Cabell Midland Cross Country

The Great Tradition Runs On ...

In the past year, Jacob Burcham has traveled to many places competing in the sport of Cross Country and Track. Places like New York, Philadelphia, Myrtle Beach, Portland, and abroad to Lille, France. He has set state and American records along with winning many titles in the process. Burcham added another National title to his credentials and only had to travel in his own backyard to do it.

This year's Cross Country Coaches Youth National Championships were held at Cabell Midland High School with teams competing from Iowa, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, West Virginia, Delaware, Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. There were several new course records set by some talented runners from the 13 different races contested on Midland's course.

Burcham would compete in the 15-16 Age Group Championship and lead wire to wire with an easy victory. He also helped his Club Team "Ona Elite" of Matthew Brafford, Jeremy Waugh, Eric Wooten, and Chandler Smith win the team National Title. Other Midland runners competing for Ona Elite in different races were Tyler Salmons in the 17-18 Group Championship (5K/16:25-7th) and Brian Lawhon (5K/17:38-21st). In the 13-14 Age Group Championship were Austin Jarrell (4K/15:02-23rd) and Brandon Atkinson (4K/15:19-30th).

The Footlocker South Regional's are next weekend in Charlotte, NC at McAlphine Park. Midland's Tyler Salmons and Jorden Thornton will be making the trip south in hopes of running a fast time to end their 2011 Cross Country season. The rest of the Midland crew will be taking a couple of weeks off before stating the 2012 track season preparations.

Some may wonder why Jacob Burcham is not competing in the Footlocker or NXN as he did last year. Last year Burcham qualified for the NXN Finals and placed 16th in the nation making 3rd Team All-American. After a long year of racing in Cross Country and not ending his track season until July at the Youth World Championship in Lille, France, Burcham and his coach decided to shut it down for the 2011 Cross Country season and do what is best for Jacob's high school career. Burcham will take a well deserved break from running, but you can assure he will soon begin preparing for the much anticipated 2012 track season. Jacob plans to continue where he left off from his stellar sophomore season and improve the 3:46.55 1500 meters performance, which is equivalent to a 4:04 actual mile and 4:03 1600 meters.  

11/15/11 Midland plays host to National Championship

National Cross Country Champions will be crowned at Cabell Midland High School this coming weekend and runners from all over will be competing in hopes to earn that honor. Cabell Midland High School will play host to the 2011 Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championships. There are nearly 1200 runners in 13 different races ranging from 800 meters to 5000 meters with ages from 5 years to 18 years old.

Admission is FREE and races begin at 9:00am with the last race going off at 3:30pm.

10/29/11 Burcham claims another State Title

Last year's state meet had much anticipation for the individual boys state title. There were 4 Horseman considered to battle for the top spot and it would be sophomore, Jacob Burcham, claiming top honors over three seniors. This year's state meet left little doubt who should win the individual title and Burcham wouldn't disappoint claiming his 2nd individual state title for the 2nd year in a row.

Jacob Burcham's strategy was simply jump to the front and stay there until the end. Hopes of a record setting performance ended quickly after several runners went down under the wet conditions, but Burcham stuck to his strategy and went unchallenged the entire race.

Burcham will now focus on the Coaches National Youth Championship, which will be hosted for the first time at Cabell Midland on Saturday, November 19th. Burcham plans to run this meet for fun and help his Club Team, "Ona Elite", win the National team title.

10/29/11 Midland boys upset by Jefferson

Cabell Midland boys have claimed the WV Cross Country Team State Title the past two years in dominating fashion. After only graduating one runner from last year's state championship team, one would only anticipate Midland would bring home another state title this season. Somebody forgot to tell the boys from Jefferson because they drove nearly 7 hours on a bus and upset Midland on Midland's home course to claim their first boys cross country team title in school history.

Midland first four runners produced strong for the Knights, but Midland had trouble with their 5th, 6th, & 7th runner getting across the finish line and increasing Jefferson's chances for an upset. The Knights would only lose by a mere 3 points, which in Cross Country comes down to seconds between winning or coming in 2nd place.

Midland only loses one runner from their Elite 7, but losing Tyler Salmons will not be easy to replace. Salmons was consistently Midland's number #2 runner earning All-MSAC, All-Regional, & All-State honors for the past 3 seasons. However, Midland has the potential of being very strong next season. if they take the advice of their head coach. "The only way to be better from last year is to increase your workload from this year. Only then do you give yourself a chance to improve on last year's performances." stated Parsons. 

 10/29/11 Midland girls finish 5th at State Meet

The Midland girls ignored their predicted 8th place finish and rose to the occasion and finished a strong 5th place overall at the 2011 West Virginia State Cross Country Championship.

