Tierney Wolfgram (Freshman, Math and Science Academy)
It's extrememly unusual that the defending State champion who won the title by a margin of 45 seconds enters the season as the underdog, but that's exactly the position that Tierney Wolfgram finds herself in. In 2016, she cleared the field with ease to take the crown in a time of 18:23.8, and was undefeated among Class A competition at distances 1600 and up throughout the 2016-17 school year. Her most impressive performance was arguably when she took 2nd at the Hamline Elite Meet 3200, beating the some of the best of Class AA and only finishing behind current US#16-ranked Anna Fenske. Her 5k PR of 17:45.10 is the 3rd fastest of all freshmen girls across the entire country. Amazingly, the only two she trails are Ping and Fenske, showing the incredible quality of competition in Minnesota distance class of 2021. With a runner the caliber of Wolfgram, not even Grace Ping will be unchallenged for her top standing.
| 5k Time | Meet | Date | Place |
| 17:45.1 | Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional | 13-Nov-16 | 9th |
| 18:23.8 | MSHSL State Cross Country Championships | 5-Nov-16 | 1st |
| 18:05.5 | MSHSL Section 4A Championships | 27-Oct-16 | 1st |
| 17:48.1 | Twin Cities Athletic Conference Championships | 18-Oct-16 | 1st |
| 17:52.7 | Dragon Fest | 14-Oct-16 | 1st |
| 18:25.0 | Swain Meet | 1-Oct-16 | 1st |
| 19:17.2 | Roy Griak Invitational | 24-Sep-16 | 4th |
| 18:12.0 | MN Private School Championship | 15-Sep-16 | 1st |