State records fall all weekend at WV State Meet

State records fall all weekend at WV State Meet
BY NICOLE LEMAL
Tristaterunnur.com

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - It was nearly eight months ago when spectators watched Cabell Midland sophomore Jacob Burcham take the lead and pull away from the field at the 2010 West Virginia State Cross Country meet.

This weekend they watched Burcham do more of the same, as he broke three state records in the 800 meter, 1,600 meter, and 3,200 meter at the West Virginia State Track and Field Championship. Burcham went 1:54.01, 4:08.80, and 9:11.29 respectively in those events.

However, Jefferson senior Brandon Doughty was right on his heels in the 800 meter, also tying the former state record held by Andy Bailey from St. Albans (1:54.03). In the 1,600 meter he was only four seconds back in 4:12.90, good for second place.

Although he came close, it wasn’t enough to overtake Burcham’s dominance on the track that weekend.

All season he approached each race in that same manner. Each time he stepped on the track this season he meant business.

“As he improves his race times, we have to challenge him more during his work outs,” Parsons said. “He handled every work- out successfully during the 2011 season. He also was successful at every race during the 2011 season. For an athlete to have the mental and physical ability to produce every time he steps on the track is a very special ability.”

Earlier this season Burcham was ranked nationally on www.dyestat.com in the 1,600 meter. And he showed yet again why he deserves to be on that list. After his performance at the state meet, he is now the fifth best high school miler in the nation.

“His state meet performance goes down as one of the most impressive performances in our state history,” Coach Chris Parsons said. “I have been involved in track and field for over 36 years, and Jacob Burcham is the best distance runner West Virginia has seen at the high school level. And he is only a sophomore.”

Even with his elite showing this weekend, Burcham is not hanging up his spikes just yet this season. On June 28-29 he will be competing at the USA World Youth Track & Field Trials in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Runners who earn a spot on the USA World Youth Team will then be competing in the IAAF World Youth Championship in Lille, France on July 6-10.

But there was another runner at the Laidley Track this past weekend who dominated the field in effortless fashion. St. Marys sophomore Maggie Drazba showed herself on an entirely different level than her competitors with three state titles, two new state records, while also tying a state record. Drazba ran away with state records in the 1,600 meter (5:14.08) and 3,200 meter (11:07.47) and tied for the 800 meter record ( 2:24.32).

Three gold medals may have been placed around her neck this year, but something was sparking that fire. Going into this state track meet, she reflected back on her 11:56 second place showing in the 3,200 meter race last year. That memory was all she
needed to be inspired.

“I don’t know what really happened. Sami (Harris) kind of ran away with it, and I just couldn’t really respond, and then I ended up running pretty slow, but I got second. I didn’t want a repeat of that this year.”

Five laps into the race Friday evening, Drazba made her move and never looked back.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it. I was just thinking that I wanted to win, and I felt strong. I felt good. I feel really good about it. I’m really happy with how my season’s gone, and I was really pleased with my state meet, breaking the records and winning. That was good.”

As two of the top notch athletes in the state of West Virginia, Drazba and Burcham were no surprise to the field.

Then a few underdogs came out of the woodwork. Just ask the Weir High Boys Track team. None of the 4x800 meter relay members thought they would be leaving the state track meet with a medal this season.

But when they loaded the bus on Saturday afternoon, they had third place medals in their hands.

“It’s pretty great because we have never placed at the state before this year, and we got third in the 4x8, which is crazy,” Senior Matt Kopp said.

When senior and anchor leg Freddie Jones got the baton, they were in fifth place. After coming off an ankle injury, he started his leg relatively slower. As the race went on he started picking up pace.

“I was determined to catch anybody I could, and there were two people that were actually in front of us at that time, but all I did was keep my pace and I ended up out kicking him, so it felt really good,” Jones said. “I felt like a big sigh of relief because my goal was actually just to keep that fifth place because I didn’t know what the outcome was going to be. Then I knew if I give it my all, I feel like I could catch somebody.”

A third place showing also helped the team run a personal record. Coach Tom Apesos was just as surprised as the spectators in the stands. Sixth place medals would have been enough, an exceptional accomplishment for this group.

But on that day, they refused to settle for mediocrity.

“I think everybody stepped up,” Apesos said. “It was a big day, and they were ready. Everybody just stepped up and ran well, and Freddie’s ankle held out. Coming around 3 and 4 on the last lap, he just opened it up and started gunning people down. It was a real strong closing kick, real strong. It surprised a lot of teams. It surprised us and surprised a lot of teams.”

But Jones still had one more race left in his high school career, one more race to show what kind of runner he truly was.

On the last leg of the 4x400 he took off and gave it all he had, bringing his team from eighth place all the way up to fifth for all-state position.

“It was a hot field,” Apesos said. “These are all strong, strong anchor legs. It was amazing. Our ideal goal would have been to go there in two events and medal in both events, and it actually happened. We might get a sixth in the 4x800 and a sixth in the 4x400, but that was ideal to go home with two sixth place medals, and here we’re going home with a third and a fifth. We greatly exceeded our expectations.”

They weren’t the only team from the northern panhandle to go home ecstatic. A group of girls known as a leading force in AA distance relay action, the Weir High girls 4x800 lived up to their reputation once again.

For the second year in a row the girls claimed the top spot, but it was all up to senior Tricia Marker to make that happen.

On the last leg Marker was being chased down by a 2:17 anchor leg from Wayne’s Shannon Rutherford. Four years of running on the 4x800 prepared Marker to run all out, as she managed to hold her off to lead her team to a 9:50.44.

This time was the 9th Best All-Time Class A-AA State Meet Performance and right on the tail end of their own school record of 9:48.11.

“I felt really good. I thought Sarah McCauley was going to be right behind me, but it ended up being a girl from Wayne. She was like 40 or 50 meters away from me when I finished the line. I was really excited. I’m sad, too.”

Known as the underdog earlier this season, Brooke High junior Ali Crawford exceeded the predictions and went third in the 100 meter high hurdles (15.16) and sixth in the 200
meter dash (26.66).

Other notable performances came from senior Sarah McCauley. McCauley became a two-time state champion in the 1,600 meter (5:13.64) and 3,200 meter (11:33.24), after being sidelined with an injury throughout the majority of her season.

Burcham and Drazba weren’t the only competitors to break state records. Several other state records went down this past weekend. Congratulations to Gretchen Lantz in the 300 Meter Low Hurdles, Megan Steele in the High Jump, Emily Godwin in the 300 Meter Low Hurdles, Anthony Aviles in the High Jump, Brandon Franklin in the 400, Mark Britton in the Discus, Williamstown Girls 4x200 (Bethany Earley, Megan Roberts, Ashley Chidester, Madelin Gardner), Williamstown Girls 4x400 (Kathleen Cornell, Ciara Flowers, Megan Roberts, Bethany Early), and Williamstown Girls Shuttle Hurdle Relay (Kylie Hammer, Jessie Kerns, Madelin Gardner, Lincoln Postlewaite).

Congratulations to all state competitors! Thank you for a great season!
Email Nicole Lemal at run.nicole.wvu@gmail.com.