Jorden Thornton led her team as usual with a 13th place overall in a time of 19:55. She was followed by Kelsey Dillon (29th-20:54), Kendall McNeely (36th-21:21) Hannah Asebes (57th-22:14), Morgan Chittum (58th-22:22), Jenna Marsh (59th-22:28), and Shelby Nelson (76th-23:30).

Coach Parsons was super pleased with his girls efforts. "Our girls understood the objectives of their work-outs and got it done this season, which produced some outstanding results at the State Championship," Parsons said. 

10/20/11 Midland Boys & Girls are State Bound

Despite the brutal weather conditions, both the boys and girls from Midland produced efforts to qualify for next week's WV State Cross Country Championship.

Jacob Burcham led his team to another Regional Title and won by 21 seconds over teammate, Tyler Salmons. Also producing for the Knights were Jeremy Waugh (5th), Brian Lawhon (7th), Avery Campbell (10th), Eric Wooten (13th), and Jared King (18th).

On the girls side, it would be Jorden Thornton's 2nd place finish leading her girls team to the Runner-up position. After getting beat by Parkersburg a week ago at the MSAC Championship, it would be the Lady Knights doing the honors and edging out Parkersburg by a mere point this week. Other Lady Knights stepping up this week would be Kelsey Dillon (10th), Kendall McNeely (11th), Morgan Chittum (18th), Jenna Marsh (20th), Hannah Asebes (25th), and Molly Darling (35th).

The WV State XC Championship will be held on October 29th at Cabell Midland High School.

10/19/11 Wet, Windy, Cold Weather Predicted for Regionals

On Thursday, runners from across the state will be attempting to qualify for the 2011 WV State XC Championship. Runners will have two obstacles standing in their way of qualifying, which are runners from opposing teams and the predicted weather for race time. You can definitely plan on quality runners and the weatherman says you'll have to deal with wet, windy, and cold conditions. Both obstacles will make for an interesting outcome.

In Region IV, the Midland Boys will be set to defend the Region title, which they have won the past 16 of 17 years. On the girls side, Hurricane will be favored followed by strong teams from Parkersburg & Cabell Midland.

The WV State XC Championship is scheduled for October 29th at Cabell Midland High School. Midland has played host for the state meet the last 6 years.

10/18/11 Senior Spaghetti Dinner

Every season the Midland XC Program takes time to hold a special spaghetti dinner prior to the Regional & State meets to honor their seniors and senior parents. This year the event took place at the East Pea Ridge Baptist Church dining hall on Tuesday, October 18th at 6:00pm.

Senior athletes had the opportunity to stand in front of their teammates and reflect back on their high school running career.

The 2011 Cross Country Seniors are Emily Harbour, Jess Hutchinson, Morgan Chittum, Courtney Sanford, Molly Darling, Steven Egnatoff, Austin Allen, Collin Cooper, Ryan Wareheim, Yancy Cook, Daniel Parlock, and Tyler Salmons.

Cabell Midland Cross Country Program appreciates your dedication and hard work this season. We will miss all of you.

10/17/11 Freshman win Midland Last Chance

When the gun went off at the Midland Last Chance, it was the Freshman who would come away with the overall victories. Austin Jarrell would hold off a late charge from Brandon Atkinson to win by a 2 second margin in a time of 14:06. On the girls side, Brie Bellomy would totally dominate by 2 minutes for the overall victory.

Despite having both individual winners, "Team Parsons" would come up short for the Team Title and got edged out by "Team Diane" by a mere 2 points.

The Midland Last Chance is a annual event that gives Midland runners who are not competing or alternates for the upcoming Regional and State Meets. The race is run on Midland Cross Country course over a 4K challenging course.

10/15/11 Midland stays on top of WV rankings

The latest Runwv rankings continue having the Midland Boys sitting at the top. The boys have never been any lower all season, but are well aware of the team from the Eastern Panhandle who hunger for a state title. Jefferson High School has been the state runner-up the past 3 years, while Midland has won back to back state titles. The teams will meet for the first time this season at the WV State Championship on October 29th at Cabell Midland High School.

While Midland's boys team have been on top the entire season, Jacob Burcham has done likewise in the individual rankings. Joining him in the top 10, is teammate Tyler Salmons at 4th place. While Midland has 2 runners in the top 10, Jefferson also puts 2 in the top 10 and 4 in the top 14. Both programs have great teams and the state meet showdown should be a good one. 

10/14/11 Midland Boys Win MSAC Championship 

It's been since September 3rd since the Midland squad has competed on West Virginia soil. The boys team was looking for some redemption after a disappointing performance at the Geico Classic back in September. They found it with putting 5 runners on the 1st Team All MSAC and and winning the MSAC team title.

