12. Max Manley, Edina
Holding PRs of 9:23 in the 3200m and 4:24 in the 1600m, Manley should be a threat for a top 10 finish -- the same goes for an automatic bid for his team, which nabbed the automatic qualifier in 2016.
Leading the Hornets all season long with multiple sub-16 efforts, Manley has definitely fulfilled the role left by graduate and state champion Patrick Roos. Perhaps the most impressive statistic from the junior is the fact that he finished as the first runner from Minnesota at the Roy Griak Invitational, placing sixth over Hussein, Labatte, Myles Fleming and countless others. In that meet, Manley overcame some tough conditions, which means he'll likely have the gusto to battle through a tough race on Sunday.
Continuing his success, he took second in one of the most difficult sections the Heartland region has to offer. With the experience of competing on a grand scale at races such as NXN (twice) and Roy Griak (three times), you could say Manley has an edge over some of the newer breakout athletes.
Derick Peters l Drew Bosley l Matthew Carmody l Khalid Hussein l Matthew Meinke l Acer Iverson l Gable Sieperda l Luke Labatte l Wesley Schiek l Ethan Marshall l Merga Gemeda l Max Manley