Condra Leads Bulldogs XC to Third-Place Finish at Crimson Classic

Friday, October 13

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

University of Georgia

Crimson Classic

Condra Leads Bulldogs XC to Third-Place Finish at Crimson Classic

October 13, 2023 | Cross Country

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --- Senior Chase Condra led the Bulldogs across the finish line for the third time in four meets to help Georgia conclude the regular season with a third-place finish at the Crimson Classic.

In his final race before the SEC Championships, Condra clocked a personal-best 8k time of 24:16.3 to place 13^th overall at the Alabama-hosted meet. Senior Charlotte Augenstein led the way for the Bulldog women with a 25^th-place finish, recording a career-best 6k time of 20:53.8.

Team Finishes: The Georgia men scored 125 points in the 8k race, edging out Middle Tennessee (128) by three points to place third out of 21 teams. The Bulldogs built upon their eighth-place finish at last season's Crimson Classic, improving five spots from the 2022 meet. The Lady Bulldogs finished 12^th out of 24 teams in Friday's 6k race, compiling 242 points in the regular season finale.

Full Results: http://gado.gs/azk

Chorny's Thoughts: "Today we saw the men group up and run as a team in a way that I haven't seen before," said Georgia cross country coach Tom Chorny. "Sometimes it's easy to get lost when you're surrounded by a bunch of strangers and it can take a mental toll on your individual race, but this gave them the ability to support each other and run hard to the finish. We are happy with the third-place finish because it represents more of what we are capable of, and it's a nice way to bounce back after Paul Short a couple weeks ago. This will definitely give them a boost of confidence going into SECs."

"Chase Condra had another very solid performance and was only a couple places out of the top 10. Cole and KC (Heron) really stepped up today and had a breakout race. In fact, today our top seven finishers cumulatively dropped over three minutes off of their previous 8K (personal bests). On our women's side, Charlotte Augenstein had a solid performance, and we saw breakthroughs by Gracie O'Neal and Gracey Owens. Katherine Law and Lorel Golden also helped out by posting solid performances, but overall the group was a little behind the paces we know we are ready for."

"Even though this is my first couple months with these student-athletes, I can compare them to athletes I've had in the past. When I project their fitness forward and put it on paper, I can see a very different result, which would put us much higher on the overall results. There's a much better race that these women can put together and we have to figure out how to make that happen for (the SEC Championships)."

The Lowdown: Condra was the first Bulldog to cross the finish line in the men's 8k race, placing 13^th with a time of 24:16.3. The Suwanee, Ga., native was the Bulldogs' top finisher in three of the team's four regular season meets. Following close behind was Cole Heron, who placed 20^th with a career-best time of 24:30.0. The junior has scored in all four of Georgia's meets this season.

Junior KC Heron was Georgia's third finisher in Tuscaloosa, clocking a time of 24:35.2 to place 23^rd, while fellow junior Zachary Roe finished just seconds back in 34^th (24:44.7). Heron and Roe each scored for the fourth time this season while recording new personal-best 8k times. Scoring for the first time to round out the Bulldogs' top-five was Conner Rutherford, who surged 16 places in the final 2,000 meters to finish 38^th(24:48.5).

On the women's side, Augenstein climbed steadily throughout the race to earn a 25th-place finish. The senior earned a new personal best of 20:53.8 to lead the Lady Bulldogs across the finish line for the third time in 2023. Coming in second for Georgia was junior Gracie O'Neal, who jumped 21 places in the final 2,000m to place 46^th. She posted a time of 21:10.1 in the second collegiate 6k of her career.

After leading the Lady Bulldogs at the Paul Short Run two weeks ago, sophomore Katherine Law put together another impressive performance with a career-best time of 21:11.8 and a 48^th-place finish. Finishing just under five seconds behind Law was fellow sophomore Lorel Golden, who crossed the finish line in 54^th (21:16.0). Gracey Owens rounded out the top five for the Lady Bulldogs with a time of 21:27.2. The freshman used a big push in the final 2,000m to climb 25 places and finish 69^th overall.

What's Up Next: The SEC Championships are up next in Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 27 to start the postseason. Georgia will then make the trip to Gainesville, Fla., for the NCAA South Regional on Nov. 10. Those who qualify will continue their season at the NCAA Championships, which Virginia will play host to in Charlottesville, Va., on Nov. 19.

Team Scores (Top Five + Georgia)
WOMEN
1. Alabama (49 pts.)
2. Auburn (131)
3. Belmont (161)
4. Middle Tennessee State (175)
5. Clemson (185)
12. GEORGIA (242)

MEN
1. Alabama (36 pts.)
2. Belmont (115)
3. GEORGIA (125)
4. Middle Tennessee (128)
5. Southern Utah (152)

Bulldog Scorers
WOMEN
25. Charlotte Augenstein – 20:53.8
46. Gracie O'Neal – 21:10.0
48. Katherine Law – 21:11.8
54. Lorel Golden – 21:16.0

69. Gracey Owens – 21:27.2

78. Audrey Knoper – 21:40.2
89. Lily Cincola – 21:49.5
90. Simone Rojas – 21:50.6
114. Bella Brick – 22:12.5
132. Sophia Baker – 22:29.0
135. Nina Ouellette – 22:30.3
159. Ella Kepple – 22:52.7

MEN
13. Chase Condra – 24:16.3
20. Cole Heron – 24:30.0
23. KC Heron – 24:35.2
34. Zachary Roe – 24:44.7

38. Conner Rutherford – 24:48.5

42. Ryan Olree – 24:52.1
51. Luke Churchwell – 24:59.2
66. Wesley John – 25:06.1
67. Zack Truitt – 25:08.5
71. Kushan Patel – 25:10.7
94. Ethan Nordman – 25:36.8
113. Davis Potts – 25:53.6