Jacob Burcham would add another victory to his resume and did it with ease in a time of 16:26 on a wet and muddy course at Cedar Lakes. Teammate, Tyler Salmons, was a close 2nd in 16:46 followed by Jeremy Waugh in 17:29, Avery Campbell (17:45), Eric Wooten (17:46), Jared King (17:49), and Brian Lawhon (18:05) to round out Midland's Elite 7.

On the girls side, the Lady Knights turned in a solid showing with a 3rd place team finish. Jorden Thornton led her team with a 4th place overall in 20:45 despite being sick the night before the race. Teammate, Kendall McNeely, ran 22:13 followed by Kelsey Dillon (22:30), Jenna Marsh (22:33), Morgan Chittum (22:49), Hannah Asebes (23:01), and Molly Darling (23:45) to round out Midland Top 7 runners.

The Knights will be back in action on Thursday (October 20th) for the Region IV Championship at the Hurricane Wave Park.

10/13/11 Midland set for MSAC Championship

Cabell Midland will be heading to Cedar Lakes in Ripley, WV for the MSAC XC Championship. the team is set and ready to perform despite any rain or muddy conditions.

This meet will not only serve as to who is Conference Champions, but plays a major role in determining Midland's Elite 7 on both the girls and boys side. There are several runners determine to make the Elite 7, but only 7 can compete in the upcoming Regional & State Championships. though the front runners have made solid performances for their spots, the 6 & 7 spots are wide open for who can perform under this pressure situation.

10/2/11 Midland competes against the Big Dawgs

Cabell Midland's Varsity team packed their bags and headed South to warmer weather to compete in the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, NC. Teams as far as California made the trip to Cary, which ranked as the top Cross Country meet in the nation for this weekend.

Jorden Thornton would throw down a 19:22 to place 8th overall in the Red Varsity race. This time would be her fastest of the season so far. Thornton was followed by Kelsey Dillon in 20:34, Kendall McNeely 21:14, Morgan Chittum 21:48, Hannah Asebes 22:02, and Jenna Marsh 22:04 to round out Midland's top 6 runners.

In the Boys Meet of Champions race, Jacob Burcham would share the lead most of the race with several different runners. With just over 400 meters to go, Burcham looked in control, but a late charge from Florida's, Daniel Moore, put him in the lead to move past Burcham for the win. Moore's 14:57.2 would set a new course record and mark him as the first athlete to break 15 for this course. Burcham would be a close 2nd in 15:00.2 to tie the old course record. Burcham is still building his training for his late season meets, which come in early December.

Tyler Salmons would set a PR of 15:50 for 27th overall, while Jeremy Waugh (16:40), Brian Lawhon (16:44), and Eric Wooten (17:17) rounded out Midland's top 5 runners.

The Knights will be back in action on October 12th in Ripley, WV for the MSAC Championship. The meet will be held at Cedar Lakes.

10/1/11 Jarrell & Nelson lead Midland in Road Race

While the Varsity runners of Midland were banging elbows with the best in the country at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, NC, Midland's reserve varsity runners were back home competing in the Path to Curve 5K on the streets of Huntington. The race attracted nearly 700 runners despite the rainy, cold weather conditions.

Austin Jarrell led the way with a PR of 17:54, which was good enough for 3rd place overall. Close behind was Brandon Atkinson setting a PR of 17:58 and 4th place overall. On the girls side, Shelby Nelson would set a PR of 22:24 followed by teammate, Molly Darling, in 22:30.

Most of Midland runners set new 5K PR's and had a great showing for the Knight's XC Program.

9/25/11 Midland Reserve win Varsity race at Rio Grande

While the Varsity stayed home and did a Tempo run work-out at B'ville Park, the Reserve Varsity were taking care of business at the Rio Grande Invitational. It would be Freshman, Brandon Atkinson leading the Knights to a 3 point victory over Fairfield Union with his 9th place finish overall. A few seconds back, Jacob Dillinger and Austin Jarrell would finish 10th and 11th place. Hunter Adkins would come across in 20th place, while Freshman, Jacob Whitmore's 49th place sealed the deal and gave the Knights a surprising Team Championship.

Midland girls Reserve runners would finish a solid 5th in the girls Varsity race. It would be Shelby Nelson leading the way for the Lady Knights, while teammate Molly Darling was close behind. Rounding out Midland's top 5 were Ashley Stump, Taylor Adkins, and Casey Ellis. 

For full results go to www.runwv.com in the Cross Country section. Click on Regular Season Results to the left of the page to find the Rio Grande Invitational.  

