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Determining Team Minnesota: The Women...

Monday, 30 November 2015 00:10

Photo - Team Minnesota's (L-R) - Kelly Trom (11th), Gaby Bunten (5th) and Christina Roberts (2nd).

MINNESOTA MULTISPORT AWARDS - The way TEAM MINNESOTA is determined is this: After the Committee argues for several days and grows to hate each other, each member ranks their Top 15 men and women. Points are assigned to places and the athletes are ranked from fewest points to most points.

Today we explain some of the rationale behind the ranking of the women of Team Minnesota 2015. Their 2014 rankings are in parentheses....

1. SUZIE FOX (4) - Suzie won 11 multis and set five course / race records in 2015. She was ranked #1 by every Selector.

2. CHRISTINA ROBERTS (9) - Arguably the most consistent elite woman in our state in '15, Christina, who won the Most Improved award, was ranked #2 by every Selector.

3. LISA LENDWAY (11) - Only one point separated 3rd and 4th places, with Lisa nudging Bridget McCoy. Lisa's du resume--she received a DOY nomination--and her faster Long Distance (70.3) debut gave her the edge here.

4. BRIDGET McCOY (10) - Though Bridget beat Lisa in three of their four confrontations this season, Lisa pushed her out of the 3rd spot by the narrowest possible margin for the reasons listed above. Most Selectors considered the 3rd and 4th positions to be interchangeable.

5. GABY BUNTEN - (12) - Gaby was the most mercurial of Minnesota's elite women and at 23, many predict that, and we agree, that she is destined for greatness.We see TOY wins and the #1 spot on Team Minnesota in her not-too-distant future.

6. ELAINE NELSON - (5) - It's a testament to how awesome Minnesota's women were this year when Elaine Nelson doesn't crack the Top 5. Despite some minor injury and illness back luck, Nelson still managed to win or podium in five of the eight races she did.

7. KORTNEY HAAG (6) - Most Selectors agreed that the 7th and 8th places were basically interchangeable. Though Diane won five races, and Kort won two, Haag managed to beat Diane in two of their three confrontations. And more importantly, Kortney was more consistent.

8. DIANE HANKEE (8) - Five wins and a podium at Du Nationals highlighted a resume that, due largely to early season injuries, had its share of mid-season ups and downs. 

9. SHEENA DAUER (Not Ranked) - Sheena was the biggest surprise on the women's multisport scene. It wasn't her wins that impressed us most, it was her breakthroughs at Apple (3rd against the deepest du field of the year in the US) and Ironman Wisconsin (7th in 10:40:41) that convinced the MMA Committee that she needed to be on Team MInnesota.

10. NICOLE HEININGER (8) - Heiney raced very well this year, but had to contend with the breakout seasons of Lisa, Bridget, Gaby and Sheena, which dropped her a few notches. Though some of her resume was considered superior to Sheena's, Dauer's breakout efforts at Apple (3rd - Nicole placed 8th) and Ironman Wisconsin (7th -10:40:41 - Nicole placed 13th in 10:57:28) gave her, in the minds of several Selectors, the slight edge. Like places 3 and 4, and 7 and 8, places 9 and 10 were basically interchangeable.

Actually, places 9-10 and 11 were considered to be virtually interchangeable. Finishing in the 11th spot was Long Course AOY nominee KELLY TROM. (Kelly excelled at Olympic Distance, too!).

Also in the discussion were the women who were ranked 12th through 15th. They were ERIN HYNDMAN-FARRENS (12th), two-time Master of the Year CHERYL ZITUR (13th), YWCA Women's Tri director NICOLE CUENO (14th) and 2013 Du Nationals winner / 2015 Du Nationals runner-up JENN SCUDIERO (15th).

Because DANI VSETECKA's Rookie of the Year season consisted of two races in 2014 and two races in 2015, she was ineligible for a spot on Team Minnesota. Had all four of her efforts (3 wins and a 2nd) been turned in in 2015, she would have made the team.