Round 2: Abbey Nechanicky (1) vs. Amanda Overgaauw (4)
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Abbey Nechanicky:
Nechanicky ran one of the best high school seasons ever seen in Minnesota, going undefeated from her first race at the St. Olaf High School Showcase all the way to the Team Heartland Regional. Nechanicky still has one race last at the Team Cross Country Nationals on 12/3.
This season Nechanicky broke the Wayzata school record for the 5K, set the Gale Woods Farm record, broke the 17-minute mark in the 5K five times, broke the Heartland regional meet record, won the Class AAA state title and ran the fastest high school girls 5K on Minnesota soil ever.
Nechanicky now owns the 2nd fastest 5K time by a Minnesota girl ever with a time of 16:43.70, only behind Analee Weaver's time of 16:42.60 and has the #2, #3, #4, and #5 5K times ever by a Minnesota high school girl.
She also led the Wayzata girls to an undefeated season that culminated in the Class AAA state title and then their first berth to Team Nationals since 2018 when they finished 3rd overall.
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.
