Ward quite satisfied with AU victories in Koala meet
The Jaguar women took first in the Koala Classic in West Columbia, S.C. (file photo)
By Justin Brosemer |
Sports writer
Coach Adam Ward and the Augusta University Jaguar cross-country teams surpassed expectations in a outstanding showing at the Koala XC Classic in West Columbia, S.C., on Saturday, Oct. 3.
With the AU men and women both winning their respective meets, both teams represented Augusta University extremely well at Columbia College’s competition.
The men’s cross country won both the individual and team 8-kilometer event. In doing so, senior Jacob Poston placed first with a time of 23 minutes and 42 second. He was followed by seniors Chase Kennedy (24:02, third), Hunter Kimball (24:35, fourth),and Brennan Silliman (24:35, fifth).
An unaffiliated runner placed third, but he did not count toward the team points, so the AU men finished with a perfect team score.
Ward spoke about the men team’s performance afterwards.
“They wanted to let folks know they are a team to contend with and they have big goals,” he said. “A lot of teams across the state and U.S. thought our ninth-place finish (in the nationals last fall) was luck. I think they proved today it was more than that.”
The Jaguar men’s cross-country team is continuing their past success and silencing their doubters as they continue their season.
The women’s cross-country team showed that they have no plans of slowing down either after winning their 6 kilometer event. The Jaguars placed first with Mackenzie Taylor, a junior, winning the meet with a time of 20:36. The team displayed their consistency with senior Miranda Taylor (22:44, third), sophomore Jaelen Alexander (23:46, sixth) and junior Madison Congdon (23:48, seventh), rounding out the top 10 for Augusta.
Coach Ward spoke highly of the women’s team after the competition.
“It was a great start to our season,” he said. “The women got after it and we learned a lot. We can definitely improve on this stellar performance.”
The AU women showed great resolve and discipline at Saturday’s event as they prove to be a force to be reckoned with moving forward.
“We have a big test ahead of us in two weeks,” Ward said, “so now we will rest and then get back to work,” Coach Adam Ward proclaims.
The men and women will compete again next in the UAB Blazer Classic in Hoover, Ala., on Oct. 16. The event will consist of an 8- and 6-kilometer distance for the men and women, respectively.
With the COVID-19 pandemic clouding the future for competitive cross-country as a whole, this event marks a promising start for Coach Ward and serves as motivation for the cross-country teams’ season as it progresses.
Ward’s mantra throughout the unpredictability of navigating the pandemic has been maintaining the discipline and determination required to compete this season if given the chance. The men and women’s team starting with wins from both teams reinforces this philosophy as the Jaguars hope to carry their accomplishments into their next two events, before competing in the Peach Belt Conference championship on Nov. 14.
Update (Monday, Oct. 5): AU senior Jacob Poston and sophomore Mackenzie Taylor have been named Peach Belt Conference Runners of the Week. Poston ran a 23:42 over 8K to win the men’s competition at the Koala XC Classic. Taylor ran an AU-record 20:36.2 over the 6K course at the same meet. Taylor finished 75 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.
Contact Jacob Brosemer at jbrosemer@augusta.edu.
