AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta University men's cross country team will open its 2025 season on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Converse Kick Off in Spartanburg, S.C.
The Jaguars enter the fall as the defending Peach Belt Conference champions and were picked to win the league again in the preseason coaches' poll. Augusta received six first-place votes and 62 points to lead the standings, ahead of Flagler (59 points, three first-place votes) and Georgia College & State University (50 points). Nationally, the Jaguars were also ranked No. 28 in the FloTrack Division II preseason poll presented by HOKA, earning recognition among the country's top programs heading into the year.
Augusta captured its sixth straight PBC title in 2024, tying Kennesaw State (1994-1999) for the most consecutive men's championships in league history. The Jaguars swept the top six places at last year's conference meet to post a perfect score of 15 points. They went on to finish second at the NCAA Southeast Regional and clinched a berth to the NCAA National Championship, where they placed 18th overall. Senior Jordan Robertson capped the year by becoming Augusta's first-ever cross country All-American with a 32nd-place finish at nationals.
Head Coach Jacob Burgamy, who was named PBC Coach of the Year for the third straight season in 2024, knows this year's path will look different. Only one of Augusta's nine All-PBC performers from a year ago returns, but Burgamy is confident in a roster that includes redshirts, transfers, and newcomers ready to make an impact.
"I think the last three years now, we came into the season pretty much knowing that it was a lock that we were going to be at Nationals," said Burgammy. "This year, we're looking at conferences and regionals as we have to do all the little things right between now and then and there's a lot more focus on all those little things. But at the same time, the goals are still the same.
"We only have one guy returning out of last year's top ten. We have a couple of red shirt runners from last year that I think are going to have a big impact. Gabriel Best was red shirted last year, but he put in a good training block in the spring and he's coming in really fit and I think he's going to make a big impact. And we've had some big transfers that are going to be a big help. Even some of our freshmen coming in have run well in our time trial for us and they've made some big jumps over the summer."
Among the returners, senior Nasrudin Mohamed will anchor the lineup after earning All-PBC honors in 2024. He is joined by Best and several key additions as the Jaguars chase a seventh straight conference crown and 10th overall in program history.
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Sept. 5 – Converse Kick Off (Spartanburg, S.C.)
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Sept. 12 – Queen City Invitational (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Sept. 26 – Bobcat Invitational (Milledgeville, Ga.)
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Oct. 10 – Royals Challenge (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Oct. 25 – Peach Belt Conference Championships (Milledgeville, Ga.)
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Nov. 8 – NCAA Southeast Regional (Wingate, N.C.)
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Nov. 22 – NCAA National Championship (Kenosha, Wis.)
The Jaguars will compete in four regular-season meets before postseason racing begins with the PBC Championships on Oct. 25 in Milledgeville.
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