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Gaby and Becky Honored by USA Triathlon...

Monday, 24 February 2020 23:10

USA Triathlon posted it's 2019 Triathletes of the Year yesterday. - LINK  - We were please that two of the three Minnesotans we predicted would be honored, indeed were.

That said, we were somewhat dismayed by the absence of TONY SCHILLER among the male Grand Masters. We thought he would either win the GMOY, or place a close second.

The Minnesotans who were included were GABY BUNTEN in the female Open category (HM), and BECKY YOUNGBERG (listed as Becky “Youngblood”), who was named Master of the Year Honorable Mention....

USAT agreed with our picks to win those categories, starting with former Rochester native DANI FISCHER, now from suburban Indianapolis, who was named Female Athlete of the Year and Female Open Athlete of the Year, and GINGER REINER (Lincoln, MA) who will take home the Female MOY trophy.

As always, we believed some deserving athletes were overlooked, especially in the Open category. We're talking about Pennsylvanian MATT MCWILLIAMS, clearly our country's premier amateur 70.3 racer (3:51 at Muncie!), and Madison, Wisconsin couple RACHEL MENSCH and VANT LAMMERS.

As in 2018, the Federation has selected a non-Open Class individual as one of their overall Athletes of the Year. Grand Master / true triathlon pioneer MISSY LESTRANGE (CA) took the AOY last year. This time, it was super-Master LEE WALTHER of Oklahoma, City. We were mildly disappointed at LeStrange's selection, not because she wasn't deserving, but because we believed that GABY BUNTEN deserved it just a little bit more.

As for Walther's AOY selection, we are totally on-board with that.