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Nathan, Tevin & Spencer are 2024 Most Improved Male Nominees...

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....

Tevin Neegard, 25, Maple Grove
Tevin had a fine rookie season in 2023, but like Kim was not on the MMH Committee’s radar. 2024 was different. His resume was highlighted by a win at Fairmont sprint that was over FOURTEEN minutes faster than his 2023 clocking, solid olympic distance results, and very good half distance results, with a PR of 4:13:13 set at Michigan 70.3.

Spencer Syvertson, 29, Alexandrea
Spencer has paid his dues in triathlon. He took a big step forward in 2023, but not quite big enough to land him on Team MN. This year he leaped forward and should land close to the top of our rankings, perhaps even earning a Triathlete of the Year nomination. He won 3 local races in course record time, placed second twice behind Youngdahl and Josh Blankenheim, and was Minnesota’s top representative at both olympic (25th) and sprint (14th) nationals in Atlantic City, NJ.