Evie Malec began Saturday, Nov. 7, with the same ambition she had carried into the cross country season: finish among the state’s top 10 runners. As the Class 3A championship race unfolded and she stayed in contention, the Minnetonka senior began to see a bigger opportunity. She finished in a personal-best 17:33.0, beating Edina’s Lyla Drayna by nearly 10 seconds and delivering Minnetonka its first individual state championship.
The victory capped five years on the team for Malec, whom coach Jane Reimer-Morgan recruited as an eighth grader. That first season brought a sixth-place finish at state and helped deepen her enthusiasm for running. Malec remained a top-20 state finisher each year afterward, but she had not surpassed that early result before Saturday. After finishing somewhere in the teens last year, she described winning the championship as a dream conclusion.
Malec’s introduction to running came in fifth grade, when her parents encouraged her to try a running club. She continued through sixth and seventh grades before joining the cross country team, where the competitive atmosphere added another dimension to the sport. Reimer-Morgan described her as mature, competitive, receptive to coaching and humble, with talent matched by a commitment to her teammates.
A small silver winged-shoe necklace links Malec to other Minnetonka runners. She wears it for every major meet and is the third generation to carry on the tradition. She looks forward to handing it down again. Malec credited the team’s close relationships with helping runners through difficult moments, while Reimer-Morgan said the group’s enjoyment of running and support for one another helped lift Malec this season.
Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake hosted the championship for the first time. Malec liked the winding layout and believed her approach to its corners helped her performance. By taking the straightest available path between turns, she said, she covered less ground than competitors who followed the curves.
Her attention will soon turn to Nordic skiing, with practice beginning Monday. Malec plans to take a week away from training, but her role as captain will still bring her to practice to encourage teammates. In the Class 3A team standings, Blaine captured the championship with 65 points, followed by Wayzata with 97.
Chisago Lakes junior Annika Hall won the Class 2A individual championship in 17:50.3. Her margin over the nearest competitor was 23 seconds. Northfield claimed the team championship.
The Class A individual race ended with a much narrower gap. St. John’s Margaret Duffy finished in 17:25.2, edging Nova Classical Academy’s Isabell Pass by nine-tenths of a second. Loyola-Cleveland-St. Clair took the team title.
