Wayzata, Edina Dominate Sections To Qualify For State


The best of Minnesota went wire-to-wire on Wednesday in the Minnesota State High School League Section 6AA Championships at Gale Wood Farms in Minnetrista. 

Little surprise there. 

The nationally ranked boys and girls programs of Wayzata -- the boys are No. 4 and girls are No. 9 in the Flo50 rankings -- earned wins to punch the squad's tickets to the state championships on November 4. Wayzata's Emma Atkinson and Caroline Sassan were second and third in the girls race, respectively, while the boys were led by Khalid Hussein, who won his first section championship in 15:37.40. 

What was interesting was how narrow the gap was between the second-place team, Edina, which also guaranteed a spot in the state championships on November 4. The Edina girls, who came into the season ranked in the Flo50, are the defending champions in AA. Edina's boys, meanwhile, finished second to Wayzata again -- and were second at state last year -- but were just 35 points (30-65) shy of making a run at the section title. 

Wayzata's girls outscored Edina 41-60, placing three girls in the top 10. But the Edina girls program improved significantly from its performance at Roy Griak on September 23 -- where they finished eighth overall -- and fielded a full squad for the first time all season. 

Wayzata's boys are no doubt hitting their stride, but Edina, led by frontrunner Max Manley -- who finished second at sections in 15:51.00 -- could help his squad also vie for a team title. 

At the very least, this powerhouse matchup should be interesting yet again at states in a week. 

Individual Winner

One of the best stories in Minnesota this fall has been the rise of Minneapolis Washburn's Emily Covert

Known regionally for some time, Covert has put on the jets in her junior season and has dominated, winning all five meets she's entered, including Roy Griak on September 23 and the MSHSL Section 6AA Championships on Wednesday in 17:40.00. 

She has produced four efforts under 18 minutes and could contend for her first state title in Minnesota after finishing eighth a year ago. 

Better yet, national significance could be heading her way too, with NXN Heartland entering the picture on November 12. Covert was 36th in the race in 2016 as a sophomore. 


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