Northern Burlington junior Liliah Gordon made the trip to Boston a worthwhile one with the 9th-fastest indoor 1,600 in South Jersey history.
Racing college and post-graduate athletes in the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational at Boston University, Gordon ran the full mile in 4:57.28.
That converts to 4:55.56 for 1,600 meters, which is 2nd-fastest in Burlington County history, behind only Cherokee’s Nicole Clifford, who ran 4:53.85 at the 2022 state Group 4 meet at the Bubble.
Gordon closed in 72.66 for her final 400 and 35.79 for her final 200.
It’s fastest by a South Jersey underclassman in seven years, since Haddonfield junior Briana Gess ran 4:51.60 to place 3rd in the 2016 Meet of Champions at the Bubble.
Gordon’s previous PR was a 4:58.05 full mile at the Armory two weeks ago, which converts to 4:56.32.
Gordon, a Foot Locker national finalist this past fall, has an outdoor PR of 4:58.91 last May at Holmdel. She ran 10:38.20 last winter at Ocean Breeze, No. 6 in South Jersey history. Gordon earned All-America honors last winter by running 17:26.55 and placing 3rd for 5,000 meters at Armory Nationals.
Her time is No. 3 in New Jersey so far this year, behind Freehold Township’s Emma Zawatski, who ran 4:45.96 for a full mile on the same track in Boston last weekend, and a Union Catholic runner who ran 4:50.19 for 1,600 meters last month at Ocean Breeze.
Gordon is only the second South Jersey girl to run sub-4:56 and sub-10:40 indoors. Olympian Erin Donohue of Haddonfield ran 4:49.46 [converted from one mile] and 10:38.90.
Here’s the updated all-time South Jersey top-20:
4:41.52y … Michelle Rowen [Wash. Twp.], 1983
4:49.46y … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
4:51.60 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
4:52.34y … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
4:53.36 … Lindsey Kane [Washington Twp.], 2014
4:53.85 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
4:54.58 … Celine Mazzi [Delsea], 2014
4:55.04y … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
4:55.56y … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2024
4:56.1h,y … Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], 1985
4:57.12 … Megan Quimby [Lenape], 2015
4:57.72 … Caitlin Orr [Lenape], 2010
4:58.48 … Natalia Ocasio [Lenape], 2010
4:59.28y … Grace Wassell [Highland], 2022
4:59.29 … Julia Despirito [Shawnee], 2014
4:59.39 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012
4:59.43y … Shaelan McNally [Paul VI], 2023
4:55.77y … Aubrey Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2022
5:00.39 … Lisa Burkholder, 2004
5:00.78y … Monica Olkowski [Cherokee], 1990
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 