2019 MileSplit50 Individual Girls XC Rankings Countdown

No. 14 Grace Ping

School: Phoenix Desert Vista (AZ)

Year: Class of 2021

Notable Finishes: 60th at IAAF World XC Championships; 4th at USATF XC Championships; 31st at Foot Locker Nationals; 48th at NXN; 2nd at NXR Heartland; 1st at MSHSL Class 1A Championships

Analysis: Ping had quite the sophomore season with Winona Cotter (MN) High School last year. There were superb highs, like qualifying for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Denmark -- where she eventually finished 60th -- and then some bumpy roads at NXN and Foot Locker Nationals, where she struggled on difficult courses. 

But overall, Ping had her best high school season to date, winning her second MSHSL Class 1 Cross Country Championship in four seasons, placed second at NXR Heartland and finished sixth at the Roy Griak Invitational. She also ran a personal best for 5K in cross country, hitting 17:10.80 on the clock. 

A transfer to Phoenix Desert Vista (AZ) will give Ping an even greater task: Can she lead the girls program to NXN? Now an upperclassmen, Ping's responsibilities won't just be with racing well; she'll need to be a veteran and leader on a team that has a chance to race beyond its state season.