Michigan has become a state for powerhouse distance runners in recent years. Since 2017, six girls runners in the state have broken 17 minutes for the 5K distance.
Only one, however, was a freshman.
So the future remains extremely bright for Western Michigan's Abby Vanderkooi, who finished her cross country season in 2018 with a third-place finish at Foot Locker Nationals.
She's our No. 3 Future Star.
The young runner from Muskegon broke 17 minutes three times last year. And while Vanderkooi competed in 16 races last year -- an incredible amount --- she also won 13 races and produced wins at the Michigan Division 4 cross country championships and a fourth-place finish at Foot Locker Midwest.
Her outdoor track and field season saw Vanderkooi post PRs of 2:22.39 in the 800m, 4:59.22 in the 1,600m and 10:33.39 in the 3,200m.
Check out her stats below for more on the young runner.
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All-Time XC Performances In Michigan (Based On MileSplit's Database)
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLA... |
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