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Katie, Kadie and...

Tuesday, 28 November 2023 00:10

By Mav

2023 Most Improved – Womens Nominees - A couple of weeks ago, Goose and I revealed our picks for the Mens Most Improved Minnesota Multisport Honor. Today, I’m highlighting three women who upped their game this past season and earned the right to be nominated for the Most Improved MMH.

Kadie Hokanson, 42, Alexandria: Kadie, as a Master (40+), was relatively unknown a year ago but boasted two wins (Alexandria Sprint and Young Life Sprint) and a second (Average Jo) this year. She placed well at these events AND went fast, setting a course record at Alexandra and the second fastest posting at Average Jo....

Katie Kadera, 35, Marine on St. Croix (photo): As Goose pointed out in his name-dropping post, Katie was unknown to the MMH committee until this season. She won outright at Square Lake Sprint, placed second at Maple Grove Sprint, and third at Chisago Sprint. Her improvement from being off our radar to becoming a threat to win races impressed both Goose and myself.

Bette Rowley, 38, Burnsville: Bette never finished off the podium this season. Her resume includes three second place finishes at competitive sprint events (Pigman in Iowa, Hopkins Royal behind Heather Lendway, and Big Lake Sprint), as well as a third overall at Clearwater Sprint.

Goose's Comments - Mav and I discussed having four nominees in this category and ultimately agreed to do that. Of Mav's three nominees, I agree with two of the picks--Katie Karera and Kadie Hokanson. Though, I think Bette is a solid candidate, she may not be significantly more competitive or faster than in year's past, like Katie and Kadie who clearly demonstrated that they are better triathletes than in past seasons. And so is Stephanie Peterson, who raced well enough to earn a Master of the Year nomination, and Vanessa Nagel, who had three performances--Turtleman Olympic, Maple Grove Olympic and especially Pontevedra Worlds--that clearly showed her readiness to race alongside the fastest women in our state. Her other performances were less impressive, but early season injuries and recovery were part of the explanation. So, I recommend KATIE KADERA, KADIE HOKANSON, VANESSA NAGEL and STEPHANIE PETERSON for Female Most Improved nominations.