You might not see much of star middle school runner Grace Ping around Minnesota this fall.
In fact, you won't see her at all. Grace's dad, Ryan, confirmed today that the Ping family is moving to Park City, Utah, for the year.
While Grace was eligible to compete for Winona Cotter High School this past year in Minnesota --where she racked up three state titles as a seventh grader--the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) dictates "High school teams or individuals may not compete, practice, or try out with or against any students below the ninth grade."
Grace placed third at the NXN Heartland Regional and 14th at Nike Cross Nationals last fall, but athletes may only enter NXN events if they are eligible to compete with a team. The Ping family is currently looking for other racing opportunities for the talented 13-year-old.
Ryan said Grace will compete at the inaugural Wasatch Mile in Salt Lake City on September 22. They are also looking at USATF Cross Country and a Turkey Trot in California.
"If all goes well, she may be able to get in some significant indoor and outdoor meets this coming spring," he said. "We were going to do some open college cross meets but it seems that could mess up her eligibility. Any ideas on races would be appreciated."
Although she just turned 13 in July, Grace has been an elite talent for years and owns five world age group records: 5K for 10-year-olds (18:02.10), two mile for 11-year-olds (11:03.58), two mile for 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds (10:28.66) and 5K for 12-year-olds (16:44.80). The latter performance earned her runner-up honors behind Weini Kelati at New Balance Nationals this past June.
The Pings are looking at potentially getting her into a high-profile West Coast meet in the spring, like the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational.
"If Grace can get a little faster... she should be able to get in some open meets out west," Ryan said. "However, that assumes she drops some time in the 5K."
Watch Grace's first big-league win at the Roy Griak Invitational last fall over All-American Judy Pendergast:
