Grace Ping, Cotter (MN)
Prior to the Minnesota State Meet on Saturday, Grace Ping's fitness was somewhat of a mystery. Other than Griak, where she didn't hear the gun go off and was trapped behind the masses for the early stages of the race, Ping hadn't really faced a major challenge other than her sister. After blazing a 17:19.40 en route to capture the Class A title, Ping left no question as to her current shape. That time was just 16 seconds slower than Emily Covert's time from earlier in the day, the closest any athlete has come to her this season. And considering Ping ran most of her race solo after Tierney Wolfgram dropped out, perhaps Ping could give Covert her biggest test yet. After taking back the State title she won as a seventh grader in 2015, Ping looks on track to add a third All-American performance to her resume.