Academic Magnet's Colin Baker was named Gatorade South Carolina Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Baker is the first Gatorade South Carolina Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from Academic Magnet High School.
Baker raced to the Class AAA individual state championship this past season with a time of 14:48.53. He took fourth at the Foot Locker South Regional championships and placed eighth nationally at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, earning All-American honors. He also posted wins at the Region 7 championships and the Low Country Invitational, while placing third at the Great American Cross Country Festival.
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A member of the Math Honor Society, Baker has volunteered locally on behalf of a summer camp. "Colin has put in lots of time, energy and physical work on a year-round basis," said Academic Magnet coach Brian Johnson. "He does much of his running on his own, and the self-discipline he has displayed is unmatched by any athlete I've ever coached."
Baker has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. He will attend Harvard University this fall, where he will compete in cross country and track and field.
Baker joins Gatorade South Carolina Boys Cross Country Runners of the Year Wynn Johnson (2017-18, Dorman High School), John Ward (2016-17, Wade Hampton High School), Jackson Ellenburg (2015-16, Ashley Ridge High School), Micah Williams (2014-15, Greer Middle College Charter High School), and Brent Demarest (2013-14, Porter-Gaud School) as athletes who have won the cross country award since its inception in 2007.