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Matt's Unofficial Men's Team Minnesota...
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Friday, 19 May 2023 00:10
By Matt
2022 Re-Post - Last Tuesday, Damon revealed his unofficial and unranked list of women that he believes would comprise this year's Team Minnesota. Here, in alphabetical order, are the men that Matt believes will comprise the 2022 Team Minnesota if official rosters are announced in the future: ...
Damon's Unofficial Team Minnesota Women's Picks...
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Tuesday, 16 May 2023 00:10
2022 Re-Post - Matt and Damon have posted their unofficial 2022 MMH choices, and are now debating whether to post unofficial Team Minnesota rosters, i.e. the Top 10 Minnesota male and female triathletes based on resume. Matt wants to rank athletes. Damon would prefer to simply list, in alpha order, the athletes who raced well enough to be included.
Damon worried that the shrinking number of Minnesota races plus post-pandemic attrition and the fact that several of our state's best triathletes did not meet the minimum volume (3 impressive performances) requirements would result in five-member teams. That list of ineligibles includes KORTNEY HAAG, SHYANNE MCGREGOR, DIANE HANKEE, KELLY TROM-NYGREN, NICOLE CUENO and SARA CARLSON on the women's side, and JOE ADRIAENS, KRIS SPOTH, JAKE KEEHAN, KARL NYGREN and KEVIN O'CONNOR for the men.
After some research, Damon was surprised that the list of potential Team Minnesota candidates is actually a rather lengthy one. Here are some of his observations about the 2022 women's team:
In alpha order, these are the ten women who, in his opinion, deserve berths:
2022 Performances of the Year...
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Sunday, 14 May 2023 00:10
This post is a cursory look at possible (amateur) Performance of the Year nominations. Only a few performances are highlighted here because both Matt and Damon agreed that these efforts stack up alongside the best in Minnesota multisport history, i.e. performances by the likes of Matt Payne, Dan Hedgecock, Cathy Yndestad etc.
Here are their men's selections:
Matt's Picks...
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Sunday, 07 May 2023 00:10
(Re-Post from October 2022) - Matt and Damon have been busy discussing nominees and winners for this year's unofficial Minnesota Multisport Honors. To do this, they have evaluated the resumes of dozens of Minnesota's top multisport athletes. Athletes are considered on the basis of their overall race resume, not who is perceived to be better than who. By doing this, MTN aims to applaud well-deserving nominees and winners, and to show that Minnesota multisport athletes have some of the highest standards in the entire country.
Earlier this week, Damon posted his unofficial picks for Minnesota Athletes of the Year. Here are Matt's picks for the winners in each category:
Triathlete of the Year
Preston Youngdahl and Heather Lendway - To Matt, these two are the clear favorites for this honor, although Preston did face a significant challenge from AJ Manning who, like Youngdahl, posted incredible results and times this season.
Performance of the Year
AJ Manning's Course Record at Green Lake Olympic and Heather Lendway's Course Record at Maple Grove Olympic - Like Damon noted, Heather's Maple Grove effort was perhaps the best amateur female Olympic distance performance to ever take...
AJ, Preston, Heather & Maggie...
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Monday, 01 May 2023 00:10
Who do Matt and Damon believe is the 2022 Male Triathlete of the Year? They are still discussing this, and agree that there are two especially strong candidates, but neither are ready to name the TOY yet. Here, in alpha order, are the two athletes and their 2022 resumes under consideration:
- AJ MANNING, 34, Fargo (photo) - AJ had a spectacular season, winning three (Amateur title at Buffalo Olympic, Course Record at HyVee Sprint, and CR at Green Lake Olympic) of the five regional races he entered. His 14th overall place at Olympic Nationals (2:00:16) also helps his case. He set two course records, one of which is a slam-dunk POY nominee, and in his two confrontations with fellow TOY frontrunner Preston Youngdahl, he is 1 - 1.
- PRESTON YOUNGDAHL, 32, Plymouth - On Minnesota soil, Preston won four of the five races he entered, and placed 2nd in the other. His course record at Clearwater Olympic and amateur title at Maple Grove Olympic are POY nomination-worthy. He also lowered his personal half-iron best, posting a 4:12 (6th place overall) at Ironman 70.3 Madison...
