Last year, Liliah Gordon became the first 3-time winner in BCSL cross country history. Now she’s the first 4-time winner.
Gordon, a Northern Burlington senior, cruised to her 4th straight Liberty Division title Wednesday and also led NBC to its 4th all-time team title and 4th in a row.
Gordon toured the 5,000-meter Palmyra Cove Nature Park course in 17:42, her fastest time ever on any 5K course. Her previous all-course best was 17:51 last November at Foot Locker Northeast in Franklin Park in Boston.
Gordon is a two-time state Group 3 XC champ and a 10:22.20 two-miler on the track. She was a Foot Locker finalist last fall.
The Greyhounds had six of the first eight finishers, with senior Kayla Leonhardt 3rd in 19:58, senior Zou Chou 4th in 20:15, junior Emma Price 5th in 20:27 and freshman Kamiyah Vergo 7th in 21:11. They were backed up by senior Sienna Lyon [8th in 21:15] and sophomore Sophia Raba [12th in 23:16].
Northern outscored 2nd-place Bordentown 16-67, with Cinnaminson and Pennsauken just behind with 72 and 84 points.
Delran junior Ashley Doyle broke up the Northern pack in 2nd place with a 19:37, an all-course best.
Also in the top 10: Bordentown junior Katherine Kovac [6th in 20:55], Pennsauken freshman Rain’ana Rucker [9th in 21:45] and Bordentown junior Olivia Delaney [10th in 22:53].
Moorestown, now in the Olympic Conference, won the BCSL Liberty Division title every year from 2000 through 2019, and the meet wasn’t held in 2020. It also wasn’t held from 1991 through 1999. The last school other than Moorestown or Northern to win the BCSL Liberty was Shawnee in 1990.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 