Midland Varsity runners will be back in action next Saturday in Cary, NC for the Great American Cross Country Festival.

9/22/11 Burcham ranked number #4 in Nation

The latest ESPNRise rankings are out and you don't have to read far down the list before seeing Jacob Burcham's name. Burcham comes in at the number #4 position behind Senior Futsum Zeinasellassie of Indiana, Edward Cherserek from New Jersey, and Tony Smoragiewicz of South Dakota. 

Burcham's next test will come at the Great American Festival in Cary, NC.

Link to Elite XC Top 25 click on the following: http://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/rankings/xc-top-25-boys-individuals/2011/Fall-2011.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC

9/22/11 Rio Grande up next for Midland Reserve

The Knights will send their Reserve Varsity up the river this coming Saturday to compete in the Rio Grande Invitational. The Varsity will train through this weekend and travel the following weekend to Cary, NC for the Great American Cross Country Festival.

Races at Rio Grande begin at 1:20pm for the girls and 2:40pm for the boys. 

9/7/11 Improvement in Louisville

After a heat scorcher at the Geico Classic 2 weeks ago, the Trinity Invitational brought very pleasant weather for all the runners competing on Saturday. Midland's main goal was to improve upon their Geico Classic performance, which the Knights achieved by far.   

Jacob Burcham took on all challengers and came away with the victory and a new PR with a time of 15:03. Following next for the Knights would be Tyler Salmons, who  would be right at his PR with a time of 15:57. Avery Campbell, Brian Lawhon, & Jeremy Waugh would round out the top 5 with times of 16:36, 16:36, and 16:44. Hunter Adkins would lead the Boys Reserve Varsity in a time of 18:25 followed by Jacob Dillinger (18:40), Daniel Parlock (18:57), Luke Short (19:42), and Amos Parlock (19:43) to round out the top 5. In the Boys Freshman race, Austin Jarrell would lead Midland with a time of 18:32 and good enough for 14th overall. Rounding out the top 5 were Brandon Atkinson (18:43), Jacob Whitmore (19:29), Jasper Gue (19:39) and Grant Briers (20:38).

In the girls Varsity, Jorden Thornton led with a time of 19:59 followed by Kelsey Dillon (20:29), Kendell McNeely (21:30), Morgan Chittum (21:41), and Hannah Asebes (22:06). In the Girls Reserve race, Jenna Marsh led the way for the Knights with a time of 22:17. Teammates, Jess Hutchinson (22:24), Jaime Schussler (22:50), Ashley Stump (23:03), and Molly Darling (23:03) rounded out Midland's top 5.

Midland will split their team in the next 2 weeks. Midland Reserve Varsity runners will be heading to Rio Grande this coming Saturday, while the Varsity will wait a week and travel to Cary, NC for the Great American Cross Country Festival.

Check out pics in the picture section for the Trinity Invitational. Also, go to www.runwv.com for full results.

9/7/11 Louisville next for Midland

On September 17th, Midland makes their way to Louisville, Ky for the Trinity Invitational, which is the oldest Invitational in Kentucky. This marks the 56th year that Trinity has hosted the meet. Powerhouse, Carmel from Indiana will be on hand to defend their 2010 title.

A Charter Bus will transport the Knights down on Friday, so runners can view & work out on the course. This will be an overnight trip for the Knights who will be staying in a Hotel 2 miles from the course. 

9/3/11 Weather biggest challenge at Geico Classic

The Geico Classic served as Midland's opener for the 2011 season and two things stood in the way of Midland boys repeating as Team Champions. The first was teams from WV and surrounding states and the second was the "Brutal" weather conditions. Both were too much for Midland and they got "spanked" on their home course. However, Jacob Burcham went untouched and cruised to a 35 second victory over the next competitor. Jeremy Waugh & Eric Wooten ran very solid for Midland, but waiting on Midland's 4th-6th runners was not a typical Midland team. It took some time and other teams took advantage of it and Midland had to settle for 4th place overall.

In the girls varsity, Jorden Thornton did her usual and ran like a beast. She ran an impressive 5th overall with a time 20:32 in the hot hot hot conditions. The next runners coming across the line for Midland were Kelsey Dillon, Alex Ellis, Morgan Chittum, Brie Bellomy, Hannah Asebes , and Kendell McNeeley rounded out Midland's top 7. The girls team were solid and Coach Parsons was pleased.

In the Boys Reserve Varsity, it was all Steven Egnatoff running to an 18 second over the 2nd place finishers. The boys reserve would finish in the runner-up spot behind a strong Parkersburg team.

In the Girls Reserve Varsity, Jaime Schussler would lead her team to a 2nd place finish behind powerhouse University.