The Livingston High School girls’ cross country team completed the 2022 season by competing in the NJSIAA North I Group IV State Sectional Championships at Garret Mountain. The Lancers finished in sixth place overall in a tough field of 20 teams and narrowly missed qualifying for the Group IV State Championship.The girls completed the season with an overall record of 21 wins and two losses in the Super Essex Conference (SEC) and competed well in the American Division of the SEC with seven wins and just two losses. Among the season highlights were the Lancers’ first place finish at the Lancer Invitational; second place in the SEC American Championship; third place in the Essex County Championship; and the sixth place finish at the NJSIAA State Sectional Championship.The girls ran their best top five average of 21:53 and had a tight 46 second gap from their first to fifth runner at the County Championship.On the individual side, team captain Sydney Leigh won the Lancer Invitational, as well as being First TeamAll-SEC and Second Team All-County. Junior Taylor Dannis was second in the Lancer Invitational, Second Team All-SEC, and Second Team All-County. Bridget Gulfo and Sophia Paparsenos also earned Second Team All-County honors.The squad represented LHS on the freshman, junior varsity and varsity levels, and benefited from the strong leadership provided by team captain Leigh. Leigh capped off a very strong season as the squad’s #1 runner. Fellow senior Gulfo made an impact as one of the Lancers top five scorers turning in strong races throughout the season.Having great first cross country seasons were Dannis and Paparsenos, occupying the second and third spots for most of the competitions. Returning sophomore Lila Maru contributed by finishing in the fourth or fifth spots often throughout the season.Also contributing in varsity positions during the campaign were juniors Sophia Yan, Carol Flores, Sophia Wang, and Phoebe Liu.The Lancers benefited from strong performances throughout the line up, including senior Irene Chi, who added experience and leadership on the JV level and turned in her best performance in her last race of the season. Also racing very well on the JV and freshman levels were Jordyn Fersko, Sofia Calderone, Esther Chi, Ira Kamath, Sofia Iskold, Yolanda Cheung, Lexis Chen,Avery Lerman, and Emma Xing, who all turned in numerous fast times while gaining valuable racing experience and supporting the crew all season long.“This year’s seniors will certainly be missed ...
