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Sean for TOY? Absolutely!

Tuesday, 05 December 2017 23:10

2017 MINNESOTA MULTISPORT AWARDS - We mentioned recently that all but one of our remaining MMA explanation posts will deal with controversial categories. Today's post is about Male TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR, which was basically non-contentious. All Selectors agreed that SEAN COOLEY was the 2017 male TOY, and they suspect that few outside the Committee would challenge the selection.

Let's break it down. Here are the nominees and comments on their seasons:

- NATHAN ANSBAUGH

Nate's seven races produced two wins, five total podiums and a 70.3 PR. He was ranked 3rd on Team Minnesota. A glance at his resume reveals that he was not a cherry-picker; he raced exclusively in our state's most competitive races. Conclusion: Well deserved TOY nomination.

- JOSH BLANKENHEIM

Blank has been Duluth's numero uno for the past three seasons. He is recognized as one of Minnesota's most consistently elite racers. In 2017 he raced six times, winning once (Brewhouse), and placing 2nd at Liberty Olympic, Heart of the Lakes and Lake Waconia. A good resume. He was 1-1 against Ansbaugh, and 0-1 against Cooley.

- KRIS SPOTH

In seven starts in 2017, Kris had one win--a POY-nomination worthy victory at Copper Creek--and four other podium finishes. He was also the second fastest Minnesotan at Nationals (Behind Wade Cruser). Kris faced fellow TOY nominees at Minneapolis, where he was beaten by Cooley and Ansbaugh. ....

- SEAN COOLEY

Here are Sean's 2017 tri highlights and parenthetical comments:

- 1st @ Heart of the Lakes (beat Blankenheim, Ansbaugh)

- 1st @ Chisago Half - 4:06:60 (fastest 70.3 time by a Minnesota male in 2017. Beat decorated pro Daniel Bretscher.)

- 2nd @ Minneapolis Olympic - (Beat Ansbaugh and Spoth.)

- 2nd @ Superior Man - 4:11:32 (2nd fastest 70.3 time by a Minnesota male in 2017. Beat Ansbaugh.)

- 4th @ Madison 70.3 - (1st Minnesota male.)

In conclusion, Sean was never beaten in 2017 by his fellow nominees, and two of his performances--Chisago and Minneapolis--were nominated for POY. He was ranked #1 on Team Minnesota. For the Committee, his selection as male TOY was an obvious one.

ED. We've been posting lots of Sean Cooley pics lately, so we decided to post an artsy-fartsy shot that we filched from Joe Kandiko's FB page. Joe's got this app on his phone that he uses to reimagine photos. Obviously, his wife Georgia isn't the only artiste in the family. (Georgia is a professional artist.)