Middle School Distance Phenom Grace Ping to Return to Minnesota After Year in Utah

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

One of the best high school distance running girls is set for another move this summer.

Grace Ping, who first gained national recognition competing in Minnesota, is about to return to her home state after a spending a year in Utah with her family, according to John Casper Jr. of the Winona Daily News.

Ping made a name for herself as a seventh grader in Winona, Minnesota while running for Cotter MN (in Minnesota seventh and eighth graders are eligible for high school sports). She finished her 2015 cross country season with a 14th-place finish at Nike Cross Nationals.

However, during the summer of 2016, the Ping family moved to Utah for a chance to live in the mountains. Ping continued to run well, however, she was not able to run for a team, because Utah middle schoolers are not eligible to compete in high school sports like they are in Minnesota.

Not to be held back, Ping maintained an unattached schedule that saw her race at the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, setting a age group 5-kilometer world record, and at the Dempsey in Seattle in an indoor race. Ping's greatest achievement came in finishing sixth at last year's Nike Cross Nationals.

Now Ping is set to return to Minnesota where she will enroll at Cotter as a freshman.

"It was a one-year experiment," Ryan Ping, Grace's father said. "We've always loved the mountains."

Joining the Cotter team, alongside Grace, will be her younger sister, Lauren Ping, who was 23rd in her age group race at the Junior Olympic Cross Country nationals in December.

With both Pings in the mix, Cotter is looking for big things. A Class A state title is among them.

"It all depends on depth," Cotter coach Mike Costello said.

First though, the Pings will be back in Minnesota for the Project Gold Running Camp in late June at St. Mary's University. Tom Schwartz, Ping's coach, as well as the coach of Drew Hunter, will be in attendance.

After that, expect to see Ping on a Minnesota cross country course in the fall.