FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Adam Woullard (312-729-3627)
CLARKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE MARYLAND BOYS CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (January 17, 2013) — In its 28th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced William Bertrand of Clarksburg High School as its 2012-13 Gatorade Maryland Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Bertrand is the first Gatorade Maryland Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from Clarksburg High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the racecourse, distinguishes Bertrand as Maryland’s best high school boys cross country runner. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in January, Bertrand joins an elite alumni association of past state award- winners in 12 sports, including Ryan Hall (1999-00, 2000-01, Big Bear HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Kevin Garnett (1992-93, Maudlin HS, S.C.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.) and Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.).
The 5-foot-8, 130-pound senior raced to the Class 4A individual state championship this past season with a time of 16:02.7. A 2012 Washington Post First Team All-Met selection, Bertrand earned 12th place at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional championships, crossing the line in 15:55.5.
Bertrand has maintained a 3.98 GPA in the classroom. A member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society, he has volunteered at his school as a math tutor.
“William Bertrand is a great kid and one of the finest runners I have ever coached,” said Clarksburg High head coach Rob Burke. “His work ethic is unmatched and drives him to succeed in all that he does.”
Bertrand will attend Princeton University this fall where he will compete in cross country.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Bertrand joins Gatorade Maryland Boys Cross Country Runners of the Year Braden Bruning (2011-12, Linganore High School), Chris Miller (2010-11, Northwest High School), Andrew Palmer (2009-10, Walt Whitman), Zach Sullivan (2008- 09, Archbishop Spalding), and Joey Thompson (2007-08, Howard) as athletes who have won the cross country award since its inception in 2007.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.
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