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Why Matt?

Monday, 13 November 2017 00:10

2017 MINNESOTA MULTISPORT AWARDS - Today we talk about why MATTHEW PAYNE (40, Golden Valley) won the men's MASTER OF THE YEAR AWARD; what, in the minds of the Selectors, gave him the edge over fellow nominees: Brooks Grossinger (40, Mayer), David Holden (47, Hudson, WI), Tony Schiller (59, Eden Prairie) and Chris Tatton (41, Blaine)....

Let's start by dissecting the resumes of the nominees.

- BROOKS GROSSINGER - Brooks' scorecard was impressive, almost as impressive as Payne's (and Holden's). Grossinger won two races, and finished 2nd in four others while rewriting three masters records. The fields he faced, however, were not as deep as the fields Payne competed against, and in their only head-to-head confrontation (Gear West Du), Matt came out on top by a 1:21 margin. 

- DAVID HOLDEN - A perennial MOY nominee, Holden's season was very impressive. Regionally, he took the Masters title in every race he entered. He won one race outright (Liberty OLympic) and sought out races with top level competition, i.e. Minneapolis (5th), Heart of the Lakes (6th) and Chisago Half (6th). He did not face Payne in 2017.

- TONY SCHILLER - Minnesota's most decorated multisportsman had a solid season, proving as always that he is one of the very best athletes in his AG worldwide. In the end, his low racing volume prevented him from contending seriously for the award.

- CHRIS TATTON - His second consecutive MOY nomination was well-deserved. In six starts he never finished lower than 5th overall (four podiums). His 2nd in a MR 57:22 at Buffalo Sprint was arguably as impressive as his outright win at Big Lake Olympic. Diminishing his chances of winning the award was the fact that he was beaten by Books at Timberman and Matt at Chisago Sprint. 

- MATTHEW PAYNE - The man with more MMA trophies (13!) than any of his male peers, only raced five times in 2017, including his bike crash DNF at Heart of the Lakes. He won three of the four races he finished, beating our state's best in the process. His non-win (8th at Lake Waconia) was the result of going off course on the bike portion. He was leading at the time.

Here's his season:

- 1st overall @ Gear West Duathlon - Masters Record - He outraced Brooks (Team MN #8), Andy Wiberg (Team MN #10) and Joe Adriaens (Team MN #11).

- 1st amateur / 2nd overall @ Buffalo Olympic - Time - 1:57:54 - Masters Record. He outperformed Sean Cooley (2017 MN TOY, Team MN #1), Wade Cruser (Team MN #2, 2017 DOY & POY), and Josh Blankenheim (Team MN #4). Matt's effort was nominated for POY.

- 1st @ Chisago Sprint - Masters Record - Beat Nick Klonne (2015 Junior of the Year), Andy Wiberg (Team MN #10), John Heinlein and Chris Tatton.

- 8th @ Lake Waconia - As we mentioned above, Matt was leading when he made a wrong turn. He got back on course, but only after adding significant distance to his race. Had he won, he would have been nominated for TOY, an award he had earned the four previous years, and would have placed no lower than #3 on Team Minnesota. His miscue at LWT resulted in his dropping to 5th place on the Team. FYI, he was still the first master to cross the line at LWT, meaning that he, like Holden, was undefeated against fellow Masters in 2017. Winning three competitive races and having one of them nominated for POY made Matt the clear choice for 2017 male MOY. Every Selector supported Payne.