Round 1:
Amanda Overgaauw (4) vs. Sydney Drevlow (5)
---
Amanda Overgaauw:
Overgaauw may not have repeated as state champion for Class A but she orchestrated one of the longest winning streaks in state history this season. Over the 2021 and 2022 cross county seasons, Overgaauw won 21 straight cross country races up until the 2022 state meet.
Overgaauw won 10 straight races alone this season and 11 overall on the season including the non-championship girls race at the Champs Midwest Regional. She set a new personal best time of 17:24.71 at the Worthington Turkey Trot.
Overgaauw finished up her season with a 2nd place finish at the 202 State Cross Country Championships just behind Jade Rypkema. At her first Team Heartland Regional, Overgaauw finished 9th overall with a time of 17:33.20. She was the 6th Minnesota girl to finish at the Heartland Regional.
Sydney Drevlow:
Every step of the way this season, Drevlow was just behind Nechanicky. Thankfully for Drevlow, she will have the next two years to try and dominate in Minnesota without her chief rival this season. Drevlow ran a sub 18 minute 5K a whopping 6 times this season, more than anyone else other than Nechanicky and Overgaauw.
Drevlow only won one meet this year at her home meet the Hopkins/Bauman Rovn Invitational, but this year on average she was faster than she was in 2021. For the 2022 season, she averaged a 5K time of 17:45.17 over 8 races so far, compared to the 17:46.03 she ran in 2021 over 10 races.
At every turn seemingly, Drevlow ran into two of the top seniors nationally in Abbey Nechanicky and Paityn Noe this season, to deny her more wins than she deserved.
Overall, Drevlow had 5 of the top 30 5K times by a Minnesota girl this season, had the top 5K time by a Minnesota sophomore girl this year, ran the 4th fastest Minnesota sophomore girls time ever, and ran the #11 time nationally for all sophomore girls.