Cross-country state championships: Abbey Nechanicky stands alone

The cross-country state championship races are set for Saturday at St. Olaf in Northfield. A look at each class, boys and girls:

Sydney Drevlow of Hopkins probably has the best chance. Don't count out Chanhassen's Marissa Long or Norah Hushagen from Forest Lake, either. Nor a dark horse such as Bloomington Jefferson's Megan Lee. Any one of those girls could take second place behind Wayzata's Abbey Nechanicky, who is ranked third in the nation by DyeStat.com.

Nechanicky is the fourth Minnesota female high school runner to break 17 minutes in a 5,000-meter race, and she's done it three times in a row. The third of those races was the Class 3A, Section 6 meet, and her time of 16 minutes, 43.70 seconds ranks second in Minnesota history; only Analee Weaver of Stillwater has done better, by 1.1 seconds in 2020.

Nechanicky's deep and talented Trojans teammates appear poised to drain the team competition of drama as well. It won't come easy against Minnetonka, anchored by standouts Evie Malec and May Mor.

In some ways, the large-school boys' state meet took place last Saturday at Gale Woods Farm in Minnetrista.

The race? The Section 6 championship. The field? Unparalleled. Five of the runners ranked in the most recent coaches poll top-10 took part.

Minneapolis Southwest junior Sam Scott placed first, followed by Washburn senior Aidan Jones, Wayzata senior Hamza Mohamed, Armstrong senior Noah Breker and Mohamed's teammate, junior Daniel McCollor.

Scott and Jones were 18 seconds ahead of Mohamed. But don't consider their performances binding in terms of state meet glory. Predicting the winner is folly. Drawing any of those names, along with defending state champion Nick Gilles of Minnetonka and Andrew Casey of Lakeville North, from a bucket would work just as well.

In the team competition, Wayzata seeks to hold off Lakeville North and repeat as champion.

Hutchinson's Isabelle Schmitz and St. Paul Highland Park appear capable of repeating as the girls' individual and team champions.

Breck boys' defending champion Alden Keller must overcome top-rated Emmett Gerres of Belle Plaine. No. 1 Big Lake is favored to win the team title again.

Watch for Amanda Overgaauw of Murray County Central and the girls' team from Staples-Motley to claim the individual and team championships.

Graduation means a new boys' runner will win a championship. Henry Karelitz of defending team champion Nova Classical Academy in St. Paul holds the No. 1 ranking. But graduation also stripped Karelitz's team of its depth, opening the door for top-ranked Heritage Christian Academy or perennial favorite Perham.