FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Contact: Robert Preston, Jr.,
912.260.4276
robert.preston@sgc.edu
SGC Finishes Inaugural Cross Country Season in Albany
Daquan Jackson finished South Georgia College’s inaugural
cross country season as the Tigers’ top runner by crossing the finish line
with a team-best 32:05 in the conference championships on Oct. 31.
Darton College hosted the met, which was held at the Skiles family farm
between Albany and Dawson. The race was run over the same course featured
during the Darton Invitational on Sept. 19. Jackson, along with several
other SGC runners, participated in that event and were familiar with the
route, which snakes its way through the red clay and hills of the Albany
countryside.
Jackson, who was fresh off a big win at the Rehab Run 5K in Cordele, settled
into his pace quickly and led the contingent of six Tigers. Oscar Alvarado,
who has been steadily improving all season, wasn’t far behind Jackson, but
he couldn’t muster the finishing kick needed to make up Jackson’s advantage.
Jackson finished the race in 32:05, good for 21st place and just a few
seconds off his personal best of 31:53, which he set on Oct. 16 in DeLand,
Fla. Alvarado completed the course in 33:07, which landed him in 24th. Maybe
the biggest surprise of the day for the Tigers was freshman Howard Stanley.
Stanley ran a flat 40 minutes in his first race of the season, which
interestingly enough took place on Sept. 19 on the very same course. He
worked very hard over the next six weeks or so and broke the 35:00 mark,
finishing in 34:54 – an improvement of over one minute per mile. Angel Garet
was right behind Stanley with a season-best 35:25. Other SGC runners
participating were Vincent Chandler and Joseph Dennis.
In
the women’s race, Shemeka Brown came within seconds of setting a cross
country PR. She posted a time of 24:49, just six seconds off her best time
in GJCAA competition. She finished in 22nd place.
The Oct. 31 meet brought SGC’s GJCAA season to a close. The 2009 campaign
was an enormous learning experience for both the runners and first-year
coach Robert Preston Jr. The biggest lesson learned involved the sheer
amount of miles it takes to run a solid eight-kilometer race. In high
school, everyone runs five kilometers (3.1 miles). In college, men run eight
kilometers (five miles), which is a huge adjustment for high school runners
who aren’t used to putting in a lot of miles. “In our area, most high school
programs run less than 20 miles per week. In order to compete in college,
weeks of 40 and 50 miles and beyond are required. Our runners worked hard
and put in a ton of miles, but it’s going to take a solid offseason of
training to build up the kind of endurance needed to get to the pointy end
of the field,” said Coach Preston. “That’s a challenge we’re going to tackle
through the winter and spring.”
The Tigers have one more race – the CRMC 5K in Douglas on Nov. 14.
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About South Georgia College
South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu)
was founded in 1906 and is a two-year institution in the University System
of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives
students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close
collaboration with faculty.
