Jaynes leads AU men to eighth-place finish in Southern Showcase
By Cameron Watson | Sports writer
HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—Augusta University’s Avery Jaynes finished 21st in a highly competitive field and led AU to an eight-place finish in the Southern Showcase cross-country meet in Huntsville, Ala., on Sept. 15.
Jaynes ran the 8-kilometer race in 24 minutes and 23.8 seconds. Brandon Martin was second for AU and Patrick Motes third. Martin ran a 24:41.0, good for 35th place, and Motes clocked a 24:50.6 to finish 47th.
Next up for the Jaguars was Jordan Robertson in 25:03.7 for 61st place and Carlos Rodriguez in 25:06.2 for 64th place.
Thirty-two colleges and 303 runners competed in the men’s race.
The Jaguars just one spot being Lee University of Tennessee for the top spot among NCAA Division II schools in the event. Augusta rose to second in the Southeast Region and 27th nationally in the latest D2 XC rankings. Lee is currently ranked 11th nationally.
Jaynes was named Peach Belt Conference runner of the week for his performance in Huntsville.
In Charlotte, the AU men finished fifth at the Queen City Invite. Andrew Helfers was first for AU in 25:56.9, followed by Benjamin Roberts in 26:31.2. Seth Eye was next for the Jags in 26:57.0.
The AU women’s cross-country team competed well in two different meets, in Huntsville and Charlotte.
The women at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, placed 19th out of 36 teams against a stacked field with many NCAA Division I schools competing.
At the Queen City Invite, the Jaguars placed seventh out of 12 teams, just barely getting beaten out Presbyterian College through the NCAA tiebreaker rules.
Sophomore Madison Kennedy led the women in Huntsville with a time of 18:59.5 in the 5-kilometer race. Kennedy finished in 121st place. Juniors Riley Triplett and Caroline Pierce came in behind Kennedy at 19:23.6 and 19:33.5, respectively. Triplett came in 146th and Pierce 160th. Haley Gilbert was 174th in 19:47.8, and Maria Biondollilo finished 188th in 19:59.1. There were 332 runners in the women’s race.
In Charlotte, sophomore Julia Masino finished first for the Jaguars with a time of 20:05.19. Coming in behind her were sophomore Cheyenne Ryan with a 20:53.65 and freshman Brooke Maseda at 21:03.31.
Ole Miss and Auburn finish first and second, respectively, in both Huntsville races. Alabama was third on the men’s side with Tulane taking third in the women’s race.
In Charlotte, Queens won both the men and women’s races.
Both the Jaguar men and women will return to Huntsville on Oct. 7 for the Chargers’ Invitational. The full teams will compete then.
Contact Cameron Watson at camwatson@augusta.edu.
Madison Kennedy was the first Jaguar to cross the finish line in the women’s race at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala. Kennedy had a time of 18:59.5. She finished in 121st place. At the top of the page, Patrick Motes (R) was the third AU finisher in the men’s race. (photos courtesy of Huntsville Sports Commission)
Avery Jaynes (410) finished first among AU runners in the men’s race and 21st overall. Jaynes ran a time of 24:23.8 in the 8-kilometer race in Huntsville, Ala. (photo courtesy of the Huntsville Sports Commission)
Augusta’s Maria Biondollilo finished 188th in 19:59.1 at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala. There were 332 runners in the women’s race. ((photo courtesy of Alabama Sports Commission)
