Round 1:
Jade Rypkema (2) vs. Evie Malec (7)
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Jade Rypkema:
Rypkema has been perfect this year on the track and during the cross country in Minnesota. She has won the Class A 1600m, 3200m, and XC (5K) titles this season. The only two losses all year for her have been at NSAF Nationals where she finished 4th in the 5K with a time of 17:07.33 and at the Team Heartland Regional where she finished 3rd overall in the 5K behind Nechanicky and Paityn Noe.
This fall Rypkema won her first five races of the season which culminated in her beating Amanda Overgaauw for the Class A State Cross Country title. She then finished 3rd at the Team Heartland Regional to punch her ticket to the Team Nationals meet on 12/3.
Rypkema improved her 5K PR from 18:20.20 (set in 2019) all the way down to 17:09.80 this season. Her time of 17:09.80 is the 10th fastest 5K time in Minnesota state history (given a runner's top time only).
Rypkema also has the third fastest time in Class A all-time and was the 2nd fastest girl in Minnesota this cross country season.
Evie Malec:
Cementing herself as a runner to watch for the next four years, Minnetonka's Evie Malec burst onto the scene this fall and showed that she will be a force to reckon with in Minnesota for the foreseeable future. Malec as an 8th grader put up a best 5K time of 17:53.90 in her first full season of cross country and her first season running the 5K.
Her time of 17:53.90 is the 6th fastest 5K time by a Minnesota 8th-grader ever (out of results in our database) and was the 4th fastest time nationally this season for all 8th-graders.
Malec was the #1 runner for the majority of the season for the Minnetonka girls who were the #2 overall team in Minnesota this season. Malec finished as the #1 runner for Minnetonka at the state meet, Heartland Regional, Lake Conference meet, and the Section 2AAA championships. Overall she was their #1 runner in 6 of the 8 races she ran.