Villanova freshman Maeve Smith from Ocean City placed 7th in the USATF Under-20 Championships Saturday and Penn State freshman Liliah Gordon from Northern Burlington was just behind her in 12th.
Smith ran 22:52 over 6,000 meters at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Ore., and Gordon ran 23:27.
Smith was the 6th freshman finisher and the Wildcats’ 7th finisher at the Big East Championships in Ashland, Neb., where ‘Nova placed 2nd.
Gordon was the 12th freshman finisher in the Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Mich., where the Nittay Lions placed 2nd.
Only athletes who don’t turn 21 before Jan. 1 are eligible for USATF Under-20 events.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 