Eleven Class A Girls Who Want To Make History In 2018



Ava Hill, Mesabi East, Jr


In 2017, no one knew what to expect from Ava Hill. After winning the 2017 800m State title, Hill joined cross country for the first time last fall. Hill seamlessly transitioned to cross country, running 18:45 in just her second 5k ever. She had consistent success throughout the rest of the year, and looked like a fairly safe top five pick entering State. She ultimately crossed the line 8th, a stellar finish, but could probably have finished higher up on a better day. However, at NXR Heartland one week later, Hill had the race of her season. She shattered her previous PR by over 30 seconds, blasting an 18:11. That time was good for third best among Class A girls, only trailing Tierney Wolfgram and Lauren Ping. With a year of cross country under her belt, expect Ava Hill to improve on her 8th place finish a year ago. And after defending her 800m crown in June, Hill may have the best late race speed in all of Class A.

2017 XC Results

TIME MEET DATE PLACE
18:11.48 Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional 11/12/17 32nd
19:06.50 MSHSL State Cross Country Championships 11/04/17 8th
19:08.00 MSHSL Section 7A Championships 10/26/17 1st
19:21.60 Iron Range Conference Championships 10/17/17 1st
22:19.40 International Falls Hial Pike Invite 10/10/17 18th
19:50.40 Swain Meet 10/07/17 2nd
18:52.60 Hibbing Rotary Invitational 09/28/17 1st
18:57.48 Milaca Mega Meet 09/23/17 1st
19:14.60 Grand Rapids Paul Bauer Invite 09/19/17 1st
20:03.90 Eveleth Lions Invitational 09/14/17 1st
18:45.00 GNK Titan Invitational 09/07/17 1st
19:18.50 North Shore Challenge 08/31/17 1st