EDEN PRAIRIE (2)
Despite putting together some very impressive teams in recent history, Eden Prairie has been unable to qualify for State since 2011, during which time no Section 6AA team has finished below 3rd place at State. But that could change this year as Wayzata has been hit by graduation and Eden Prairie is the only team in the state that returns five runners with lifetime bests of 16:40 or better. EP actually was hit by graduation pretty hard as well, with four of their seven section runners needing to be replaced, like most Lake Conference schools, reloading has rarely been a problem for this program as they have one of the deepest teams in the state. Jake Derouin enters the season fresh off a third-place finish in the 3200m at the State track meet to lead the squad as a senior, and the 49-second 1-5 split of their returning runners is the second-best of any team on this list. But with virtually nothing guaranteed in Section 6AA, the Eagles likely will not qualify for State if they don't get another runner or two to run times comparable to Derouin. If by Sections, Mohamed Mohamud and Jack Gschwendtner (or perhaps even another runner who steps up) are able to run sub-16, or at least very close, then EP may be able to break their State qualification slump.
2018 RETURNING TIMES/TEAM AVERAGES
| 1) Jake Derouin | 15:51.2 |
| 2) Mohamed Mohamud | 16:18.6 |
| 3) Jack Gschwendtner | 16:30.0 |
| 4) Isaac Hartman | 16:40.1 |
| 5) Alex Gutierrez | 16:40.6 |
| Average Time: 16:24.10 Total Time: 1:22:00.50 1-5 Split: 49.40 | |
| 6) Ben Van Sloun | 17:07.3 |
| 7) Nile Timmerman | 17:14.4 |