Travis Highfield
Senior Reporter
[email protected]

The Augusta State University Lady Jaguars started the season off with a win as they downed cross-town rival Paine College in a highly contested battle in front of a crowd of more than 1,400 at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

Augusta State junior transfer Laci Schreiber and Paine’s Ariel Brown led all scorers with 15 points each as the Lady Jaguars held on to defeat the Lady Lions, 66-61.

The Lady Jaguars showed improvement from a season ago as they out-rebounded the Lady Lions 34 to 28. Last year, Augusta State ranked last in the Peach Belt Conference in both offensive and defensive rebounds but led the Lady Lions in both statistics in this year’s season opener.

The Lady Jaguars shot just over 48 percent from the paint and exactly 40 percent from outside the arc. The team also managed to shoot just over 83 percent from the charity stripe by sinking 10 shots in 12 opportunities, while the Lady Lions made all four of their free throws.

Schreiber was followed in scoring by Brittany White with 13 points, while Amber Peterson and Eryka Menzies scored nine points each. Peterson drained three 3-pointers on five attempts in route to the first home victory of the season for the Lady Jaguars.

Paine’s Ariel Brown trailed in scoring by teammates Ciarra Morris and Kharyna Standford, who tallied 12 and 10 points respectively.

The Lady Jaguars return to action on Nov. 22 when they take on the University of West Georgia at home.

Men’s golf finishes fourth at Royal Oaks

In their best showing of the fall season, the Jaguars posted a fourth-place finish at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate between Oct. 31-Nov. 1. The team totaled a 4-under 848 to finish behind Texas A&M, Duke and Oklahoma.

Derek Chang and Taylor Floyd led the Jaguars at -2 apiece, tied for 13th. Chang stayed consistent over the three rounds, posting scores of 70, 70, 71. Floyd was one of three Jaguars to register a 69 in the event, recording consecutive rounds of 69 in the second and third rounds after carding a 73 in the opening round.

Devin Komline also reached 69, doing so in the second round. He had rounds of 74 and 73 in between to finish +3 at T-30. Robin Petersson also finished T-30 at +3 with rounds of 69, 72, 75.

Brendan Gillins tied for 43rd at +5 despite having the lowest single-round score of the tournament for the team at 67 in the second round. He posted scores of 73 and 78 in the other rounds to fall out of the Top 40.

Volleyball wraps up conference schedule with losses

The Lady Jaguars were defeated 3-2 by UNC Pembroke on Nov. 4. The largest scoring margin in any set was six, while three of the five sets had a difference of only two points. In the fifth and final set, the Braves knocked off the Jaguars, 21-19.

Kristen Koch, Jessica Hanson, Alex Rohlfing and Mandy Irizarry each had double-digit kills, with Hanson leading at 15. Irizarry recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 17 digs. Collette Richards led with 27 digs, while Krystin Wahlig added 23 digs and 54 assists.

Rebecca Morgan led the Braves with 24 kills and 17 digs.

The Lady Jaguars were unable to rebound in the final conference match of the season Nov. 5, dropping to Francis Marion, 3-1.

Irizarry led with 17 kills, while Rohlfing notched a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs. Paige Tuttle added 10 kills.

Cross country teams finish season at regionals

Both cross country teams ended its seasons Nov. 5 in Charlotte, N.C., with sixth-place finishes in the NCAA Southeast Regionals.

Dustin Ross led the men’s team with an 18th-place finish, while Robert Blackwelder followed in 23rd, both earning All-Region honors. The Jaguars posted the second-best time among Peach Belt Conference schools behind UNC Pembroke.

The Lady Jaguars were led by Alicia Connolly‘s 23rd-place finish, also earning All-Region honors. The squad also came in second among Peach Belt schools behind Montevallo.

Athlete of the Week:

Mandy Irizarry
Junior
Volleyball

The Lady Jaguars volleyball squad lost two straight over the week in conference matches, but Irizarry put forth her best effort. She had 12 kills and 17 digs in the 3-2 loss to UNC Pembroke on Nov. 4, and a team-high 17 kills in the 3-1 loss to Francis Marion on Nov. 5.

Following their third straight Peach Belt Conference Championship and second tournament title in three years, the Jaguars lost the bulk of their scoring to graduation. The effects are seen in the preseason coaches poll released Tuesday, as Augusta State was picked to finish tied for third in the conference.

The Jaguars received one first-place vote and 115 total points, tied with Clayton State for third. Georgia Southwestern was picked to finish first with 10 first-place votes and 141 points. UNC Pembroke was picked second with one first-place vote and 118 votes.

The Hurricanes were ranked as high as No. 16 nationally last season, going 20-9 and 12-5 in conference play. The record was good for first in the West Division, and their preseason No. 1 ranking is the team’s first. They return three of their top four scorers, including conference player of the year and All-American Phillip Brown. The Jaguars defeated the Canes in their only matchup last year, 68-59.

Georgia Southwestern is also the only team to have two preseason All-Conference players in Brown and Colin Slotter.

The Braves reached the conference championship game for the first time last season, losing to the Jaguars, 76-59. The duo of Shahmel Brackett and George Blakeney are returning for Pembroke. Aside from that win, the Jaguars defeated the Braves twice in the regular season by scores of 72-54 and 73-54.

After Augusta State and Clayton State at third, Montevallo is behind in fifth with 97 points. Jaguars rival USC Aiken is picked sixth, followed by Georgia College and State, Francis Marion, conference tournament host Columbus State, and Armstrong Atlantic State to round out the Top 10. Lander, North Georgia and Flagler are the three outside the Top 10.

