Winona Cotter (Minnesota) High freshman Grace Ping opened her season with a big 5K performance, winning the St. Olaf High School Showcase Thursday in Northfield in a new U.S. No. 7 time of 17:45.00.
Ping dueled with another freshman, Math and Science Academy's Tierney Wolfgram, who finished second in a U.S. No. 14 time of 18:04.
"I didn't really remember this course very well," Ping said. "But it was good."
And not surprisingly, either, was Ping's sister Lauren, a 7th grader who finished third in a U.S. No. 26 time of 18:21.00.
"I've been waiting to compete, because I've been waiting her races for a long time," she said.
This begins what should be an exciting 2017 for Ping and her sister. A year ago, the Pings resided in Park City, Utah, though they weren't able to compete in a varsity season. The performances by the Ping sistsers aided Winona Cotter to a 12th-place finish in a massive field of 31 teams at St. Olaf.
Perennial powerhouse Wayzata won the girls field by scoring 37 points, which was over 130 points less than second-place Forest Lake Area.
But the story -- as it will be early in the season -- was the performance of the Pings. Stay tuned for more action, race video, and interviews as it comes in on MileSplit.com.
St. Olaf Invitational Top 5 Girls Finishers
| 1 | Grace Ping | 9 Winona Cotter High School | 17:45.00 | 1 | |
| 2 | Tierney Wolfgram | 9 Math & Science Academy | 18:04.00 | -- | |
| 3 | Lauren Ping | 7 Winona Cotter High School | 18:21.00 | 2 | |
| 4 | Emma Atkinson | 10 Wayzata High School | 18:32.00 | 3 | |
| 5 | Sasson Caroline | 10 Wayzata High School | 18:34.00 | 4 | |
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