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Why Nicole? Why Greta?

Sunday, 10 November 2013 06:10

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - On Saturday, Nicole Heininger (photo L) was named 2013 Rookie of the Year. She beat out one of the most talented freshman classes in state history. Arguably the class of 2013 was second only to the Class of 2010 (though the Class of 2008 was darn awesome, too) from a talent and Most Like to Succeed standpoint. In '10, Jenny Shaughnessy took home the prize, beating out Sam Janicki, Claire Bootsma and Dan Hedgecock. We may not see a group like that again for a long time, but this year's nominees--Heininger, Olivia Bagnall, Casey Miller and Larry Hosch--are darn good and all appear to be bound for stardom.

Why did Heininger win? "Versatility" was one of the major reasons. While the other three athletes excelled in short course tris, Nicole enjoyed success in duathlon, sprint tris and longer events (1/3 IM and a half IM). Moreover her resume featured two course record victories and four other podiums. Also, she held her own against some of our region's top women in two of our state's most competitive races, as demostrated by her 2nd at Lake Waconia and 3rd at Heart of the Lakes....

JUNIOR OF THE YEAR - For the second straight year Greta Danielson (photo L) was the recipient of the JOY award. For the last three seasons, Greta has held her own against the established amateur elite of our region, and done so at a higher level than her junior peers. And while she and fellow nominee Mata Agre, who was also a nominee in 2012, and Michael Burgdorf are leaving the junior ranks, the MMA Selectors are anxious for next season when potential stars like 2011 and 2013 candidate Paige Danielson is joined by Chris Lam, the Koch sisters, Jane and Kelly, Reilly Ingersoll, Parker Roehl, Mitchell Clayton, Nick Traxler and a few others in the pursuit of the 2014 JOY trophy.