Long distance runner Emily Lipari continued her winning ways last week as she captured the 5000 meters (5K) New York State Federation individual championship at a Nov. 15 meet in Wappingers Falls.

In her latest milestone, Lipari, a junior at Roslyn High School, took control of the race from the start and finished with a winning time of 18:15.4.

That victory comes on the heels of two other triumphs on the county and state level. Lipari began the month by winning her second straight Nassau County cross country title. A week later, she followed that win by taking the New York State Cross Country Championship, also for the second year in a row. In that contest, held in Sunken Meadow, Lipari had to make a late sprint, passing two runners down the stretch in the final 10 seconds of the race to take the win. That minor scare probably influenced Lipari to take charge of the Wappingers Falls race early on.

The 5K win at Wappingers Falls solidified Lipari's standing as the top cross country female high school athlete in the state. It also continues a career that took off while Lipari was in junior high school and has gone from triumph to triumph since then.

An All-American in cross country and now a household name in the sport, Emily Lipari began her running career while only an eighth grade student. That year, she won her first All-County Award and later made the New York State Meet in the 3000 meter run.

During her freshman and sophomore year, Lipari's rise to the top of the cross country field would take large leaps forward. In her freshman year, Lipari would now take the state championship in the 3000 meters. That year, she would also win All-County and All-State awards.

As a sophomore, Lipari would become a national figure in the sport. She went undefeated in New York State cross country competition. As significantly, Lipari finished in 6th place in the prestigious Footlocker Nationals.

In interviews, Emily credits family members for helping to push her career along. And indeed, her older brother, Tom, is a star long distance runner at Marist College.

In honor of her many achievements on the track, Roslyn High School received a banner from state athletic officials, one recognizing Lipari's exceptional performance in the 2007 cross country championships. That banner was unfurled to a great ovation at a Sports Award Ceremony held last June at the high school auditorium.