Katie Rainsberger was the top freshman at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships, where she placed fourth overall and led the Ducks to the team title.
Full results and coverage from NCAA DI Cross Country Championships
At MileSplit, we spend a lot of time researching and writing articles about top prep athletes. Naturally, the lens through which we view the NCAA DI Cross Country Championship is not only on who wins and who loses the overall team and individual titles, but also on the success of true freshmen and who has done the best job transitioning to the NCAA.
Six total freshmen in Katie Rainsberger, Taylor Werner, Fiona O'Keeffe, Christina Aragon, Sage Hurta and Jacob Choge placed amongst the top 40 overall runners to earn All-American honors, while another eight women and two men placed in the 100 overall finishers.
Take a look through the slideshow to learn more about the top true freshmen runners in Terre Haute and their high school credentials. All athletes graduated from high school in 2016; no redshirt freshmen were included.