WV Runners 2012 Cross Country Runners of the Year: Drazba & Burcham

WV Runners is proud to announce that senior distance standouts, Jacob Burcham of Cabell Midland HS and Maggie Drazba of St. Marys HS, are the male and female Cross Country Athletes of the Year for 2012.

Jacob Burcham winning the Nike Cross Nationals Southeast Region - Photo by jeff George

Burcham, the 2012 Male Cross Country Runner of the Year, remains the state’s fastest distance runner by repeating as State Champion for the third year in a row at the West Virginia High School AAA Boys State XC Meet at Cabell Midland HS in Ona, WV. He ran a PR and new course record of 14:58.04 for 5000 meters, winning by an astounding 44.06 seconds. Burcham then won the Nike Cross Nationals Southeast Regional Championship at WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary, NC in a time of 15:09.80. Burcham is the only West Virginia prep male to ever qualify for NXN. In fact, he has now done it twice!

Jacob Burcham’s 2012 Cross Country Season Highlights:

2012-09-01

Jacob ran a 16:11.18 in the 5000m at GEICO Classic Invitational, placing first.

2012-09-15

Jacob ran a 15:04.42 in the 5000m at Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational, placing second.

2012-09-29

Jacob ran a 15:28.46 in the 5000m at Maymont X-Country Festival, placing first.

2012-10-10

Jacob ran a 15:47.20 in the 5000m at MSAC Championship, placing first.

2012-10-18

Jacob ran a 15:18.20 in the 5000m at WV Group AAA Region IV, placing first.

2012-10-27

Jacob ran a PR of 14:58.04 in the 5000m at West Virginia State XC Championships, placing first.

2012-11-24

Jacob ran a 15:09.80 in the 5000m at Nike Cross Nationals Southeast Regional, placing first.

2012-12-01

Jacob ran a 18:27.00 in the 5000m at Nike Cross Nationals, placing 84th.

Note: Jacob Burcham won five meets and placed 2nd once during his 2012 regular high school cross country season. His only regular season loss came at the hand of Jacob Thompson of Holy Cross, Kentucky(US#3) at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational.

Starting next fall, Burcham will be running cross country / track & field in the Big 12 Conference for the Oklahoma Sooners under Head Coach Martin Smith.

Maggie Drazba at Foot Locker Nationals- Photo by Margot Kelly

Drazba, the 2012 Female Cross Country Runner of the Year, remained the state’s fastest female distance runner by repeating as State Champion for the third time the West Virginia High School AA/A Girls State XC Meet at Cabell Midland HS in Ona, WV. Drazba won the individual state crown in 2009, 2011, and 2012. She ran a new course record at the 2012 State XC Meet in a time of 17:17.89 for 5000 meters, winning by an unbelievable 2 minutes, 5.63 seconds over her nearest competitor. Drazba then ran a PR of 17:10 at the Foot Locker South Regional Seeded Girls Race at McAlpine Greenway Park / Charlotte, NC, while placing third. She became the first West Virginia prep female to ever qualify for Foot Locker Nationals. In December, she placed twenty-second at Foot Locker Nationals at Balboa Park in San Diego, CA in a time of 18:05.4.

Maggie Drazba’s 2012 Cross Country Season Highlights:

2012-08-25

Maggie ran a 20:08.70 in the 5000m at Autumn Classic XXV, placing first

2012-09-01

Maggie ran a 18:30.22 in the 5000m at GEICO Classic Invitational, placing first.

2012-09-08

Maggie ran a 18:01.00 in the 5000m at Chick-Fil-A Invitational, placing first.

2012-09-11

Maggie ran a 20:34.85 in the 5000m at Doddridge County Invitational, placing first.

2012-09-22

Maggie ran a 19:47.00 in the 5000m at Bearcat Invitational, placing first.

2012-09-29

Maggie ran a 17:27.90 in the 5000m at Great American Cross Country Festival, placing first.

2012-10-06

Maggie ran a 19:05.69 in the 5000m at Times Invitational, placing first.

2012-10-11

Maggie ran a 19:16.37 in the 5000m at Little Kanawha Conference Championship, placing first.

2012-10-19

Maggie ran a 19:34.33 in the 5000m at WV Group AA-A Region I, placing first.

2012-10-27

Maggie ran a 17:17.89 in the 5000m at West Virginia State XC Championships, placing first.

2012-11-24

Maggie ran a PR of 17:10.00 in the 5000m at Foot Locker South Regional, placing third.

2012-12-08

Maggie ran a 18:05.40 in the 5000m at Foot Locker Nationals, placing 22nd.

Note: Maggie Drazba finished the 2012 regular high school cross country season undefeated. She won an amazing 17 regular season cross country meets in a row, dating back to September 10th, 2011.

Starting next fall, Drazba will be running cross country / track & field in the Big 12 Conference for the West Virginia University Mountaineers under Head Coach Sean Cleary.