National Girls XC Performer of the Week (Dec. 02-08)

Take a look at five of the top-performing girls from last weekend.

Cassidy Armstrong, Ballard (Wash.): It's safe to say it was a successful business trip for the Seattle-based junior, as Armstrong cruised her way to a Foot Locker West Regional title. As the lone athlete to run sub-18, Armstrong broke the tape as the clock read 17:42, and waited 23 seconds before the rest of the finishers started coming through. Armstrong has won five races so far this fall, and after her dominant display in Walnut, CA, there's no reason why she can't head into the Holiday season with six. This is Armstrong's first trip to Foot Locker Nationals, and she'll be the lone Washingtonian on the starting line.

Jane Hedengren, Timpview (Utah): Wow. There really aren't many words to describe Hedengren's race on Saturday. The BYU signee ran the second-fastest time of her life on a tough course in the pouring rain. Plus, she broke Katelyn Tuohy's course record of 16:37.8 by five seconds, running 16:32.7. By the time the field came through 1k, Hedengren had already put four seconds between her and the challengers, eventually crafting a 41-second gap on the national caliber field. Hedengren's senior campaign is easily one of the best in recent memory, with wins at Nike XC Town Twilight, the Utah state championships, and both NXR Southwest and NXN. It's also worth nothing she clocked 15:50.01 a few weeks back in Arizona, the fastest time in high school history.

Gabbie Bishop, Providence Academy (Ark.): What's better than a statement win in your biggest race of the season? Picking up that same win with a new lifetime best. For the second time this year, Bishop broke 17:00, but this time had some breathing room as she stopped the clock at 16:55.64, about three seconds quicker than her performance back in October. Bishop was one of three girls to run sub-17 at the RunningLane Cross Country Championships, but her composure and experience made her too tough to beat. Her junior campaign comes to a close with a state championship and a national title.

Keeghan Edwards, Mountain Vista (Colo.): Not many runners had a better day than the Florida-bound senior, as she finished fourth overall at Nike Cross Nationals while leading her squad to a dominant national title. Edwards moved up over 20 spots after 1k to put herself in striking position, eventually weaving her way up towards the chase pack. In the end, Edwards was a mere two seconds out of a runner-up finish, but her big-time run was too much for competitors to handle. Just over a year after Edwards and company finished fourth at NXR Southwest, the Golden Eagles won their first national title without missing a beat.

Maysen Fletcher, Herbert Hoover (W.V): Fletcher's extraordinary freshman campaign came to a close on Saturday with a milestone of a PB, running 16:59.1 as she dipped below 17:00 for the first time in her career, making her the 15th freshman in U.S. history to break the sought-after barrier. Fletcher also became the first West Virginian freshman to break 17:00, and moved up to No. 3 all-time in state history. In total, the freshman won eight out of her 12 races this fall, including a WVSSAC state title.