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Treise & McGregor Are "Athletes of the Year"...

Saturday, 28 November 2020 23:10

2020 MINNESOTA MULTISPORT HONORS - The battles for male and female ATHLETE OF THE YEAR came down to mano a mano, which is not actually gender specific, duels between TED TREISE and JOSH MORK, and DIANE HANKEE and SHYANNE MCGREGOR.

Let's break it down:

Ted won both of the local races he entered. At Green Lake Olympic he outraced runner-up / 6-time Minnesota Master of the Year (including 2020) KEVIN O'CONNOR by 2:23, after which he won at Graniteman Clearwater, the deepest men's race of the season, relegating Mork to 2nd place, 1:10 in arrears....

Josh, however, raced in three Minnesota tris, winning at Big Lake and taking 2nd at both Clearwater and Square Lake Sprint. In his losses he was beaten by current pro Treise, and former pro DAVID THOMPSON, Minnesota's most successful multisporter ever with more than 100 career victories. So yes, there was a strong argument for Mork taking the AOY.

In the end, though, the fact that Treise beat Mork head-to-head at Clearwater, and that he acquitted himself nicely  in a pair of pro races down south, put him over the top. Ted Treise is the 2020 male AOY.

As for the women, Hankee and McGregor raced two times each. Actually, they raced three times apiece, but their November performances will apply to their 2021 scorecards. Diane won both of her pre-November races, whereas McGregor's resume consisted of a win and a 4th. McGregor was the hands-down AOY, though, because her efforts were the top-ranked women's performances of the season. She dominated in her win at Clearwater, and her 4th against an  international field at Ironman Florida in 9:47:52 was clearly the 2020 women's POY.