Northern Burlington junior Liliah Gordon became the 9th-fastest South Jersey runner ever at Holmdel County Park Saturday in winning her second straight state title.
Gordon won Group 3 last year in 18:57 after placing 2nd to Lilly Shapiro of Colts Neck and currently of North Carolina as a freshman in 2021. On Saturday, she ran 18:14 – 3rd-fastest of all six state championship meets – and won by 60 meters over Middletown South senior Rosemary Shay, the Meet of Champions runner-up last spring at 3,200 meters.
Her time is fastest by a South Jersey girl over the historic 5,000-meter layout in seven years, since Mainland’s Alyssa Aldridge ran 17:55 to win the 2016 Meet of Champions.
The only faster runner ever from Burlington County is Cherokee’s Megan Lacy, whose fastest Holmdel time was a 17:55 at the 2010 state Group 4 meet.
Gordon’s fastest previous time at Holmdel was an 18:18 at Shore Coaches in September. Gordon hasn’t lost to a New Jersey runner this year. Her only defeat came at the Great American XC Festival in Cary, N.C., where she placed 17th in a field of more than 300 of the nation’s top runners.
Freehold Township senior Emma Zawatski, who won Group 4 in 18:00, and Union Catholic freshman Paige Sheppard, who won Parochial A in 18:09, were the only faster girls in the various state meets Saturday.
South Jersey runners took three of the top four spots in the Group 3 race, with Ocean City junior Maeve Smith 3rd in 18:33 and Mainland Regional junior Sofia Day 4th in 19:01.
Smith’s 18:33 makes her 3rd-fastest in Ocean City [and Cape May County] history, behind Brittany Sedberry [18:12 at 2004 Meet of Champions] and Devon Grisbaum [18:20 at 2014 Meet of Champions].
Smith’s time makes her the 18th-fastest performer from South Jersey at Holmdel County Park and 6th-fastest time heading into the Meet of Champions on Saturday.
Gordon is the 10th South Jersey girl to win consecutive state XC championships. Erin Donohue and Vanessa Wright of Haddonfield won four each, and Briana Gess of Haddonfield and Mainland’s Alyssa Aldridge won three apiece (although Gess’s three were not consecutive).
Janet Rue [Pitman], Group 1 [1990, 1991]
Kari Vigerstol [Holy Cross], Parochial A [1993, 1994]
Abby Hartman [Ocean City], Group 3 [1995, 1996]
Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], Group 1 [1997, 1998 in Group 1, 1999, 2000 in Group 2]
Vanessa Wright [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2002, 2003, 2004, 2005]
Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], Group 3 [2003, 2004]
Megan Lacy [Cherokee], Group 4 [2010, 2011]
Briana Gess [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2013, 2015, 2016]
Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Regional], Group 3 [2015, 2016, 2017]
Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], Group 3 [2022, 2023]
All-Time South Jersey holmdel Top-20
17:27.83 … Megan Venables [Highland Reg.], 2010
17:40 … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1982
17:44 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2008
17:45 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2013
17:55 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2016
17:55 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2010
18:08 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2010
18:12 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2004
18:13 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2023
18:16 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2009
18:18 … Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East], 2006
18:20 … Devin Grisbaum [Ocean City], 2014
18:22 … Vanessa Wright [Haddonfield], 2004
18:25 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2015
18:27 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
18:28 … Grace Yoon [Cherry Hill East], 2016
18:29 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2016
18:33 … Maeve Smith [Ocean City], 2023
18:38 … Casey Doyle [Shawnee], 2007
18:40 … Mindy Rowand [Sterling], 1984
18:40 … Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2011
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 