“Natalie Cook is an exceptional athlete and competitor who developed into as good of a runner as anyone I’ve ever seen. Every race was essentially her competing against the clock and against the record books. She was a good teammate, competed with character, and won with humility.”

William Grundy

Texas MileSplit Editor

Athletic Excellence

The 5-foot-5 senior broke her own state record in the 3200-meter run this past season, clocking a time of 9:48.25 at the Class 6A state meet, which ranked as the nation’s No. 1 performance among prep girls competitors in 2022, which also ranked No. 2 in U.S. girls prep history at the time of her selection. The 2021-22 Gatorade National Player of the Year in girls cross country, Cook also won the 1600-meter state title in 4:40.29. She set a national record of 15:25.93 in the outdoor 5000 at the Stanford Invitational, and her season-best effort of 4:36.96 in the 1600 ranked No. 3 nationally among prep girls in 2022.

Academic Achievement

Cook has maintained a weighted 3.63 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at Oklahoma State University this fall.

Exemplary Character

Cook has volunteered extensively on behalf of local middle school cross country programs in addition to coaching and instructing youth track athletes every summer.