FEATURES

Picking 2025 Women's Team Minnesota...

Monday, 05 January 2026 00:10

Photo - Elena Jasper.

By Bonnie & Clyde

1. Paige Schulz - Triathlete of the Year, Performance of the Year, Most Improved. Slam dunk #1.

2. Cami Eckhoff - Three wins and a 2nd in regional racing. The race for 2nd on this list between Cami and Elena Jasper was a close one. In the end, Cami's win at Buffalo Sprint, which was POY-nominated, and that she outraced Elena at Des Moines 70.3 made the difference.

3. Elena Jasper - A win, two 2nds, two 4ths - We loved that Elena raced exclusively (and successfully) in the most competitive regional and nationals events.

4. Tiffany Kari-Cizmas - Slam dunk Master of the Year. She raced often and excelled at Sprint, Olympic and 70.3. Slam dunk pick.

5. Cheryl Zitur - She may be 60, but she consistently outperforms younger credentialed triathletes. In 2025, she posted two overall sprint wins, a 2nd behing Eckhoff at Buffalo Sprint, and a Top 5 at Timberan Olympic. She set three age group records in the process. Her closest challenger for the #5 sport was Katie Deregnier, whose performances were solid despite a season-long injury that added minutes to her finish times. Rising teen star Adeline Althaus-Kotila was also discussed....

This year's women's list was impacted by the diminution of races and the fact that several of our state's best triathletes--Heather Lendway, Diane Hankee, Chantal Nack, Bettina Keppers et al--only raced twice. The men's list was also significantlly affected. Great athletes like three-time TOY Preston Youngdahl, former pro David Thompson, Dan Arlandson,John Bodeau, Brooks Grossinger, Sam Hauck, Yaroslav Perventsev, Micah Warning--did not race often enough to be eligiblle for MMH consideration.