They are best friends and they train together, and on Saturday, Liliah Gordon and Jessica Abbott won national titles together.
Gordon and Abbott, two of the biggest young distance running stars in NJ, finished first at the USATF Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships at Bourbon County Park in Paris, Kentucky. The two phenoms were competing as members of the Shore Athletic Club.
Gordon, a freshman at Northern Burlington, won the women's 15-16 age group by covering the 5,000-meter course in 19:21.6, 14 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Abbott, an eighth-grader at Toms River Intermediate North, crossed the finish line first in the women's 13-14 as she ran 15:41.9 over the 4,000-meter course.
The victory by Gordon completes a stunning season on the trails.
Gordon finished eighth at the Meet of Champions last month in 18:29 to secure Second-Team All-State honors. Gordon also placed second at both the Central Jersey, Group 3 Championships, and the State Group 3 meet, and finished first at the Burlington County Scholastic League Championships.
For Abbott, this marks the third straight year that she has won a Junior Olympic National title. In 2019 and 2020, Abbott finished first in the 11-12 age group division.