a top 5 finish at Clearwater Sprint. She followed that with another Top 5 (Northwoods), where she outraced some established successful triathletes. She finished her debut season with an 8th at Maple Grove Sprint, where once again her bike and run splits were encouraging. If she spends a lot of time in the pool in the off-season, her competitive trajectory could land her on Team MInnesota in a year or two....
Breakouts! The Guys...
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Thursday, 26 September 2024 00:10
NICK JASMER, 32, Menagha - Nick's come a long way in a short time. Six MN races, six top fives, three of which were podiums. His trajectory reminds us of Brandon Lee's.
NATHAN KIM, 22, Minneapolis - He's a MN guy now and we couldn't be happier. He kicked off his season with solid results, then finished with star-level performances. His progression in 70.3s (three straight PRs) has been meteoric, and his close 2nd at Maple Grove Olympic (1:52:50) tells us he is flirting with a Triathlete of the Year nomination.
BRANDON LEE, 42, Lino Lakes - Two wins, two 2nd at a 4:18 PR at Square Lake make him a shoo-in. for a Master of the Year nomination.
TEVIN NEEGAARD, 25, Maple Grove (photo) - Off the radar in 2023, Tevin excelled at Sprint, Olympic and especially 70.3 this year. His 4:40 personal best at Madison 70.3 last year, has been improved to 4:13:13 at the same race this season. Very likely Most Improved nominee....
Masters Excellence - 2024 Edition, Part II...More Updates...
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Sunday, 15 September 2024 00:10
Next month Simon and Garfunkel will evaluate the women Masters (ages 40-54). At this point in time, the five athletes highlighted below are the top candidates for consideration. Three will receive MOY nomnations.
KADIE HOKANSON, 43, Alexandria – Five starts. Four outright women's wins, one 2nd. Concerns? Kinda. Race selection. Her toughest competion was at Green Lake Intermediate, where she placed 2nd behind fellow Master Becky Youngberg. Kadie's win at Square Lake 70.3 was impressive.
TIFFANY KARI-CIZMAS, 44, Duluth (photo)– Four starts. One overall women's win, two 2nds and a 4th (1st Master). Concerns? Not really. PS - Tiff WON One Last Tri Olympic outright on September 15!
BETTINA KEPPERS, 41, Duluth – Three MN starts. Two wins and a 2nd. She is an avid Xterra triathlete and we haven't evaluated those performances yet. Concerns”?Yes, she finished behind Kari-Cizmas at Buzz Ryan.
Masters Excellence - 2024 Edition...
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Friday, 13 September 2024 00:10
In October MTN's two-man Minnesota Multisport Honors committee (Note: Simon & Grarfunkel are replacing last season's evaluators Matt and Damon) will announce their nominees for the 2024 MMH honors. Below are some of the Masters (Ages 40-59) guys who are being considered for the eventual three nominations in this category....
2024 Kids Stuff...
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Saturday, 07 September 2024 00:10
Who are the Juniors that rocked the hardest during the 2024 season. Below are what may be the frontrunners for Junior of the Year.
Boys -
NOAH BILLINGS, 18, Rochester - The two-time JOY is a prolific racer, with at least ten completed tris on his 2024 scorecard. He won three of those races, including Junior Nationals. The only concern for the MMH Guys is that he finished behind fellow juniors on four occasions.
CORBIN DEICHMAN, 16, Mankato - Corbin won at least two (three?) races this year and didn't lose to a fellow junior in regional competition in his five (six?) starts. He was especially impressive in his win at Maple Grove Sprint where he outraced fellow elite juniors Noah Billings, Nolan Snyder and Kyler Williams. Concerns? His efforts at Nationals, however, were not as impressive as his regional performances against adult competition. (NOTE: For MMH purposes, perormances in DL races are excluded from consideration.) ...
