Lauren Ping, Cotter, 8th
Lauren Ping enters the 2018 season as a wild card. Not because there's any uncertainty surrounding her talent, which is undoubtedly enormous. The only thing that's unclear is just how great Lauren Ping will be. As a 7th grader, Ping burst onto the scene at the St. Olaf showcase, finishing 3rd behind Wolfgram and her older sister. For most of last season, Ping was performing at an excellent but not necessarily elite level. But once the postseason hit, Ping didn't look back. After a runner-up finish at State, Ping punched her ticket to Nike Cross Nationals, where she earned 11th place for All-American status. This spring, Ping outperformed expectations en route to a 10:25 3200m PR, and won the Class A State title in fairly convincing fashion. After such a dominant track season, the younger Ping will likely turn State into a three way battle for the ages. And like her older sister, Lauren will likely be part of the lead pack at NXN.
2017 XC Results
| TIME | MEET | DATE | PLACE |
| 10:46.40 | USATF Junior Olympic XC National Championship (3K) | 12/09/17 | 1st |
| 17:58.90 | Nike Cross Nationals | 12/02/17 | 11th |
| 17:07.72 | Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional | 11/12/17 | 4th |
| 18:19.70 | MSHSL State Cross Country Championships | 11/04/17 | 2nd |
| 19:00.70 | MSHSL Section 1A Championships | 10/26/17 | 2nd |
| 19:17.80 | Three Rivers Conference Championships | 10/17/17 | 2nd |
| 19:56.30 | Plainview-Elgin-Milville Invitational | 10/10/17 | 2nd |
| 18:49.10 | Roy Griak Invitational | 09/23/17 | 5th |
| 19:21.58 | Rochester Mayo Invite | 09/14/17 | 2nd |
| 18:21.00 | St. Olaf High School Showcase | 08/31/17 | 3rd |