Not only did Allison Lee beat a defending state champion Saturday, but the West Windsor Plainsboro North junior rewrote the record books at Thompson Park.

Lee broke the all-time record at Thompson Park when she crossed the line in 17:46.2 to win the Group 3 Central section title, shattering the previous mark set by her WWP compatriot -North Caroline Kellner, who ran 18:02 at sections in 2010.

“I never try to set limits for myself, especially in cross country,” Lee said. “You never really know what it’s going to be like every time you run. “I always strive for a high goal and if it works, then it works. But this victory really meant a lot. Since the start of the season, getting first places in these kinds of competitions has basically been my goal, and to finally be able to achieve it means a lot.

Lee’s ability to outlast a runner like Liliah Gordon was perhaps just as impressive as breaking the course record. The Northern Burlington senior came into this race undefeated this season and was the two-time defending Section and Group 3 state champion.

Lee won by a margin of 27 seconds, while Gordon finished second (18:13.16).

“I’m very grateful for the competition here and also to be able to race with (Gordon) again,” Lee said. “It means so much more to come here and race against people who I know are very capable and strong.”

From the start of the race, Lee and Gordon established themselves as the favorites, opening a significant gap to the rest of the field just a mile into the race. The two runners were strides apart, with Gordon holding a slight lead until the final kilometer.

“As far as how I kept pace, I kind of let Liliah take the lead for the first couple of miles and then I started to feel really good going into the woods,” said Lee said. “I decided I wanted to move there.”

The final mile of Thompson Park can be brutal, mainly due to the number of descents and climbs the runners face, but that’s when Lee’s fitness took over. She accelerated on the descents and started to take the lead.

“I kind of focused on the last mile and let my fitness take the lead there,” Lee said. “As for the climbs, I did a lot of hills over the summer, so I just tried to keep that in mind and kept going until the end. And then during the last mile (of the race) I practiced my finishing speed, so it was all about leaning into it.

“We’ve been working on her strategy over the last couple of races, spending a little more time staying careful in the first few miles, so she can really pull away in that third (mile),” said the WWP-North head coach, Deanna. » said Altvater. “Today she proved that it was a great strategy for her. And you could tell she couldn’t wait to start moving away here just before two miles. But she remained patient. She had confidence in how she felt, in her coaches and in her training, and it certainly paid off.

Saturday’s meet adds to what has been a remarkably prolific season for Lee, who is undefeated in five meets this season and most recently won the Colonial Valley Conference title last week (18:27.50).

“We think she could win and she had that kind of performance in her,” Altvater said. “She’s been preparing for this all season. But again, I think this is just the beginning of what we’ll see from her this season.

Corey Annan can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow or message him on Twitter/X @coreyannan360.

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