Saint Michael-Albertville (MN)
While St. Michael Albertville came into the fall as a young team with high hopes -- they finished eight at the Minnesota Class AA Championships in 2016 -- they began to really impress when eighth-grader Ali Weimer joined the varsity team to form a duo with junior Annalise Davis. With two lowsticks, a steadily-improving back five and an average time of 18:54 among their top five, the Knights comfortably cruised to a third-place finish at the Minnesota Class AA Championships behind Wayzata and Edina.
Perhaps it might be a little bit early to proclaim STMA as a bona fide national contender, but they also don't have a single senior in their top seven, putting them near the front of the conversation for a qualifying bid next year.