FORT GORDON, Ga. (Nov. 14, 2014) - Barton Field was a whirlwind of sports activities Saturday morning. As part of a pilot program linking the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II and the military, Fort Gordon hosted the Peach Belt Conference Cross Country Championships.
Fort Gordon also hosted a children's soccer clinic and Turkey Trot drawing more than 1,000 participants and spectators. (See page 7-8 for highlights.)
Georgia Regents University was the collegiate host for the crosscountry championship, with Adam Ward, university cross-country coach, in charge of the event.
Male and female athletes from the 13 collegiate institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, which make up the National Athletic Association Division II league, competed for several coveted awards.
The Columbus State Cougars won the PBC men's cross country championship, while the University of Montevallo set a PBC record and won their second women's cross country championships.
Individually, Clayton State's Job Kemboi, a senior from Eldoret, Kenya, won first place in 24:25.03 the fourth-fastest 8K time in PBC Championship history, according to the PBC Conference Cross Country Championship website.
Montevallo's Katie Nelson took home three awards. She was voted the PBC Runner of the Year prior to Saturday's race. She was also awarded the PBC Individual Championship award, as well as, the league's Freshman of the Year Award. The Brewton, Alabama native finished the course in 21:24.83 -- the fastest 6K time in a PBC Championship.
"I owe a lot to my team members," Nelson said. "They pushed me to do my best."
Col. Samuel Anderson, the Fort Gordon garrison commander and David Brunk, the Peach Belt Conference commissioner, worked on this event for a year to make it happen.
"This is one of the first steps to bridge a relationship between the NCAA and the Army," Anderson said. "Seeing the athletes out here today is pretty motivating. I know the skill, the discipline, and determination required to be a runner at the collegiate level are very similar skills to be successful in the Army. It's pretty natural that we combine the attributes of the military and the attributes of collegiate sports into an event like this. I want to say congratulations to all the athletes. I am honored and privileged to be a small part of this today and we are glad you came to Fort Gordon."
Brunk expressed his satisfaction with the overall arrangement with the military.
"I feel we are off to a good start with the partnership we formed with the Army and Fort Gordon," he said.
More race results and a list of award winners can be found at www.peachbeltconference.org. The majority of the teams will be competing in the NCAA Southeast Regional Nov. 22 in Montevallo, Alabama.
Social Sharing