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A Very Difficult Category...

Tuesday, 24 November 2015 00:10

Photo (L-R) - Three MI nominees--Gaby, Lisa and Christina--and Triathlete of the Year Suzy Fox.

MINNESOTA MULTISPORT AWARDS - One of the most difficult categories to figure out was MOST IMPROVED women. Great arguments could be, and were, made for each of the nominees. The first factor that the Selectors considered was Team Minnesota placement in 2014 relative to this year. Here's how that broke down:

GABY BUNTEN - Ranked 12th in 2014; 5th in 2015 - Moved 7 places.

SHEENA DAUER - Ranked between 17th-20th in 2014; 9th in 2015 - Moved 9-11 places.

LISA LENDWAY - Ranked 11th in 2014; 3rd in 2015 - Moved 8 places...

CHRISTINA ROBERTS - Ranked 9th in 2014; 2nd in 2015 - Moved 7 places....

(NOTE: BRIDGET MCCOY received a lot of support in this category. She was ranked 10th in 2014 and moved up to 4th this year.)

Then we analyzed the movement. Sheena came the farthest, but Christina and Lisa had to displace the toughest competitors.

Next we looked at the athlete's Head-to-Head records, and once again, Christina, winner of 7 of her 10 confrontations with the other nominees, and Lisa, winner of 7 of her nine confrontations, set themselves apart.

Next we looked at the competitiveness of the events the nominees raced in. Here, Christina had a slight edge on the field. EVERY race she did had excellent "quality of field."

Then we counted podiums. Gaby podium five times (3 wins!) in nine starts. Sheena podiumed four times (3 wins!) in seven starts. Lisa podiumed 7 times (3 wins!) in 11 starts.

Finally, Christina podiumed seven time (3 wins!) in nine starts and one of her wins (HOLT) earned a Performance of the Year nomination.

Only after all the information was looked at, was Christina Roberts named female Most Improved.

Photo R - Sheena Dauer running very, very fast.