AU’s Taylor wins third in a row

Augusta’s Mackenzie Taylor running her course-record 17:05 time at the North Georgia Invite. (photo by David Troyer, special to the Bell Ringer)

Staff report |

Mackenzie Taylor of Augusta University made it three straight wins to start her collegiate career as a cross-country runner, winning the North Georgia Invite in Gainesville on Saturday morning, Oct. 31.

Taylor ran the 5-kilometer UNG course in 17 minutes and five seconds, more than a minute ahead of second-place finisher Jessie Mescal of Flagler in 18:18. Third place went to Malia Cryan, also of Flagler, in 18:25..

AU’s Taylor is a transfer from Truett McConnell University, where she played soccer. She had also won events at West Columbia, S.C., and in Birmingham, Ala. Both of those races were 6Ks.

Taylor’s victory at North Georgia was a course record and the best 5K women’s time in AU history.

Teammate Jaelen Alexander finished 18th in 19:49 on Saturday morning. AU’s Haley Gilbert was 22nd in 20:25.

In the men’s 8K race, the leading Jaguar was sophomore Carlos Rodriguez. The Grovetown High School product finished in seventh place with a time of 26:26. Next for the Jaguars was Mikias Mekonen in 26:33 (in eighth place overall), followed by Ben McGinnis in 26:38 (10th). The Augusta men finished second behind Flagler.

Coach Adam Ward rested most of his top men’s runners as the Peach Belt Conference championship is in two weeks, also at North Georgia.