On Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2025, Central Bucks West senior Lilly Norcross was recognized for committing to continue her track & field career at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Lilly Norcross – University of Maryland Baltimore County (Cross Country & Track)
Major: History & Education
Final list of colleges: UMBC, Temple, Loyola, William & Mary
Reasons for choosing UMBC: “It was definitely the coach and the girls. The coach – out of all the schools I talked to – went out of his way to make me feel included and part of the team, and he was like – ‘We want you on our team, we think you’d be a great fit for our team.’ Also, I met the girls on my unofficial and my official, and they were so including and so nice. After I left my unofficial, I was like – ‘Oh my gosh, I want to be on this team with these people.’ That was such a big thing for me to have a group of girls I loved and wanted to run with. That just really solidified my choice.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track and cross country at the collegiate level? “My parents were always runners, so I literally came out running. I was pretty hesitant to do cross country – I was really nervous to go out and do it. After my freshman year, I had a lot of success, and a lot of the seniors my year were committing to run track, and I was like, ‘Maybe I could do this.’ Especially with the seniors my sophomore year, two of them committed, and they had such a love for running, and they really shared that with me. I was like – I love this, I’m good at this, and I would love to do it in college.”
Coach Kevin Crail says: “Since freshman year and even before that, I was Lilly’s first running coach way back when she was real little. I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Lily in the high school since her ninth grade year when she came out for track. Lilly has come a long way since those times when she was literally ready to walk off the track and never come back, but since her freshman year, she has accomplished so much from being a multiple time state top 10 finisher in the 4x8, district qualifier in the 1600 and 3200, which is not an easy task. She is a state qualifier in cross country amongst numerous conference placements, honorable mentions and first teams.
“Lilly is an excellent example of hard work, being able to take very hard coaching and being an excellent teammate and example. Even this last year when she was the third leg of the relay, you could always count on Lilly to bring us all the way back and hand off to our closer. Congratulations, Lilly, we look forward to the last ride this spring.”
About Lilly:
Favorite food: Penne pasta with vodka sauce
Favorite movie: La La Land
Favorite music: Lizzy McAlpine
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