Flagler ends AU men's stranglehold on Peach Belt XC crown
Staff report
MILLEDGEVILLE—The Flagler men’s cross-county team ended Augusta University’s six-year lock on the Peach Belt Conference crown with a 20-point victory over the Jaguars on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The Saints took first, second, fourth, fifth and seventh for 19 points in the 8-kilometer race at Georgia College and State University’s West Campus, while AU runners finished third, sixth, ninth, 10th and 11th for 39 points.
“Flagler was the better team,” said AU assistant coach Avery Jaynes. “They had more runners coming back from last season, whereas we lost eight. Main thing now is how our guys respond heading to the regional.”
It was the Saints’ first conference title in men’s cross-country since 2016.
Finnian Russell of Flagler finished first in 24 minutes and 50.7 seconds. Teammate Will Stone was second in 24:58.3.
Andrew Helfers of Augusta came across in third place in 25:06.0. Next for coach Jacob Burgamy’s Jaguars was Nasrudin Mohamed in 25:15.9. He came in sixth.
“Placing third today was a big deal,” Helfers said, “because all season I have been hanging on to Nas’s coattails. He’s a great teammate, a great friend. I’ve always struggled with courses like this one, so running two seconds off my PR means a lot.”
Freshman Caleb Darsey took ninth in 25:38, followed by junior Oscar Curry in 10th in 25:40.1. Freshman Jackson Musto rounded out AU’s scorers with a time of 25:41.0, good for 11th place.
Darsey, who is from Cochran, has performed well all season.
“I just never give up,” Darsey said. “I had a really rough track season my senior in high school. I almost quit running. I just wasn’t running well. I had lost my love for the sport. But Coach Burgamy got me back into shape, and I regained my love for the sport.”
Helfers, Mohamed, Darsey, Curry, Musto and Eli Corn were all named all-conference from AU.
The Jaguars advance to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regionals on Nov. 8 at Wingate in North Carolina.
Note: Lydia Williams and Anna Biondollilo contributed to this report.
AU’s Nasrudin Mohamed (R) finished in 25:15.9, good for sixth place. Here he sits next to AU coach Jacob Burgamy during the awards ceremony. At the top of the page, the Jaguars’ Andrew Helfers (26) races home in third place. (photos by Lydia Williams/the Bell Ringer)
