Flagler ends AU men's stranglehold on Peach Belt XC crown
By Maleigha Johnson | Sports Writer
MILLEDGEVILLE—The Augusta University men's cross-country team left everything on the course Saturday morning and finished second overall at the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Championships at Georgia College in Milledgeville.
The finish ended Augusta's seven-year championship streak, but the Jaguars' performance showed heart, grit, and the promise of a youthful team hungry to grow.
Junior Andrew Helfers led Augusta with a third-place finish (25:06.0), and Nasrudin Mohamed was sixth (25:15.9). Freshman Caleb Darsey was ninth (25:38.2), Oscar Curry was 10th (25:40.1), and first-year student Jackson Musto rounded out the top five in 11th (25:41.0). Junior Eli Corn claimed his first all-conference honor with a 15th-place finish (25:50.0).
Corn said that despite the team not taking the win, there was much to be proud of.
"There's this huge incline in this race, but that's not the worst of it," Corn said. "It's going back down it. There's no one back there cheering for you, so you have to stay in your head and keep pushing even when no one is watching. We didn't get the job done today, but we ran hard and had fun doing it.”
Augusta's roster was significantly depleted this year following the loss of several veteran runners, so first-year students and sophomores were left.
According to Assistant Coach Avery Jaynes, a former Augusta runner himself, the team thrived on the challenge.
"It's a pretty young team most of the guys who ran today are freshmen," Jaynes said. "We graduated several upperclassmen last year, so it was a large change in the team dynamic. Our goal was to get these guys to learn to compete at a high level against experienced runners."
Jaynes credited Flagler's veteran-filled lineup as the difference-maker, but he's confident the Jaguars' future will be even brighter.
"Flagler was the better team today they were more experienced," he said. "But our guys competed hard, and next year they'll have what we refer to as that sophomore boost. They'll be stronger and hungrier to get our streak going again.”
For first-year Caleb Darsey, who finished ninth, the meet was personal.
I had a horrible track season my senior year and almost lost my passion for running," Darsey said. "Coach Jaynes got me back in shape and helped me fall in love with the sport again. For me, it is about never giving up. For our team, it just shows how young we are and that we will be back next year fighting for that top trophy."
Though sans title, Augusta's runners left with pride and prospect. They pushed each other through a tough course, demonstrating the future of Jaguar cross country is in capable hands.
“We left it all on the course,” said Darsey. “We’re proud and we’ll be back for more.”
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)
