Furman University scooped up another talented distance runner on Monday, gaining the commitment of Farmington (MN) High School senior Lauren Peterson.
The Minnesota native is a two-time qualifier for Nike Cross Nationals and a one-time finisher of Foot Locker Nationals who's been a force in cross country over the last three seasons in the Gopher State, picking up one runner-up finish at the Class 2A Championships and two more top 10 performances.
Peterson's versatility extends to the track, where she's produced personal best times of 2:16.29 in the 800m, 4:52.32 in the 1600m and 10:31.50 in the 3200m. The latter result won her a state title in 2017 in an exciting race where she sported a lethal kick.
"I felt right at home with the coaches and my future teammates," Peterson told MileSplit. "There is a lot of opportunities both in running and academically that I couldn't get at some other schools. I'm excited to get started next year with the girl gang because we have some big goals that we can accomplish! Furman has a clear vision of where they are going as a team and for me individually."
In cross country, Peterson had a banner year in 2017, picking up an eighth-place performance at NXR Heartland and a 36th-place finish at NXN. In 2016, she was 30th at NXN and 25th at Foot Locker Nationals.
Peterson's senior season has already been met with success. She's coming off a third-place finish at Roy Griak and a season best time of 18:04.40.
She'll join a Furman University women's team that reached the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2017 and that's been on the rise as a distance program in track and field.
Peterson plans to enroll in the college's health sciences program and cited Furman's strong academic pedigree as a key reason for her commitment.
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