MileSplit50 Individual Girls XC Rankings Countdown

8.

Athlete: Sydney Thorvaldson

Year: Sophomore, Class of 2021

School: Rawlins (WY)

Analysis: The Wyoming native, who trains at about 7,000 feet of elevation, had quite a freshman debut, winning every single regular season meet in her state, including the Wyoming state championships (17:49.31), before earning a third-place finish at NXR Northwest and a ninth-place result at NXN, which was the second best freshmen finish at nationals. Thorvaldson's career best time came at NXR Northwest, where she ran 17:36.10 for 5K. 

Her success, however, did not stop in the fall. She returned to the track in the spring and produced three state titles in the 800m (2:17.27), 1600m (5:03.69) and 3200m (10:47.13). She opted not to run at a national competition following the track season. While we don't see Thorvaldson race against similarly-talented competition much until nationals, there's no doubt she's among the best in the country.