Liv Phillips I Ben Crane (Raymond Tran Photo)
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San Diego, CA- On one of the sunniest days in recent national history, it was a glorious day for the participants of the grandparent of all cross-country national championships. The historic scene at Balboa Park was one of the memory banks.
The winner of the girl's championship, sophomore Elizabeth Leachman of Boerne Champion, TX, erased a massive deficit by senior Rachel Forsyth of Ann Arbor, MI, to win her first national time with a time of 16:50 (5K). Liv Phillips (Sr., Naperville Central) endured a tough day, teetering in the 30s the entire race before eventually finishing 36 out of 38 finishers with a time of 19:08. The invaluable experience will undoubtedly take her to new heights in the spring for the track and field season.
The boy's race wasn't as dramatic or under the threat of a record attempt as the girls, but it was nonetheless thrilling. The University of Notre Dame commit Drew Griffith of Butler PA, bid his time and took over with about a half-mile remaining and won his first title in 15:06. Similar to Phillips, junior Ben Crane of New Trier had his most challenging race of the season as he finished 24th with a time of 15:50.