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Corbin Deichman is 2024 Junior of the Year...

Monday, 11 November 2024 00:10

By Garfunkel

Minnesota junior triathletes (age 19 and under) have a long legacy of fast, prolific racing. To be named Junior of the Year (JOY), an athlete needs to stack up against historical standards, win against their fellow juniors, and be competitive against their adult counterparts. The Minnesota Multisport Honors Committee is happy to announce that Corbin Deichman, 16, Mankato, is your 2024 Junior of the Year. Also earning nominations were Noah Billings, 18, Rochester, and Sean Pickle, 19, St. Cloud.

Corbin has elite swim-run ability - not only compared to his fellow juniors, but even against MN’s top-tier adult triathletes. Though Corbin would be dangerous if he improved his cycling, he was the overall winner at the St. Louis sprint tri and the Maple Grove sprint tri, where he outdueled 2x Junior of the Year Noah Billings. He also landed on the overall podium (3rd place each) at the Fairmont sprint and Clearwater sprint. Deichman landed just seconds off the overall podium at Buzz Ryan sprint, too....

All of the JOY nominees had terrific seasons, and this decision was a tough one for Simon and I. Sean Pickle won four races outright, but his times were just a little too far off from being competitive against his adult competitors and historical junior standards. Noah had his best year to date and stepped up to racing olympic and half distances, but he was beaten by fellow juniors a few times, including Deichman.

Overall, Corbin’s 2024 resume impressed us the most, particularly after taking a deep-dive into all of the results from these three young men. We look forward to seeing them all continue to progress in triathlon in 2025 – and yes, we have a feeling all three could end up on Team Minnesota in the near future.