DyeStat's Keenan Gray sits down to chat with Onalaska WI senior Manny Putz ahead of the release of the DyeStat Early-Season Cross Country Individual Rankings, where Putz will come in at No. 3 on the boys side.

Putz, who will attend the University of Wisconsin next fall, is the top returner from last fall's Nike Cross Nationals, finishing fifth overall in 15 minutes, 23.1 seconds on Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon. Outside of nationals, Putz finished second at the NXR Heartland region in one of the all-time classic races of the year between Robert Mechura and Juan Gonzalez and repeated as state champion in the state of Wisconsin for the second year in a row.

Entering his senior campaign, Putz hopes to bounce back from some nagging injuries in the spring and talks about the progression he has made to get back to 100 percent health. He's already completed one race this fall, setting a course record at the Gale Johnson Kick-Off in Wisconsin on August 31, running 14:50.30 for the 5-kilometer race.