(Photos: From Top - Nordica, Casey, Suzie & Tara.)The Minnesota Multisport Awards Selection Committee announces its nominees for 2009 Minnesota Rookie of the Year.
* TARA CROTEAU, 32, Duluth - Tara's Top 10 effort at Gear West last May grabbed our attention. Since then, all but one of her six other performances have been impressive, especially her win at Timberman Short Course and her 4th at the Minneapolis Duathlon.
* SUZIE FINGER, 26, St. Louis Park - Suzie has racked up 9 podium finishes thus far in '09 (she plans to race 1-2 more times), including two victories--Square Lake Sprint and Chaska. Her nomination was a slam dunk.
* CASEY RICHTER, 26, Columbia Heights - It's not easy, even for seasoned veterans, to crack the Top 10 in a Minnesota multi. Rookie Casey, however, has done so three times. A successful half IM debut--a 4:58:23 at Chisago--also enhances her inaugural scorecard.
* NORDICA STOCKER, 23, Minneapolis - Strong mid-season performances--4th at Lake Waconia and 7th at Timberman--combined with solid performances in three other events justify Nordica's nomination.
Other successful rookies receiving serious consideration were Lauren Rantala (19, Eden Prairie) and Leah Prudhomme (30, Andover).
The Minnesota Multisport Awards will be presented Academy Awards-style at Tri-Night '09 at St. Paul College on November 7. Will you be there? We hope so.
