OAKWOOD, GA -- Augusta University men's cross country standout Avery Jaynes was named the PBC men's Runner of the Year while North Georgia's Claire Mills was tabbed the women's Runner of the Year at an award presentation on the eve of the PBC Championships. The league also presented the Elite 18 Awards to Flagler's Ethan Tank and UNG's Ella Stoudenmire along with the All-Sportsmanship teams.

A junior from Savannah, Ga., Jaynes owns two of the three top 8k times in the Peach Belt this season and was the lead runner for the 19th-ranked Jaguars in two of their three meets this season. He ran a 24:23.8 at the Southern Showcase and was the first non-Division I runner to cross the line. He followed that with a 24:29.5 and finished ninth at the UAH Chargers Invitational in a field of 431 runners. Jaynes is the fourth straight Jaguar to be named the PBC Runner of the Year and the sixth overall.

A senior from Lilburn, Ga., Claire Mills was the lead runner for North Georgia in two of their four events this season with a pair of top-10 finishes. She ran the fastest 6k time in the PBC at the NCAA Regional Preview with a 23:04 and finished in 51st place and was the first non-Division I runner in a field of 300 at the UAH Chargers Invitational. She holds two of the top 10 5k times in the PBC this season and was named the Runner of the Week on Oct. 4. She is the first Nighthawk to be named the PBC Runner of the Year.

The Elite 18 Award is presented by Barnes & Noble College and presented at each of the PBC's 18 championships to the student-athlete competing with the highest cumulative GPA. Flagler's Ethan Tank is a junior from Fort Myers, Fla., who was named to the PBC Team of Academic Distinction last season. With a perfect 4.00 GPA, he is also a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar and received the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award. UNG's Ella Stoudenmire is a junior from Maxeys, Ga., with a perfect 4.00 GPA. She is a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar and received the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award last season.

PBC Runners of the Year Presented by College Ave Student Loans
Men - Avery Jaynes, Augusta
Women - Claire Mills, North Georgia

Elite 18 Award Presented by Barnes & Noble College
Men - Ethan Tank, Flagler
Women - Ella Stoudenmire, North Georgia

PBC All-Sportsmanship Team

Institution	Male	Female
Augusta University	Andrw Cole	Riley Triplett
Clayton State University	Nehemiah Horton	Story Alexander
Columbus State University	Blake Lewis	Emily Marin
Flagler College	Joel Nesi	Enola Savel
Georgia College & State University	Philip Bulatao	Brooke Mooney
Georgia Southwestern State University	Lars Nilsen	Maya Boynton
Lander University	Riley Bird	Katie Lea
University of North Georgia		Claire Mills
University of South Carolina Aiken	Riley Campbell	Alayna Guthrie
University of South Carolina Beaufort	Travis Patten	Aniah Wright