MileSplit50 Individual Girls XC Rankings Countdown

20. 

Athlete: Grace Ping

Year: Sophomore, Class of 2021

School: Winona Cotter (MN)

Analysis: The 15-year-old Ping had unreal expectations heading into her freshman season at Cotter--which were derived from the world age group records she had set at the 5K distance as a 10-, 12- and 13-year-old, not to mention her two straight NXN All-American finishes as a middle schooler--so it was understandable when she didn't exactly set the nation on fire in 2017. 

But the underclassmen still had a respectable freshman season, with a second-place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational and a Minnesota sectional championship in Class 1A before a third-place outing at the state championships. She ran a best of 17:45.00 on the season, though that came in August, before a lower body injury ultimately shut down her season in November. 

A year wiser and a year stronger, Ping seems poised to do some damage as a sophomore. She's coming off a solid track season where she won a state title in the 1600m (4:57.86) and finished third in the 3200m. 

Ping's sights should be very high in 2018.