Class AAA Player of the Year & All-State Team

For me it’s the complete lack of selfishness. That’s the one thing about [player_tooltip player_id="177728" first="Olivia" last="Olson"] that really stands out. With Team USA, where Olson is surrounded by America’s very best in her age group, that is a winning trait. Ditto for her Minnesota Fury AAU squad, a team where there are a slew of talented options ready to complete a play when necessary. This high school season, as the young Benilde-St. Margaret’s squad gradually came together over the course of the campaign, Olson was able to make everyone around her look just that much better, too. When she did seize the moment and take over a game by herself – the latter stages of the Section 6AAA semifinal against Orono comes to mind – it was a thing of beauty. And she and her team are only going to get better. By all measures it was an incredible season for Olivia, which is why we are pleased to name her as the Prep Girls Hoops Class AAA Player of the Year. Olson averaged 22 points per game for the Red Knights, but points don’t tell her story. At all. She’s all about making good things happen for her team. She offers amazing court vision, a terrific sense of timing, exceptional instincts for the game and the ability to make just the right play at just the right time. As the months have gone on, Olivia has gained such great body control, with a vast repertoire of moves at her disposal and the ability to finish in multiple ways. On Team USA she demonstrated her ability to be a pure shooter at the highest level. In high school that kind of outside shooting is far less needed because she is nearly unstoppable when going to the basket. Olson is the #1-rated prospect in Minnesota’s Class of 2024. She, arguably, holds that same status on a national level, too. This year she led her team to a record of 23-8. Next year the Red Knights will most likely be much better than that. Last summer Olson was our 2024 AAU Player of the Year and she is in the driver’s seat to win many more awards in the seasons ahead. [caption id="attachment_406186" align="alignnone" width="202"]<img class="wp-image-406186" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/Hannah-Herzig_MSUM-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="202" height="202" /> Photo: <a href="https://x.com/HerzigHannah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>[/caption] <strong>Runner Up</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="109145" first="Hannah" last="Herzig"] – 2022 guard, Totino-Grace (MSU-Mankato) We have admired Hannah’s game for a long time, which is why/how she made her way into the Top 40 of the Prep Girls Hoops 2022 rankings. At 6 feet tall, with incredible length, speed in the open court and a skill set that has gotten better every year, what’s not to like. This year, however, Herzig raised her game by several notches. At the Twin Cities Thanksgiving Tipoff she put together a pair of statement games that made it clear she and her Totino team were ready to do business. Of course that’s exactly what they did, as Herzig scored 22 points a game (30 ppg in the semi and final) to lead the Eagles to the Class AAA state title. It was a tournament to remember that capped an unforgettable season, both for the team and for Herzig herself. <strong>CLASS AAA ALL-STATE TEAM</strong> <strong>1st team</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109145" first="Hannah" last="Herzig"] – 2022 guard, Totino-Grace (MSU-Mankato)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57914" first="Ronnie" last="Porter"] – 2022 guard, St. Paul Como Park (Wisconsin)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30163" first="Adeline" last="Kent"] – 2022 guard, Becker (Tampa)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57959" first="Hope" last="Dudycha"] – 2022 guard, Austin (UM-Crookston)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="177728" first="Olivia" last="Olson"] – 2024 guard, Benilde-St. Margaret’s</li> </ul> <strong>2nd team</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109139" first="Mackenzie" last="Schweim"] – 2022 guard, Mankato East (MSU-Mankato)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="12747" first="Savannah" last="White"] – 2022 guard, DeLaSalle (Wisconsin)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108316" first="Taryn" last="Hamling"] – 2023 guard, Grand Rapids (North Dakota State)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108338" first="Dani" last="Nuest"] – 2023 guard, Becker (Michigan Tech)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108304" first="Maren" last="Westin"] – 2023 guard, Becker (UW-Green Bay)</li> </ul> <strong>Honorable mentions</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57908" first="Kaylynn" last="Asberry"] – 2022 guard, St. Paul Como Park (Saint Peters)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109141" first="Kassie" last="Caron"] – 2022 forward, Holy Angels (Missouri Western)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109171" first="Zoie" last="Centers"] – 2022 guard, Mahtomedi (Southwest Minnesota State)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109138" first="Leah" last="Dengerud"] – 2022 guard, Totino-Grace (Concordia-St. Paul)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30146" first="Maddie" last="James"] – 2022 guard, Princeton (Mary)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109163" first="Taya" last="Jeffrey"] – 2022 guard, Albert Lea (Jamestown)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109122" first="Lexi" last="Karge"] – 2022 forward, Mankato East (UM-Duluth)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147450" first="Grace" last="Massaquoi"] – 2022 forward, Holy Angels</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109144" first="Paige" last="Peaslee"] – 2022 forward, North Branch (Winona State)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109165" first="Ella" last="Runyon"] – 2022 forward, Hill-Murray</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147455" first="Alyssa" last="Stamer"] – 2022 guard, Hutchinson (St. Cloud State)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108313" first="Brynn" last="Beffert"] – 2023 forward, Hutchinson</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="186119" first="Ayla" last="Brown"] – 2023 guard, Becker (Sioux Falls)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108305" first="Teresa" last="Kiewiet"] – 2023 forward, Mankato West</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108321" first="Aby" last="Shubert"] – 2023 guard, Kasson-Mantorville</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148327" first="Haylie" last="Strum"] – 2023 guard, Stewartville</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="302283" first="Olivia" last="Walsh"] – 2023 forward, Austin</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="178267" first="Rhyan" last="Holmgren"] – 2024 guard, St. Peter</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="304895" first="Macy" last="Birkholz"] – 2024 guard, Mankato East</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="302296" first="Jessika" last="Lofstrom"] – 2024 forward, Grand Rapids</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="296523" first="Kendall" last="McGee"] – 2025 guard, Benilde-St. Margaret’s</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="346165" first="Hadley" last="Thul"] – 2025 guard, Alexandria</li> </ul> <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: [player_tooltip player_id="177728" first="Olivia" last="Olson"] and her Benilde-St. Margaret’s teammates.</em></span>