Robertson makes history as AU's first-ever XC all-American

By Christian Austin | Sports writer

Senior Jordan Robertson became the first Augusta University runner ever to make the NCAA Division II all-America team by finishing 32nd in the cross-country national championships in Sacramento, Calif., on Nov. 23.

All runners in the top 40 at the nationals are accorded all-America status.

Robertson, the senior from Newnan and transfer from Emmanuel, turned in an outstanding performance with a 10-kilomer time of 30 minutes and 19.7 seconds. He finished 29th in scoring.

“I am really proud of what Jordan has accomplished this season and the improvements he’s able to make since transferring here,” said AU Coach Jacob Burgamy. “He’s someone who is constantly looking for little ways to get better. He even went out and got his own blood lactate monitor during the summer to use in training to make sure he wasn’t over-working in his workouts, which has give us the ability to dial in his training down to a science.”

The previous closest an AU athlete had come to gaining all-America status was women’s runner Micah Weathers, who finished 44th in 2019.

“Having our first all-American is a great sign of where the program is headed, and I’m really excited to see where both he and this team as a whole can be with a little more time,” Burgamy said.

Burgamy’s team finished in 18th place out of 34 schools in the national championships. The Jaguars competed on the difficult Arcade Creek Cross-Country Course that had seen snow and heavy rain the day before.

Fellow senior and all-regional runner Avery Jaynes was next behind Robertson, clocking a solid 31:12.5 to get 85th overall (73rd in scoring). Jaynes was in the top 40 for most of the race, but he fell back in the last few kilometers. He had led Augusta to a second-place finish in the regional behind top-ranked Wingate and a sixth consecutive Peach Belt Conference championship.

Brandon Martin, another senior, crossed the line in 139th (121st in scoring) with a time of 31:42.3.

Sophomore Tripp Miller finished 166th (147th in scoring) in 31:58.9. Senior Patrick Motes rounded out Augusta’s scorers, finishing in 177th place (158th in scoring) with a time of 32:13.1.

The Jaguars’ depth was on full display with sophomore Nasrudin Mohamed finishing in 195th (32:31.8) and freshman Ani Tesfaye making his nationals debut, taking 254th (34:39.5).

AU competed in its sixth national championship. It’s best-ever team finish was ninth, in 2019. That team was led by Hunter Kimball, who finished 55th.

Colorado School of Mines upset Wingate to win the men’s 2024 championship. Wingate, the Southeast Region champion, was just three points off first place.

Individually, William Amponsah of West Texas A&M repeated as champion in 29:40.8

Contact Christian Austin at chaustin@augusta.edu.

Jordan Robertson, AU’s first all-American in cross-country, wears his medal after finishing 32nd in the NCAA Division II championships in Sacramento, Calif. Joining him are teammates, from left to right: Thomas Rischar, Matthew More, Tripp Miller, Ani Tesfaye, Andrew Todd, Robertson, Brandon Martin, Patrick Motes, Avery Jaynes, Nasrudin Mohamed, Coach Jacob Burgamy, Assistant Coach Hans Troyer and Assistant Coach Churchill Ezeoknokwo. (photo courtesy of AU Athletics)

AU senior Jordan Robertson with his all-American medal at the NCAA Division II cross-country championships. (photo courtesy of AU Athletics)