From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Big weekend for Northern Burlington’s Lilliah Gordon, who ran a fast 1,600-3,200 double at the South Jersey Group 3 meet at the Bubble.

Gordon ran 5:09.82 for 2^nd place in the 1,600 behind only Toms River South’s Lily Oliver, who won the race in 5:03.53, and she came back to win the 3,200 in 11:09.91, finishing half 1-10^th of a second ahead of Clearview junior Abigail Waddington, who ran 11:10.01.

Gordon, a freshman, had only run the 1,600 and 3,200 once previously, so those races were her previous PRs – 5:18.18 earlier in the week at Ocean Breeze and 11:20.06 last month at the Bubble.

This past fall, Gordon was 2^nd to Colts Neck’s Lilly Shapiro in the state Group 3 meet and 8^th in the Meet of Champions with an 18:29 at Holmdel.

She’s only run four open races this winter, which tells you her coaches know what they’re doing.

Her 5:09.82 is fastest by a South Jersey freshman in 10 years, since Lindsey Kane of Washington Township [5:04.81] and Camille Franklin of Lenape [5:07.01] at the 2012 Meet of Champions. The 11:09.91 is fastest by a South Jersey freshman since Kingsway’s Chelsea Ley ran 11:00.79 at 2007 Group 3 states and broke the Burlington County freshman 3,200 record of 11:13.52 set in 2010 by Lenape’s Natalie Ocasio at Group 4 states.

Gordon broke her own school record in the indoor 1,600 and ran within four seconds of the 3,200 record of 11:06.32 (converted from yards) set in 1995 by Colleen Sunderland. Her 3,200 time is No. 7 indoors in Burlington County history.

She’s the No. 1 freshman in New Jersey at both distances, and she’ll go into next weekend’s Group 3 states as the No. 1 seed in the 3,200 and the No. 2 seed in the 1,600. Her times rank 9^th overall out of all the sectionals in the 1,600 and 2^nd in the 3,200, behind only Angelina Perez of Lakeland Regional, who won Group 2 Sunday in 10:27.80. Perez was the Meet of Champions and Eastbay Northeast XC champ and placed second at Eastbay Nationals in San Diego.

Junior Zoe Lartey also had a nice day for Northern at sectionals, running PRs of 7.48 for 3rd in the 55-meter dash and 1:02.92 for 6th in the 400. Senior Keira Mansure also advanced to states in the 1,600 with a 5:29.38 for 4th place at sectionals. She’s run 5:13.85 outdoors. With 29 total points, Northern placed 6th in team scoring at sectionals

Here’s a look at the all-time Burlington County indoor lists at 1,600 and 3,200:

4:57.12 … Megan Quimby [Lenape], 2016
4:57.72 … Caitlin Orr (Lenape), 2010
4:58.48 … Natalia Ocasio (Lenape), 2010
4:58.69 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
4:59.29 … Julia DeSpirito [Shawnee], 2014
4:59.39 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012
5:00.39 … Lisa Burkholder [Cherokee], 2004
5:00.73y … Monica Olkowski (Cherokee), 1990
5:01.86 … Kristen Niedrich [Shawnee], 2012
5:03.97 … Camille Franklin [Lenape], 2014
5:06.53 … Brittnee Bynoe (Willingboro), 2003
5:07.60 … Miya Johnson (Lenape), 2008
5:08.12 … Shelby Bobbie [Rancocas Valley], 2014
5:08.46 … Casey Doyle [Shawnee], 2008
5:08.7h … Deanna Germano [Shawnee], 1986
5:09.19 … Sydny Warner [Seneca], 2017
5:09.41y … Liz Moore [Shawnee], 1994
5:09.73 … Emily McGee [Lenape], 2011
5:09.82 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2022

10:31.06 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012
10:46.63 … Erika Kemp [Rancocas Valley], 2013
10:55.58 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
11:00.7y … Deanna Germano (Shawnee), 1986
11:06.32y … Colleen Sunderland (Northern Burlington), 1995
11:08.85 … Nina Bendixen, [Shawnee], 2015
11:09.91 … Liliah Gordon [Northrn Burlington], 2022
11:10.88 … Caitlin Orr (Lenape), 2009
11:12.32 … Mara Schiffhauer [Seneca], 2014
11:13.52 … Natalia Ocasio (Lenape), 2010
11:16.51 … Meghan Hughes [Moorestown], 2002
11:16.51 … Meghan Hughes (Moorestown), 2002
11:16.97 … Meghan Malloy [Cinnaminson], 2011
11:16.17 … Kara Bonner [Shawnee], 2017
11:16.99 … Brittnee Bynoe (Memorial Middle), 2002