To put Abby Vanderkooi's current freshman season in perspective?
Not even Katelyn Tuohy ran this fast two seasons ago -- the North Rockland High School junior didn't even break 17 minutes for 5K.
On Friday, the Muskegon Western Michigan Christian rookie became the first freshman in history to score a third sub-17 minute effort in cross country, winning the GMAA Invitational in a time of 16:57.30. She's the only girls athlete in the country this year to accomplish that feat.
It also marked the fourth time in 14 days Vanderkooi raced competitively and the second time she broke 17 minutes.
That Vanderkooi has lost just one time this season, to Rockford (MI) senior Ericka Vanderlende at the Allendale Falcon Invite? That should tell you something.
Vanderlende is one of the top recruits in the country for the Class of 2019.
So it's been an exceptionally strong season for Vanderkooi. But in general, freshmen are having a good year. Del Oro (CA) High School's Riley Chamberlain is coming off a second-place outing to Tori Gaitan at the Clovis Invitational in 17:12.70. And Cherokee Trail's (CO) Cameron McConnell has broken 17:20.
Vanderkooi looks like a favorite to win Michigan's LP Division 4 Championship, though the real question is whether she'll continue to race beyond that postseason championship.
She's one of just eight runners to break 17 minutes this season on grass. Only Tuohy and Saratoga Springs (NY) senior Kelsey Chmiel have done it at a higher-level consistently. Just three girls overall have broken 17 minutes twice. Texan Brynn Brown, of Denton Guyer, is the other athlete to do so.
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Top 10 Girls Nationally
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16:06.87 | 2020 | ||
| 2 | 16:36.86 | 2020 | ||
| 3 | 16:41.13 | 2021 | ||
| 4 | 16:43.80 | 2019 | ||
| 5 | 16:51.70 | 2019 | ||
| 6 | 16:55.90 | 2019 | ||
| 7 | 16:57.30 | 2022 | ||
| 8 | 16:57.90 | 2020 | ||
| 9 | 17:00.10 | 2019 | ||
| 10 | 17:01.30 | 2019 |