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Caryn, Kadie & Tiffany are 2024 Most Improved Nominees...
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Thursday, 31 October 2024 00:10
By Simon
Minnesota Multisport Honors - Here are the three talented woman that Garfunkel and I believe best deserve 2024 Most Improved nominations:
Nathan, Tevin & Spencer are 2024 Most Improved Male Nominees...
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Monday, 28 October 2024 00:10
By Garfunkel
One of the highlights of each season is seeing the growth and progression of Minnesota’s talented multisport athletes. To assess which athletes deserve a nomination for Male Most Improved, the Committee assessed not only who came the farthest over the past year, but their improvement relative to the state’s other elite athletes. For example, an athlete who came out of nowhere to just make Team Minnesota would be viewed similarly as an athlete ranked in the middle of Team MN who made a 4-5 spot jump to the top. So, below are the 3 guys who Simon and I believe earned Most Improved nominations in 2024.
Nathan Kim, 22, Minneapolis
Nathan, a collegiate swimmer at the U of M, was not on our radar in 2023 until his 5th place finish at Maple Grove Olympic. This year, he won at Chisago half in 4:11:50 and placed second at Maple Grove olympic in 1:52:50, just three seconds behind two-time Minnesota TOY Preston Youngdahl. He should be receiving a Triathlete of the Year nomination in the next couple of weeks....
Tiff, Andrea & Becky...
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Saturday, 26 October 2024 00:10
Photo - Kadie & Becky at Green Lake.
By Simon
2024 Female Master of the Year – Leaving JULIA WEISBECKER off the list of official list of F-GMOY nominees was heart-wrenching. Garfunkel and I are still not sure that we made the right choices. Similarly painful was leaving BETTINA KEPPERS (photo below) off our list of nominees for Female Master of the Year.
Then there's KADIE HOKANSON, who excelled at sprint, Olympic and 70.3 in 2024. We had to do a deep dive into race histories to determine her MMH fate.
What all this means is that there were five truly deserving women in this category, and had 2024 AG National Champion HEATHER LENDWAY turned forty before Timberman, she too would have been eligible for a F-MOY nomination.
Here are the official nominees and their 2024 highlights:
TIFFANY KARI CIZMAS, 44, Duluth
1st overall woman @ Buzz Ryan
1st overall woman @ One Last Tri Intermediate
2nd overall woman @ Brewhouse Intermediate
2nd overall woman / 1st Master @ Square Lake Short Course
4th overall woman / 1st Master @ Brewhouse Olympic
20th overall woman / 2nd AG @ Torremolinos (ESP) Age Group Worlds – Fastest MN woman...
Josh, Sam & Brandon are 2024 MOY Nominees...
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Thursday, 24 October 2024 00:10
By Simon
2024 MInnesota Multisport Honors - Determining the three nominees for female Master of the Year was tough, almost a excrutiating as determing the female Grand Master nominees. Selecting the three male MOY nominees, on the other hand, was a piece of cake. These guys were slam dunks. They are, in alpha order:
JOSH BLANKENHEIM,44, Duluth - Three outright wins in four regional starts, two in Masters records, all four in very fast times. Interestingly, his best effort may have been his 2nd place at Brewhouse International. His time there was 1:50:39.
SAM HAUCK, 40, Eden Prairie - Sam only raced three times, but posted major wins in two of them (Pigman Olympic and Timberman International), and a sub-2hour time (1st Master/ more than 5 minutes ahead of the 2nd place 40-plusser) at Maple Grove Olympic...
Noah, Corbin & Sean are 2024 JOY Nominees...
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Tuesday, 22 October 2024 00:10
By Garfunkel
Historically, the Minnesota Multisport Honor (MMH) for Junior of the Year (JOY) has been a coed category with 3-4 nominations per season. Over the last 6 seasons or so, due to a larger number of speedy juniors (aged 19 and under) turning in 3+ excellent results per season, we’ve given out MMHs for guys and girls. This year, too few junior girls turned in the requisite number of elite results, and the 2024 JOY will thus again be a coed category with only young men earning nominations. We hope this changes in 2025, but for now, here are the 3 juniors that Simon and I agree earned a JOY nomination:
Noah Billings, 18, Rochester:
3 overall wins, an Iowa state sprint-distance championship, and the winner at USAT’s Youth and Junior Nationals (non-drafting). Noah also stepped up to race olympic and half distances this year....
