AU men seeking seventh straight PBC XC crown; women picked second

By Maleigha Johnson | Sports writer

The Augusta University cross-country program is gearing up for what could be one of its most promising seasons in recent memory. With one of the largest and deepest recruiting classes in program history, the Jaguars are blending fresh talent with experienced returners to create a lineup poised to make noise at both the Peach Belt Conference and regional levels.

Early fitness test: 3,200-meter time trials

The Jaguars , who are picked by the league’s coaches to win another Peach Belt title this season, opened their fall training block with preseason 3,200-meter time trials, giving Coach Jacob Burgamy, his assistants and the athletes an early glimpse at summer fitness.

Both the men and women’s squads showed strong performances across the board, with times that signal the team is on track without being overworked this early in the year.

Assistant coach and former AU runner Avery Jaynes praised the balance he saw in the time trials.

“Yes, both male and female athletes took part in the time trial,” said Jaynes, AU’s only all-American in the history of its cross-country and track programs. “There were some great times on both sides, and I believe the team is in a perfect spot right now. Not too fit too early but just at the fitness they need to be to keep progressing throughout the season.”

Team atmosphere and training environment

Beyond times on the track, the team is receiving help from improved training resources. Burgamny, in his fourth year as the AU XC coach, highlighted the momentum growing within the program.

“With things like the new weight room, we are very happy about that addition and feel like it enhances our training,” he said “Since we don’t have our own track, that does make practice a little trickier at times, but we make it work—and it hasn’t affected our performance in competition so far.”

The weight room in Christenberry is superior to the previous facility, and the XC runners have been working out in the room in preseason workouts.

AU lost most of its top runners from last year’s team, including Jaynes, who won the Peach Belt individual title and went on to make all-American at the nationals. Also gone are Jordan Robertson, Brandon Martin (the 2023 Peach Belt individual champion), Tripp Miller and Patrick Motes.

The top returning runners include Andrew Cole, Nasrudin Mohamed, Eli Corn. Carter Dehnke, Shahzeb Rashid and Beck Wolf Hardy.

The top returnees for the AU women include junior Maria Biondollilo and sophomores Sophia Cook and Lily McDonald. The preseason coaches’ poll picked the Jaguars to finish second on the women’s side.

Women’s recruiting class

Burgamy has a huge recruiting class for the Jaguar women’s team. The women’s roster gains a diverse mix of talent, highlighted by multiple sub-5:20 1,600-meter runners and proven 5-kilometer cross-country standouts:

• Kylee Geveke (JR, GCSU) – 5000m 19:55

• Gabby Jourdain (SO, USC Aiken) – 1500m 5:04.96, 5000m 18:40

• Josabeth Graciano (Gainesville HS) – 800m 2:18.66, 1600m 5:10.13, 5K XC 19:16

• Gabriella Burton (Northview HS) – 800m 2:21.26, 1600m 5:16.00, 5K XC 19:16

• Elkin Regina (Norcross HS) – 1600m 5:19.61, 3200m 11:50, 5K XC 19:24

• Caleigh Munro (Greenbrier HS) – 800m 2:21.70, 1600m 5:12.79, 5K XC 20:15

• Amelia Ogden (Lambert HS) – 1600m 5:34, 3200m 11:53, 5K XC 20:23

• Camryn Wommack (Jones County HS) – 1600m 5:40, 3200m 12:24, 5K XC 20:09

• Carlee Hodges (Richmond Hill HS) – 3200m 12:38, 5K XC 21:30

• Devan Howard (Barrow Arts HS) – 1600m 5:52.19, 5K XC 21:45

• Ari Paine (Morgan County HS) – 5K XC 21:38

Men’s recruiting class

On the men’s side, Augusta adds a mix of proven high school stars and transfers with collegiate experience. Multiple new Jaguars bring sub-4:25 1600m and sub-16:00 5K credentials, strengthening the team’s championship depth.

• Sam Segrist (Lakeside, Evans) – 1600m 4:39.50, 3200m 9:57.21, 5K XC 16:16

• Barrett Stepp (Cartersville HS) – 800m 2:02.08, 5K XC 16:10

• Daniel Pierce (Etowah HS) – 400m 52.20, 800m 1:58.14

• Kaden Lombardo (Grovetown HS) – 400m 52.22, 800m 1:57.44

• Evan McDaniel (Brentwood School) – 400m 53.05, 800m 2:02.00

• Caleb Darsey (Bleckley HS) – 1600m 4:26.12, 3200m 9:29, 5K XC 15:54

• DJ Oakes (Etowah HS) – 800m 1:55.57, 1600m 4:22.62, 5K XC 15:52

• Jackson Musto (Greenbrier HS) – 800m 1:56.08, 1600m 4:24.21, 5K XC 15:44

• Connor Mumford (Lambert HS) – 800m 1:59.32, 1600m 4:22.26, 5K XC 15:50

• Brock Ferguson (Darlington HS) – 800m 1:59.77, 3200m 9:39.02, 5K XC 15:56

• Landon Amos (North Paulding HS) – 1600m 4:28.46, 3200m 9:50.97, 5K XC 15:58

• Oscar Curry (JR, Columbia College) – 800m 1:54.76, 1500m 3:49.20, 8K XC 25:43

• Owen Almelien (JR, Des Moines Area CC) – 5000m 15:37, 8K XC 26:04

• Robert Wetherholt (JR, Campbell University) – 400m 50.46, 800m 1:56.00

• Benjamin Hall (Richmond Hill HS) – 1600m 4:20.48, 3200m 9:25.24, 5K XC 15:22

• Luke Brand (North Paulding HS) – 1600m 4:23.25, 3200m 9:28.69, 5K XC 15:44

• Francisco Rodriguez (Cambridge HS) – 1600m 4:24.86, 3200m 9:29.16, 5000m 15:20

Looking ahead

The Jaguars will open their season on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Converse Kick-Off in Spartanburg, S.C., with primarily the younger runners taking part. Then on Sept. 12, the Jags’ top runners are set to debut in the Queen City Invitational in Charlotte, N.C.

The Converse Kick-Off will take place at Converse University’s Milliken Arboretum.

The Jaguar men will be going for their seventh consecutive league title—which would be a new standard, as they are currently tied with Kennesaw State at six in a row.

Contact Maleigha Johnson at mjohnson70@augusta.edu. 

Nasrudin Mohamed (443) is among a handful of experienced upperclassmen who return for the Jaguars. At the top of the page, Avery Jaynes (410) won the 2024 Peach Belt men’s individual title. Jaynes, now a grad assistant, led the Jaguar men’s team to its sixth straight Peach Belt Conference crown. This year, the Jaguars go for the all-time record at seven. (Bell Ringer file photos)