GRU men tie Columbus State for first, women sixth at Peach Belt Conference Championships at Georgia Southwestern
AUGUSTA, Ga. – The GRU Augusta men’s cross country program tied for first place with Columbus State in the Peach Belt Conference Championships, while the Jaguar women placed sixth Saturday morning in Americus, Ga., on the campus of Georgia Southwestern at the Southland Academy Course.
The Jaguar men and Columbus State men each finished with 47 team points in the 8K. Senior Jaiden Brandt shredded the course for a second-place finish in 24:39.99 to lead GRU Augusta. Brandt bettered his time from racing at the Southland Academy Course on Sept. 7 when the men won The Remembrance Run. Senior Dustin Ross notched fifth overall in 25:04.39 and Preston Jones took 10th in 25:40.88 at this year’s league finals.
Shane Huckeba (25:41.95) and Matt Johnson (26:05.24) took 12th and 18th to each better their times from early this year and Nick Del Guercio rounded out the Jags’ top 25 in 26:21.9. Flagler’s Corey Mundy won the overall race in 24:29.75. The GRU men improved from last year’s second-place finish to Columbus State who won the event outright in 2012.
2013 PBC Championships Men’s Team Results
Columbus State
GRU Augusta
UNC Pembroke
Flagler
Georgia College
Armstrong
Montevallo
Young Harris
Clayton State
Francis Marion
***Full men’s results here
Jaguar freshman Leah Rife led the team for the first time of her career finishing 14th in 22:37.39 in the women’s 6K race. Freshman Jordan Humphrey chased Rife to take 15th in 22:30.34, while junior Jessica Carpenter finished 15th in 23:09.94.
Flagler’s Sara Mund won the race in 21:35.23 to lead Flagler to first place. Rife, Humphrey and Carpenter all posted faster times than earlier this year at The Remembrance Run on the Southland course. The Jags women improved their ninth-place finish at the 2013 PBC Championships, where Carpenter led them in 14th.
2013 PBC Championships Women’s Team Result
Flagler
Columbus State
Clayton State
UNC Pembroke
Montevallo
GRU Augusta
North Georgia
Georgia College
Young Harris
Georgia Southwestern
USC Aiken
Francis Marion
***Full women’s results here
At last year’s league championships held in Montevallo, Ala., the Jags men finished runner-up to Columbus State after winning the title in 2011. Brandt led the squad with a fourth-place spot in 25:41.26 and Ross took eighth in 26:00.4. The GRU women placed ninth, behind Carpenter’s team-leading 14th place.
The NCAA Southeast Regionals take place on Nov. 9 in Charlotte, N.C., at McAlpine Creek Park.