Augusta University
Miguelangelo HernandezAugusta University’s track and field teams will use March’s four meets to stretch their legs and gauge the progress of their offseason work.
The Jaguars are set to compete in Clark Atlanta University’s Panther Invitational on March 9; Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jacket Invitational on March 15 and the Don McGarey Invitational on March 22-23 before concluding the month at the Kennesaw State Invitational on March 29.
Head coach Jacob Burgamy, who knows he has young but experienced squads this season, was pleased with recent time trials that showed the sprint groups have improved their times, which in turn should help them score valuable points down the road in the conference championships.
“I know the expectation at conference is that we should be able to score a little bit higher than we did last year; I think we’ll definitely score more points because I think distance is just as good if not better than it was last year,” Burgamy said. “The men’s side is looking really good, as are the women. We haven’t graduated too many, although we lost Priscilla Ajala from last year, who was the Peach Belt Conference 100- and 200-meter champion. We picked up Emily McBride, who should score a lot of points in the steeplechase and in some of the mid-distance events.”
Ajala set the school record last year in the 200-meter with a time of 24.62, one of four program records established by the female runners. Cassie Lagan set the 3,000-meter record with a time 10:38.26, while Hannah Beach set the 10,000 mark with 37:07.18 and the team of Beach, Riley Triplett, Madison Kennedy and Cheyenne Ryan ran a 9:55.36 in the 4x800m relay.
Burgamy said his women’s distance runners have developed well, and they’ve brought in some new sprinters, including McBride, who transferred from the University of North Georgia. She had four top 10 finishes for the Nighthawks during the cross country season, including a fourth-place finish in the season-opening Young Harris XC Invitational.
“When the older guys are doing what I ask and showing the freshmen what everything should look like that, that does a lot more than just me saying it. That’s huge because I know when we get to championship season, I know those guys have been there before and they know how to race those races. It’s really valuable to have that championship experience because you know they know what to expect.”
Head coach Jacob Burgamy
Burgamy said the women’s team is young with just one senior (Lagan) and five juniors compared to nine sophomores and 11 freshmen, but he noted the team dynamic has a solid foundation. The squad members are close friends that keep tightening the more they work out together.
Burgamy said, while they have been training extensively since January, both teams have been more patient in their workouts, not pushing themselves too hard yet because they are trying to keep the endgame in mind for peaking near championship season.
Burgamy also said the foundation of their team continues to improve, and the aerobic system they have is helping the runners polish their forms while also working on the mechanics for the hurdlers and throwers. One field athlete he will be looking for a replacement for is Eduardo Perez, who set school records in the shot put (14.62 meters) and hammer throw (45.05 meters). He also had the top mark in the discus throw (39.44 meters) last season.
“As for the throwers, we are very excited about some new additions who should be able to make some major contributions by conference time,” Burgamy said. “Aaron Maxwell and Ryan Li have made some major improvements this offseason and should be very competitive in their throws on the conference level. Joshua Bowen is a very talented JUCO transfer who has the potential to be one of the best overall throwers in the conference, if everything goes right.
“Jala and Jozelyne Williams are new throwers on the women’s side who we are excited to see open their college careers, and Ana Ayala Cosme will be returning to the javelin. We are excited to see how she can stack up with the conference’s scoring individuals.”
Burgamy has seniors Cameron Watson and Daniel Forrester leading the men. Watson is a good, vocal leader for the men’s team that boasts 15 juniors, including Patrick Motes and Avery Jaynes. Motes won the 5,000-meter at last year’s Peach Belt Conference Championship while also finishing third in the 1,500-meter, while Jaynes, who set the program mark in the 10,000-meter earlier in the year, finished second in the 10,000-meter at the conference meet.
Burgamy knows the experience the team has will be invaluable this season, not only on the track but for the 15 freshmen joining the team this year. From a leadership standpoint, he is expecting his upper classmen to lead by example of how to be good teammates while also showing them how to do all the little things right.
“When the older guys are doing what I ask and showing the freshmen what everything should look like that, that does a lot more than just me saying it. That’s huge because I know when we get to championship season, I know those guys have been there before and they know how to race those races,” he said. “It’s really valuable to have that championship experience because you know they know what to expect.”
