For the first time since 2016, Flagler Men’s Cross Country are Peach Belt Conference Men’s Cross Country Champions. The Saints finished the course with 19 points.
Augusta finished the event in second with 39 points, followed by GCSU and Clayton State.
Flagler's Finnian Russell claimed the PBC Individual Champion honor as he completed the 8k course in a time of 24:50.7.
Flagler’s Will Stone was announced as PBC Runner of the Year, for his performances throughout the year, voted for by the coaches prior to the race. Stone competed in three events prior to the PBC Championship and holds the fastest 8k time in the conference this season by 20 seconds, having finished the Lewis Crossover with a time of 24:31.9. Stone finished second in the PBC Championship meet this morning.
The top 15 runners were named to the All-Conference team. Flagler’s Axel Dabe finished in fourth place with a time of 25::06.3 and was named PBC Freshman of the Year as the highest-finishing freshman.
Flagler’s Brian Beil was named the Coach of the Year for the first time since 2016, voted for by the coaches following the conclusion of the PBC Championship meet.
The PBC also announced Columbus State’s Owen Hartshorn as the winner of the Elite 18 Award. The PBC Elite 18 Award is presented at each of the PBC's 18 championships to the student-athlete competing with the highest cumulative overall GPA. A senior from Columbus, Ga., Hartshorn holds a 3.96 GPA as a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar and has also been named to the PBC Team of Academic Distinction. Hartshorn appeared in all four of the Cougars meets this year and is the first Cougar to win the men’s cross-country Elite 18 Award since Jacob Dirkman won the award in 2015.
PBC All-Conference Team
1. Finnian Russell, Flagler
2. Will Stone, Flagler
3. Andrew Helfers, Augusta
4. Axel Dabe, Flagler
5. Brandon Knieja, Flagler
6. Nasrudin Mohamed, Augusta
7. Miquel Fons, Flagler
8. Bryce Dufrene, Flagler
9. Caleb Darsey, Augusta
10. Oscar Curry, Augusta
11. Jackson Musto, Augusta
12. Jack Waters, Flagler
13. Luke Larkin, Flagler
14. Daniel Kiprono, USCA
15. Eli Corn, Augusta
Runner of the Year, presented by College Ave.
Will Stone, Flagler
Freshman of the Year, presented by College Ave.
Axel Dabe, Flagler
Individual Champion
Finnian Russell, Flagler
Men’s Cross Country Elite 18 Award
Owen Hartshorn, Columbus State
Coach of the Year
Brian Beil, Flagler
Men’s Cross Country All Sportsmanship Team
Augusta- Noah Shepherd
Clayton State- James Morrow
Columbus State- Mark Ravenscraft
Flagler- Logan Burch
GCSU- Jaycob Wagner
GSW- Christian Aguillar
Lander- Ethan Waites
USCA- Tyler Blowe
USC Beaufort- Braxton Talley