Female Player of the Year

Emily Covert

Minneapolis Washburn

Why she won: The first female from a Minneapolis public school to win a cross-country state championship and Minnesota's fastest 3,200-meter runner in track and field are the same person. Covert's finishing kick fueled her cross-country victory in November at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Way ahead and only the clock left to race at June's track and field state meet, the junior surged to a time of 10 minutes, 6.19 seconds, edging the 12-year-old record by .76 of a second.

What she said: "You don't really see a lot of state champions from Minneapolis. So I just think representing the Twin Cities is pretty awesome to me. Definitely thank my family and my coaches. My brother is in Afghanistan right now, but he calls me up and wishes me luck."