Taylor wins, AU men finish second at UAB XC meet
Jacob Poston (404) en route to third place in the Blazer Classic; Poston led AU to a second-place finish in the race. (photo by David Troyer, special to the Bell Ringer)
By Justin Brosemer |
Sports writer
Augusta University’s cross-country program proved itself to be among the best in the biggest competition of the season thus far at the UAB Blazer Classic on Oct. 16. The men’s team finished in second place in their 8-kilometer race, while the women’s team, led by individual winner Mackenzie Taylor, placed sixth in their 6K event in Birmingham, Ala.
In the men’s runner-up performance, the team excelled past the doubts and obstacles predicted to trip them up coming into this year’s strange season. Senior Jacob Poston would place third in the race with a time of 24 minutes, 17 second, with seniors Chase Kennedy (sixth, 24:32) and Hunter Kimball (ninth, 24:36) finishing in the top 10 as well. Even with a solid team performance and a second consecutive Peach Belt Conference Runner of the Week award, Poston said he holds his team to higher expectations in his interview with The Bell Ringer post-race.
“Even though [our finish] was disappointing,” Poston said, “it was a good wake-up call and will help us grow as a team.”
This is a natural reaction for the men’s team ranking first in its conference the preseason polls heading into this year and ranked third nationally by NCAA Division II coaches. However, second place in the most competitive event of the season yet is nothing to hang one’s head low about. Kennedy spoke about this reasoning for the team reaction post-meet.
“We had the luxury of flying under the radar last year, and we shocked a lot of people with how we performed at nationals,” Kennedy noted. “That being said, we hold ourselves to a high standard and we will take this loss as a learning experience and grow as a team.”
Mackenzie Taylor took her second straight win. (photo by David Troyer, special to the Bell Ringer)
The women’s team performed well this past Friday, competing against highly-respected programs in their second competition of the season. Taylor, the sophomore standout, was named the Peach Belt Conference Women’s Runner of the Week for the second straight week. The win in Alabama was her second in a row, coming in with a time of 21:10, with senior Miranda Taylor (37th, 24:11) and sophomore Jaelen Alexander (49th, 24:38) finishing in the top 50.
“I am just grateful to get in a few races this season considering the circumstances and adding another win with that is just amazing,” Mackenzie Taylor said.
Both teams represented Augusta University extremely well. The Jaguars competed against many NCAA Division I programs and went on to hold true to their expectations, although falling short of their goal of winning in the end. Coach Adam Ward has been the most outspoken supporter for his teams after completion of the UAB Blazer Classic last Friday.
“Not bad for a little program who doesn’t have the same funding or facilities those bigger programs have,” Adam Ward said. “Our young men and women have worked very hard for this and deserve a lot of respect and credit.”
The Augusta University men and women’s cross-country teams will next run in the North Georgia Invite in Gainesville, Ga., on Oct. 31.
Contact Justin Brosemer at JBROSEMER@augusta.edu.
