Saucony Flo50 Individual Girls XC Rankings Countdown


Athlete: Jess Lawson
Year: 2017
School: Corning, NY

Analysis: Jess Lawson ran consistently at the top of the stacked New York pack last fall: she won the prestigious Eastern States race at the Manhattan Invitational in a new course record of 13:53.90 for 4K, took runner-up honors at the New York State Championship, won the New York Federation Championships, was runner-up at Foot Locker Northeast then placed 11th overall at Foot Locker Nationals to earn All-American honors.

Lawson shined just as brightly on the track, as she ran 10:18.30 for third place in the two mile at New Balance Nationals Indoor and 16:52.60 for third place in the 5K at New Balance Nationals Outdoor. She also won the New York state title in the 3K in 9:24.36, a time that makes her the nation's second-fastest returner in the event behind only Kate Murphy. Lawson produced those performances despite struggling with a hip flexor strain throughout the outdoor season. She has blogged about her training this summer for MileSplit and says she is almost done with physical therapy for her injury.