Burnham Honored as California Track Athlete of Year

Angela Burnham of Rio Mesa High has been named the 1988 Gatorade California female high school track and field athlete of the year.

The state champion in the 100 and 200 meters as a junior, Burnham powered Rio Mesa to a share of its first state title this spring. A month later, she set a national age-group 100 record at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis in July and placed sixth in the World Junior Championships in Sudbury, Canada, two weeks after that.

“I ran much faster than I ever expected,” Burnham said of the 11.28 age-16 100 record she set at the Trials. “It didn’t feel that fast. I just got caught up with the competition and went with the flow.”

Burnham’s record run was a national high school leader and moved her to third on the all-time high school list.