AU men finish fourth in Eye Opener XC race

By Domonic Macias | Sports writer

The Augusta Jaguar men’s cross-country team took fourth in the Jags’ first race of the season on Sept. 1 at USC Upstate.

The Jaguars competed against 17 other teams in the Eye Opener in Spartanburg, S.C., beating out USC Upstate and East Tennessee State, both of which are NCAA Division I schools. Liberty won the men’s race, with Furman second and Clemson third.

The Jaguar men's top finishers were Avery Jaynes (22), Patrick Motes (23), Brandon Martin (26), Jordan Robertson (27) and Thomas Rischar (28).

The men's team had a very tight pack of runners with their top five only having a spread of 22 seconds. With this tight pack, the Jaguars were able to be placed first out of Division 2 school this past weekend.

The AU women's team also competed this past weekend, placing eighth. The Jaguars took second among Division II schools. Furman, Clemson and Liberty were the top-three teams in the women’s race.

The Jaguar women had outstanding performances, especially Madison Kennedy, who placed 54th with a collegiate best in the 5K of 19:11.3. Following closely behind was true freshman Maria Biondollilo, who placed 62nd in her first collegiate race with a time of 19:26.2. 

With both the men's and women's teams having a strong start to the season. Everyone is excited to see what the Jaguars will do in the coming races this season.

Some of the Jaguars will compete in the Queen City Invitational hosted by Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 15. Others will compete in the Southern Showcase that same day at Jacksonville State in Alabama.

Contact Domonic Macias at dmacias@augusta.edu.