By Zack Hill |ContributorBefore their NCAA Southeast Regional meet on Nov. 17 at the Gainesville campus of the University of North Georgia, the Augusta University men’s cross country team showed a palpable sense of confidence, walking around with stern expressions and talking in absolutes, saying things like, “We got this” and “I’m gonna do great.”The ubiquitous mood reflected what was revealed by their performances: they were trained well and perfectly ready to leave it all on the UNG course.The race started like any other, with the Jaguars settling in the first third of the pack and playing it tactically. In this race, though, the Jaguars seemed to get notably stronger as the race went on.
When it was over, Hunter Kimball had finished the 10-kilometer race in seventh place overall in 32 minutes, 1.91 seconds and helped lead the team to third place. Senior Noah Hulett was next for AU in 32:04.94, and his teammates lifted him up in celebration of his outstanding run. Jacob Poston was third for the Jags in 32:46.1. Poston was 19th overall. Chandler Kennedy was next for AU with a time of 33:02.4, good for 23rd place. Hans Troyer, a freshman, was next in 34:02.5.Even better news was that the Jaguars had qualified for the NCAA Division Cross Country Championship for the second year in a row. It is the third time in school history Augusta has advanced to the nationals.“We knew we could do that all season,” AU Coach Adam Ward said. “I knew the guys were capable, we pushed through the season and peaked exactly when we needed to, it makes it all worth it.”The Jaguars’ Ward was obviously excited for the results, but seemed even more enthused by the idea that he has started a new legacy and has set a new standard for Augusta in cross country by getting his team to nationals two years in a row.AU finished ahead of Peach Belt champion UNC Pembroke, which was fourth in the regional. The winner was Queens University of Charlotte, and Mount Olive took second place.Joshua Chepkesir of UNC Pembroke was the regional champion in 31:10.0, just ahead of Carson-Newman's Luke Greer in 31:10.03. Queens then took third, fourth and fifth place to sew up the regional time title.
Kimball was delighted with his team’s performance.“I didn’t do as well as I wanted to at conference,” he said (Kimball finished third in the Peach Belt championship), “but that more than made up for it. I am excited for the future and hope to do well at nationals.”Hulett ran an extremely gritty race and closed the next-to-last chapter of his collegiate running career on a satisfying high note.“I love this new group, can’t wait to see future for Augusta, happy for to be part of this for one last time," he said.The Jaguars will be competing nn the Division II nationals in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Dec 1.On the women's side, Augusta finished 10th overall. McKenzie Knudsen was the first AU runner to cross the finish line in the six-kilometer race in 23:32.0. Lara Way was next in 34th place in 24:04.7. Queens won the women's title with Flagler, the Peach Belt champion, second. Anderson was third. The women's champion was Leah Hanle of Mount Olive in 21:39.4. Lauren Penkala of Flagler finished fourth, the top finish for a PBC runner on the women's side. Flagler's Heloise Duffie de Tassigny, the conference champ, was sixth. Contact Zack Hill at zhill@augusta.edu.