(Story and photo courtesy Augusta University Athletics)
Two races put Gabrielle Jourdain atop the Peach Belt Conference performance lists at two distances this fall. On Friday, the Augusta University junior was named PBC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year and received the conference’s Elite 18 Award.
Jourdain opened her season at the Royals Challenge on Oct. 9, running 17:20 in the 5K to finish third overall and first among runners representing a team. She returned to the course on Oct. 24 at the UAH Chargers Invitational, where she placed seventh overall with a 6K time of 21:03. Both times led the Peach Belt this season.
The Sandy Run, South Carolina native earned PBC Runner of the Week honors twice before the league’s coaches voted her Runner of the Year.
Jourdain entered the season with a 4.0 cumulative GPA and became the second runner in Augusta women’s cross country history to earn the Elite 18 Award, joining the program’s first recipient in 2019. The award goes to the student-athlete competing at each PBC championship with the highest cumulative GPA.
Augusta’s Danielle Thayer also received conference recognition as the Jaguars’ selection to the PBC Women’s Cross Country All-Sportsmanship Team.
The Jaguars race for the conference title Saturday, Nov. 7, in Macon, Georgia, Middle Georgia State University hosts the championship at the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course, with the women’s 5K set for 10:15 a.m.
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