Jerome inks pair of men's cross country recruits
April 18, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
Alaska Nanooks head men's cross country coach Scott Jerome announced the addition of two new recruits for the 2013 season. Tal Norvell of Douglas, Alaska, and Mitch Burgess of Temecula, Calif., will enter the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the fall as freshmen with four years of NCAA eligibility remaining.
Tal Norvell
Norvell was a four-year letterman for the Juneau Douglas High School boys cross country team and was also a member for the Crimson Bears baseball team from 2009-13.
He was the boy's runner-up at the Regional Championship in 2011 as a junior and part of Crimson Bears squad that took second at the cross country state championships in 2009. He was a utility player for Juneau Douglas' state baseball title team last spring.
This fall, Norvell wrapped up a solid high school racing career by setting his five-kilometer personal record of 16 minutes and 28 seconds at the Palmer Invite on Sept. 1, then winning the Southeast Region Championship and finally taking fourth at the Alaska School Activities Association State Championship in October.
“Tal is a solid Alaskan runner who will make our team stronger,” Jerome said. “He is also an excellent student and we know he will uphold our tradition of strong academics on the running team.”
Norvell plans to pursue a film degree with career aspirations of working in Alaska's film industry.
Mitch Burgess
A senior at Great Oak High School, Burgess competed for the Wolfpack's boys cross country and track and field teams for the last four seasons.
A 2012 season cross country team captain, he participated on the GOHS California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) team that finished ninth among Division I boys squads and 13thoverall.
He set his personal record at the Dana Hills Invite on Sept. 22, taking 22nd out of 203 runners on the three mile course in 15:51. Burgess finished 17th at the Mt. Sac Junior Varsity Nationals where he was the third scoring runner on the GOHS squad that was first overall.
On the track, Burgess ran a personal best 3200 in 9:57.01 (9th) and a 1600 in 4:38:78 (10th).
“A good runner from California, Mitch is just what we need for the men's squad,” Jerome said. “I know he will work well with Ross (MacDougall) and Tux (Seims) as we shoot for higher results at the conference and regional championships. The snow will be an adjustment for him, but I know he is strong enough mentally to overcome the change in climate and become one of our top runners.”
Burgess plans to study petroleum engineering at UAF.