Photo: Nate Unger/MileSplit Minnesota
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Minnesota's underclassmen have made a serious statement through the first month of the cross country season, with several freshmen and sophomores already cracking the top of the state leaderboards.
Here is a look at six of the top underclassmen in the state through September.
Lyla Drayna (Edina): The sophomore has been one of the steadiest runners in Minnesota this season, running 18:10 or quicker three out of four occasions. After entering her sophomore year with an 18:08 PB to her name, Drayna took nearly 45 seconds off her mark at the Roy Griak Invitational, finishing sixth in 17:35.30 at Fort Snelling Golf Course. She now sits at No. 13 on Minnesota's all-time sophomore list and No. 2 in the state this year.
Brody Freeland (Perham): Few sophomores in the state have shown the kind of progression Freeland has through his first four races, dropping from 16:30.20 to open the season all the way down to 15:18.60 at the Metro Invitational Under the Lights last weekend. With four consecutive top-six finishes and the No. 8 time in the state this fall, do not sleep on the sophomore who is only getting faster as the weeks go by.
Mackenzie Myran (Saint Michael-Albertville): The freshman has been nearly unbeatable all fall, winning four of her five races and running as fast as 17:45.00 at Roy Griak, where she finished seventh in one of the most competitive fields of the year. Myran looks like a legitimate threat to the state's upperclassmen heading into the postseason and is no stranger to leading the pack no matter the race. She will look to improve on an impressive seventh-place finish she notched at the 2025 MSHSL Class AAA State Championships.
Ryder Mold (Saint Francis): Mold has been a fixture near the top of the Minnesota boys leaderboard so far this year, highlighted by a 27th-place finish at Griak in 15:25.00, the fastest time of his career. Since his big run at Fort Snelling, the sophomore finished runner-up at both the Rocori XC Invitational and the STMA Invitational and poses a big threat to even the more experienced runners heading into the postseason.
Evelyn Hoppe (Edina): Alongside her teammate Drayna, Hoppe has been one of the driving forces behind Edina's strong start to the season. The sophomore clocked 17:51.80 at Roy Griak, finishing ninth in the championship field, and has raced four times in total this fall. In those four races, she has finished no worse than ninth and is a big reason why Edina is undefeated against in-state competition this fall.
Eli Baty (Mankato East): Just a sophomore, Baty made the biggest statement of his young career at one of the biggest meets of the year, Roy Griak, finishing 30th in the championship race in 15:27.00. Baty has competed seven times this fall, showing he can handle a heavy slate of racing while routinely finishing in the top six week in and week out.
Photo: Nate Unger/MileSplit Minnesota
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