Distance runner Jourdain making herself at home with the Jaguars
By Anna Biondolillo | Sports writer
Gabby Jourdain, who transferred from USC Aiken to Augusta University for cross-country and track, has done nothing but stun Augusta University since she got here.
The sophomore from Sandy Run, S.C., is a kinesiology major with big ambitions when it comes to running, and she has shown what she is capable of during the indoor track season. The AU runner has a first and a second in the 5,000 meters in meets in Mill Spring, N.C.
Jourdain still learning the AU and Jaguar cross-country and track world.
“The new team has been so welcoming and has created a really positive environment to transition into,” she said.
Coming into a new team and training program can come with different challenges, but she has adapted well as she has competed well in last fall's cross country. And now, she’s broken the school record for the 3k on an indoor track with a time of 10:20. She’s adapted well to the new training style and program here at AU.
Just like everyone else who started any sport, Gabby started running back in her first year in middle school and has been improving ever since.
Jourdain (2) takes first place in the 5,000 meters at the Tryon Winter Classic (photo by Anna Biondolillo/the Bell Ringer)
“I started track in sixth grade because my dad was a runner,” she said, “and I thought it would be fun to try a new sport with my friends. Shortly after, I fell in love and knew I wanted to continue this sport as long as I possibly could.”
Jordain started in the same way most runners would start, in her middle school at a young age, but little did she know that she would make it this far in her running career to be a collegiate athlete, breaking school records and improving with each day.
Her goals for running stay consistent with her constant progression in getting better and better as time goes on.
“I would love to stay healthy and continuously PR throughout my time here,” she said. “I would also love to one day compete at nationals.”
And as she continues with her training, she might be able to make that dream a reality to compete at the NCAA Division II indoor or outdoor track and field championships this spring.
She’s been running under AU coach Jacob Burgamy ever since she got to Augusta last August. Her training under him has been vastly different from the training program she was used to at USC Aiken. But she knows that to get to where she wants to go with her running career, she needs to “follow training, prioritize recovery, and continue to trust the process,” she said.
Sometimes this can seem like a difficult task, especially after a big change from transferring to a different school, but Jourdain is doing well with the change and the new program.
With everything that has happened in her life to bring her to this point in time, the Jaguar runner has adapted a good attitude of gratitude through it all.
“I would like to thank God for this ability and my parents for their continuous support through it all,” Jourdain said.
Up next for Jourdain and her teammates is the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston. That will take place Friday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 14.
With so much potential and many more performances to come, Burgamy and Jourdain’s teammates anxiously anticipate what she will do next. As a sophomore, she has shown exponential growth under the Jaguar coach, and she hasn’t even been on campus a full year.
Contact Anna Biondolillo at abiondolillo@augusta.edu.
Gabby Jourdain shows her form during the Peach Belt Conference championship meet in Milledgeville last October. At the top of the page, Jourdain (81) competes in an indoor track meet in North Carolina. (photos by Anna Biondolillo/the Bell Ringer)
