Senior Emily Lipari capped off her brilliant high school career by doing what she has done since donning a
Roslyn track uniform; she finished ahead of the rest of the pack in a big race. Lipari won the mile at the New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina in a time of 4:48.20. She finished her career with nine New York Federation titles, three national titles, and the freshmen mile national championship.
Lipari had mixed feelings about winning her last race as a high school runner. “To win this title kind of feels bittersweet, because it was my last high school race ever,” Lipari said. “It’s nice to leave with the win, but it’s also a little upsetting knowing that I’m leaving everything behind. I’m going to miss things about high school, but I guess I am ready for new things.”
Lipari got ahead of the pack early and never looked back. She held a comfortable lead for the first three laps of the race, but was challenged in the final lap. She was able to finish strong and hold off the second and third place finishers.
The race didn’t go exactly as Lipari expected. “My plan was to just stay with the pack and then take control over the last 500 meters, but it didn’t go the way I expected,” Lipari said. “Instead, I got caught in the front and nobody wanted to pass me. I wasn’t going to push the pace outside of my comfort zone.”
Lipari will be running among the elite next year as she moves on to Villanova University, the defending NCAA cross country champions. She is ready for the challenge of competing at the collegiate level. “At Villanova, I really don’t know what to expect,” Lipari said. “I know I’m going to be in good hands. I feel I am going to be completely changed as a runner, but I’m ready for whatever is going to be thrown at me.”
