(Top: Cathy Yndestad & Kevin O'Connor. Bottom: Ben Ewers & Jan Guenther. Cathy's photo courtesy of YndeCam.com. Kevin's, Ben's & Jan's photos courtesy of Denny Johnson.)MTN's AOM Selection Committee is pleased to announce the June Athletes of the Month:
OVERALL: Kevin O'Connor, 38, Medina & Cathy Yndestad, 31, Apple Valley
AGE GROUP: Ben Ewers, 63, North Oaks & Jan Guenther, 50, Mound
Cathy Yndestad's June Scorecard: 1st @ Pigman Sprint (CR), 1st @ Manitou Sprint (CR), 2nd amateur/6th overall @ Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake (Lubbock, TX)
Comment: Cathy was the unanimous choice.
Kevin O'Connor's June Scorecard: 1st @ Pigman Sprint (CR), 2nd @ Manitou Sprint & Lake Waconia Elite
Comment: Kevin was selected over Brian Bich, Devon Palmer and Brett Lovaas, all of whom had stellar Junes: Brian posted two wins and a 2nd; Devon set one course record, podiumed at Hy-Vee and placed 5th at Pigman Sprint; Brett set two course records and placed 10th at RochesterFest despite a toe injury sustained during the swim portion of the event. After long and intense discussion, Kevin was chosen on the basis of his consistent excellence in three ultra-competitive Midwest Multisport Series races.
Jan Guenther's June Scorecard: 1st overall at Lake Minnetonka (Overall CR, Masters CR, 50-54 CR), 2nd overall at Lake Waconia Elite (Masters CR, 50-54 CR)
Comment: Jan was chosen over Jeanne Fleck, 44. Fleck set masters records at Pigman Sprint, where she placed 4th overall, and Manitou Sprint, where she finished 2nd overall.
Ben Ewers' June Scorecard: Ben has redefined the performance standards for 60+ men in our region. He raced three times in June--Buffalo, Minnetonka, Lake Waconia--setting divisional records in dominating fashion on each occasion. His average margin of victory was 23:07.
Comment: Based on volume of races and average victory margin, Ben was the clear choice for AG AOM. Tony Schiller, 51, of Spring Park, also raced impressively and received serious consideration.
May Athletes of the Month:
OVERALL: Matthew Payne, 32, Columbia Heights & Marlo McGaver, 38, Duluth
AGE GROUP: Todd Firebaugh, 47, Woodbury & Jan Guenther, 50, Mound
