Top Nine Girls Teams Heading To NXR Heartland

Edina (MN)

After taking third at the MSHSL Championships behind in-state rivals Wayzata and Saint Michael-Albertville, the three-time NXN qualifying team will have an uphill battle attempting to extend their streak. Despite a few underwhelming performances against other top teams, the Hornets have shown flashes of greatness that could carry them to another bid on Sunday. At Conference, they were four points off the Trojans; at Sections, they were nine. Only on off-day from their number one runner at State placed them back twelve points behind Wayzata and seventeen off STMA. They also turn up with the best 1-5 split of any of the day's top contenders at just 28 seconds. However, with their fourth runner unable to compete on Sunday for religious reasons and their sixth and seventh runners significantly farther back, the Hornets have to pick up points wherever they can. Still, if any team does have a shot to take a bid from the Trojans or the Knights, Edina is still the best bet, and their record of success at Regionals (they have qualified for NXN the past three years) shows they should not be counted out.