DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Augusta University men's track & field turned in a strong performance at the 2026 Peach Belt Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships May 1-2, finishing second overall behind multiple event titles, school records, and a deep group of scoring performances.
The Jaguars were led by a pair of record-setting efforts.
Chris Hart captured the conference title in the 100 meters with a time of 10.44, setting a new school record after running an NCAA Division II provisional time of 10.41 in the prelims.
In the field events, Tra'Vontae Smith delivered another record performance, winning the shot put with a mark of 14.70 meters (48-2.75), the top throw in program history.
Augusta added another individual title in the distance events as Gabriel Best won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:29.51. Andrew Helfers joined him on the podium with a third-place finish (9:33.99), while Owen Almelien placed fifth (9:47.45) and Beck Wolf-Hardy finished seventh (10:00.66).
The Jaguars continued to score heavily in the sprints and relays. Dorian Chance earned a runner-up finish in the 400 meters with a time of 47.91, while Charlie Roberts placed sixth (48.98).
In the 100 meters, Devin Barolette added a sixth-place finish (10.69), and Kobe Mitchell placed seventh (10.78). Barolette also scored in the 200 meters with a fourth-place finish (22.18).
Augusta's 4x400 relay team of Gabriel Carson, Charlie Roberts, Mykel Thompson, and Roberto Barrera placed second in 3:14.89.
In the middle-distance events, Seth Eye placed sixth in the 800 meters (1:53.10). In the 1,500 meters, Gabriel Best led the group with a seventh-place finish (3:55.27), followed by Oscar Curry (9th, 3:59.50), David Garcia (14th, 4:03.87), and Noah Shepherd (19th, 4:16.61).
The distance group continued to stack points in the 5,000 meters, with Jordan Robertson leading the way in third (14:45.97), followed by Nasrudin Mohamed in fourth (14:50.42) and Andrew Helfers in sixth (14:56.98). Oscar Curry (9th), Caleb Darsey (10th), and Eli Corn (14th) also competed.
Robertson added a runner-up finish in the 10,000 meters (32:16.55), while Darsey placed fourth (32:47.66) and Corn finished fifth (33:05.28).
In the field events, Mitchell Jean Baptiste placed second in the high jump, clearing 2.00 meters (6-6.75), while Kamani Pardo also cleared the same height to finish fourth.
Cory Dekle placed ninth in the long jump (6.35m / 20-10) and seventh in the triple jump (12.77m / 41-10.75). Jackson Evans added a 12th-place finish in the long jump.
In the throws, Michael Chatman placed seventh in the hammer (43.14m / 141-6).
All-Conference honorees (top-three finishers) for Augusta included:
