3. Minnesota
Perhaps outside of Michigan, Minnesota's depth is just as impressive, with national talent littering the field. Emily Covert, Grace Ping and Anna Fenske all find themselves on the Flo50 nationals rankings and will battle it out on the St. Olaf College course on Saturday.
No. 11 Covert and No. 20 Fenske, in particular, will be swinging in the Class AA race -- it's an event Fenske won a year ago as an eighth-grader in 17:41.80.
But Covert, who owns the No. 3 time in Minnesota this year with a 17:32.00 and finished seventh in this race as a sophomore last year, has been on fire for much of the season and scored a big win at Roy Griak in September. Fenske, meanwhile, has been charging up through the line in ensuing weeks and posted her best performance to date at sectionals, going a Minnesota No. 2 time of 17:24.90.
Covert and Fenske will also have to worry about Minnetonka senior Sophie Whicher, who's posted an effort of 17:39.19, and Edina's Emily Kompelien, who finished ninth in 2016. Wayzata sophomore Emma Atkinson will also be in the top group in AA and has run a time of 18:07.00 this fall.
In the Class A Race, No. 12 Ping will be teeing off with Math and Science Academy freshman Tierney Wolfgram, who owns the state's best time of 17:19.00, along with Cotter seventh-grader Lauren Ping -- Grace's sister. Wolfgram is the defending Class A champion.
Ping really hasn't been given a great race to compete in yet, though, and this could offer the first head-to-head matchup worth letting loose in the final stages.