AU outdoor track and field opens campaign in Atlanta
By Anna Biondolillo | Sports writer
Augusta University coach Jacob Burgamy is optimistic for a successful outdoor track and field season after the program’s first indoor track season led to a second-place finish for the men and a third-place finish for the women in the Peach Belt Conference championships.
“I think indoors was a huge success,” Burgamy said. “We broke a couple of all-time PBC records, won some individual titles, and brought home a team trophy on the men’s side and tied our highest outdoor team finish ever on the women’s side.”
The two teams finished the season at the PBC conference meet in Gainesville, Fla., on Feb. 23. Several outstanding performances were turned in, as graduate student Avery Jaynes finished his AU career by winning the men’s 5,000 meter with a time of 14 minutes and 31.77 seconds. Furthermore, Jaynes finished second in the 3,000, getting second place with a time of 8 minutes and 13.39 seconds. Jaynes is the lone all-Amercan in the history of the men’s track-and-field program after he finished fifth in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division II Championships in Colorado last spring.
Senior Madison Thomas won the women’s 5,000 meters in Gainesville with a time of 17 minutes and 26.08 seconds, setting a PBC record, and freshman Gabby Jourdain won the women’s 3K with a time of 10 minutes and 58.14 seconds. Jourdain was named freshman indoor athlete of the year.
Senior Mitchell Jean Baptiste placed third in men’s high jump with a height of 1.94 meters, junior Seth Eye finished first in the 800-meter run in 1:50.13, and the men’s 4x4 400-meter relay team (Gabriel Carson, Charlie Roberts, Roberto Barrera and Dorian Chance) placed first with a time of 3:16.56. Freshman Cameron Wade was PBC field athlete of the year in the indoor season.
“I am proud because it was a big adjustment for many athletes, but I feel we handled it well, and in looking forward to the outdoors,” assistant coach Briana Tillman said of the program’s first indoor season. “We are building off our indoor momentum, and we are hungry for more.”
After the indoor season and a small break, the AU teams got right back into their usual training as they started their build-up for the outdoor season.
“We’ve mostly kept things rolling, and everyone has been looking like they’re ready to rip at the outdoor opening meets,” Burgamy said.
While the Jaguars had taken the indoor season very seriously, they also treated it as a rust buster for the outdoor season, as that is where the athletes’ priorities lie.
“We picked up the intensity after giving them a small break after the conference,” Tillman said. “Nothing in training has drastically changed.”
With the first outdoor track-and-field meet less than a week away, the team is filled with anticipation.
The Jaguar teams will be splitting up to compete this Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, at the Emory Spring Break Invitational and the Yellow Jacket Invitational, both in Atlanta.
The air is filled with anticipation to see how the Jaguars will do this outdoor season.
“We have so many great athletes across all events right now, which is a situation we haven’t always had,” Burgamy said.
Note: At the top of the page, Madison Thomas continued her outstanding senior year with a championship in the PBC Indoor Championships 5,000-meter run. Thomas was the PBC runner of the year in cross-country. (photo by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
Contact Anna Biondolillo at ABIONDOLILLO@augusta.edu.
Maria Biondolillo gives the Jaguars depth in the women’s 5,000 and 10,000 meters. The outdoor track-and-field season opens on March 20 in Atlanta with Jaguars competing at Emory and Georgia Tech. (photo by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
