Jaynes shatters 10K record at Raleigh Relays, eyes NCAA Nationals

By Jaxon Garner | Editor in Chief

RALEIGH, N.C. – Avery Jaynes shattered the Augusta University track and field record for the 10,000 meters on March 27 at the Raleigh Relays, hosted by North Carolina State University. Jaynes clocked a time of 28:59.21, breaking his own school record set last year at the Lee Last Chance meet.

With this result, Jaynes will likely meet the provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Division II Nationals, scheduled for May 22–24 in Pueblo, Colorado. However, provisional qualifiers are not officially confirmed until on or around May 11.

Augusta has not had a track and field athlete compete at the national championships since 2013, when Dustin Ross qualified in the 1,500 meters. Jaynes' performance now puts him on track to potentially end that 11-year drought.

His 28:59.21 time vaulted him to third in the Division II standings for the 10K—just 9.89 seconds behind Lewis University’s Evan Horgan, who also set his mark at the Raleigh Relays.

Despite the dominant showing, Jaynes entered the race with a calm mindset, focusing on execution rather than breaking records.

“I just really wanted to focus on going out there and racing strong,” Jaynes said. “We knew if I got into a good position early and just sat there, a good time would come. I felt like a fast time was coming, but being able to hit sub-29 in my first 10K of the season is pretty exciting.”

Jaynes was originally slated to compete in the 5,000 meters, an event in which he also holds the school record. However, after discussions with head coach Jacob Burgamy, they opted for the 10K, believing it offered a better opportunity for a fast time. The decision paid off.

His record-breaking performance has had a major impact on his teammates, who were thrilled to see his hard work translate into a national-level result.

“The team has been ecstatic, to say the least,” senior long-distance runner Patrick Motes said. “Everyone really can’t stop talking about it… he dropped a massive PR by almost a minute, which is unheard of. It’s been a long time coming for him, and finally, the stars aligned. We’re shocked—but at the same time, we’re not—because we see what Avery is capable of every day at practice. To see him put it on display on a national level was one of the coolest things ever.”

Beyond the excitement, Jaynes’ achievement serves as motivation for the team as they approach the heart of their season.

“It really just serves as a reminder that if you do what Coach says—no more, no less—and put your best foot forward, you can succeed,” Motes said. “As a graduating senior, it shows the younger guys and incoming freshmen what this program is about and what we’re capable of here.”

For Jaynes, breaking his own record only raises the bar for what’s next.

“Being able to break your own school record definitely feels special,” Jaynes said. “It helps set a goal in mind and pushes me to get better. Honestly, running that time just makes me want to go faster. Once I accomplish one goal, I’m already looking forward to the next one, so my goals for the rest of the season have definitely moved up.”

With NCAA Nationals on the horizon, Jaynes remains focused on steady progress.

“Training will pretty much stay the same—I don’t want to get too ahead of myself before May rolls around,” he said. “I just want to take it one race at a time and improve each time. Confidence is definitely high after running a time like that, but anything can happen when qualifying for nationals. I want to carry this confidence into the next race and see how much more I can push to improve.”

Jaynes will continue his record-breaking pace on the West Coast, traveling to Azusa Pacific University in California for the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 16–19. Regarded as one of the premier outdoor track and field meets, the event will see Jaynes compete in both the 5K and 10K.

You can expect a deep dive of this meet along with future track and field meets on The Sports Squad, sometime next week.

Contact Jaxon Garner at jaxgarner@augusta.edu.

Top of the screen: Avery Jaynes after breaking the AU 10K record at the Raleigh Relays (Photo by David Nguyen/Special for The Bell Ringer.)