Grace Ping (Freshman, Winona Cotter)
Ladies and gentlemen, she's back! After spending a year in Park City, Utah, Grace Ping has returned to Minnesota and will again race for Winona Cotter. If you're unfamiliar with the name, you likely have been living under a rock when it comes to prep distance running. As a 7th grader, Ping burst onto the scene with a stunning victory at the 2015 Roy Griak Invitational, in which she led wire to wire. In that race, she outlasted Judy Pendergast, who would eventually take 4th at Foot Locker Nationals, and who was 5 grades to her senior. Since then, she hasn't looked back, winning the 2015 State title by 50 seconds, and taking 6th place at last year's Nike Cross Nationals, making her the 3rd best returner in the entire nation. Ping is also the holder of numerous age group world records, and the fearless racer's PR of 16:25 over 5k on the track should make her as the favorite this fall.
| 5k Time | Meet | Date | Place |
| 17:48.3 | Nike Cross Nationals | 3-Dec-16 | 6th |
| 17:22.0 | Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional | 19-Nov-16 | 4th |
| 17:56.0 | UHSTCA Pre-Foot Locker Invitational | 5-Nov-16 | 1st |