The season begins Nov. 11, but Augusta State’s season begins Nov. 16 at home against Paine College. The conference tournament is slated for March 1-4 in Columbus, Ga., with Clayton State hosting for the first time since 2003.

Following consecutive tournaments that left the men outside the Top 10, the Jaguars golf team put together a season-best fourth-place finish at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate in Dallas between Oct. 30-Nov. 1.

Rounds of 285, 275, 288 left Augusta State at -4 as a team, good for four strokes ahead of New Mexico. The Jaguars finished three strokes behind Oklahoma for third, while Texas A&M and Duke ran away with the tournament in a two-headed battle, with the Aggies winning by one stroke at -22.

Derek Chang and Taylor Floyd led the Jaguars at -2 apiece, tied for 13th. Chang stayed consistent over the three rounds, posting scores of 70, 70, 71. Floyd was one of three Jaguars to register a 69 in the event, recording consecutive rounds of 69 in the second and third rounds after carding a 73 in the opening round.

Devin Komline also reached 69, doing so in the second round. He had rounds of 74 and 73 in between to finish +3 at T-30. Robin Petersson also finished T-30 at +3 with rounds of 69, 72, 75.

Brendan Gillins tied for 43rd at +5 despite having the lowest single-round score of the tournament for the team at 67 in the second round. He posted scores of 73 and 78 in the other rounds to fall out of the Top 40.

Texas A&M’s Jordan Russell recorded the second-lowest 36-hole score in tournament history at -9, 133. Missouri’s James Ross tied the tournament’s 18-hole record with 64.

Lamar’s MJ Daffue won the individual scoring with rounds of 65, 70, 67 to finish -11. He played as an individual representing Lamar, giving Daffue the 18-hole tournament record as an individual with his opening-round 65.

Six of the Top 10 players represented Texas A&M or Duke.

For Augusta State, the fourth-place finish was the team’s second inside the Top 10 this fall. It also marked the end of the fall season. The Jaguars will return Feb. 13-14 in San Diego.

Men’s golf finishes 11th at Isleworth

Augusta State’s men’s golf team came in at +53 to finish 11th in the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational in Windermere, Fla., between Oct. 23-25.

The Jaguars finished 12 strokes out of 10th place following rounds of 295, 309, 313. They began the tournament in seventh place after one round, but consecutive rounds over 300 knocked them out of the Top 10 for the second straight event.

Robin Petersson led the Jaguars at +11, finishing tied for 35th. Taylor Floyd followed with a 40th-place finish at +12. Devin Komline finished tied for 50th at +17. Brendan Gillins followed at +18, good for 53rd. Derek Chang rounded out the team’s scoring at +20, good for 58th.

Women’s golf finishes fifth at Furman

Augusta State’s women’s golf team took home its third straight Top 5 finish by coming in fifth at the Lady Paladin Invitational between Oct. 28-30.

The Lady Jaguars finished +86, highlighted by a final-round +19, 307, the second-lowest round of the day. Casey Kennedy shot a +16 to tie for eighth individually. Natalie Wille tied for 14th at +19, and Christine Duschek-Hansen at +23 for 22nd.

Volleyball goes 1-2 in tough stretch

The Lady Jaguars were faced with the task of USC Aiken, Flagler and Armstrong Atlantic in a one-week stretch, and they came out with one win while being shut out in the two losses.

Augusta State defeated USC Aiken 3-1 on Tuesday. After losing the first set, the Lady Jaguars stormed back to take the next three and the match win. Jessica Hanson led with 16 kills, while Alex Rohlfing had 13 and Kristen Koch added 11.

The Lady Jaguars lost to Flagler 3-0 on Friday. After losing 25-16 in the first set, Augusta State took Flagler to the final point in the second set in a 26-24 loss before losing 25-22 in the final set. Koch and Rohlfing had eight kills each.

Augusta State had the task of Armstrong Atlantic on the road Saturday, and the undefeated Pirates handled the Jaguars with a 3-0 win. The Jaguars combined for only 21 points in the first two sets before losing the final set, 25-21. Rohlfing led with seven kills and eight digs.

Athlete of the week

Casey Kennedy
Sophomore
Women’s Golf

Kennedy earned athlete of the week honors for the second straight week. The sophomore finished eighth in the Lady Paladin Invitational at +16, leading the Lady Jaguars to a fifth-place showing. It was Kennedy’s second consecutive Top 10 finish following a third-place finish at the Lady Northern Invitational.

The Jaguars men’s golf team finished outside the Top 10 for the second consecutive tournament as the men posted an 11th-place showing in the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational between Oct. 23-25.

Augusta State finished +53, 12 strokes back of Florida for 10th place. Texas took the title with an -8, 856, finishing 26 strokes ahead of second-place LSU.

The Jaguars opened in a tie for sixth place after posting a +7, 295. However, a second-round total of 309 dropped them to 11th. A third-round total of 313 kept them in 11th as the final scores were posted.

Robin Petersson led Augusta State at +11, finishing tied for 35th. Petersson carded a 73 in the opening round before dropping with consecutive rounds of 77. Taylor Floyd also opened with a 73 before dropping with rounds of 75 and 80 to finish tied for 40th at +12.

Devin Komline finished tied for 50th with rounds of 76, 79, 78 for +17. Brendan Gillins came in behind Komline at +18, tied for 53rd. He also started with a round of 73 before falling with rounds of 78 and 83. Derek Chang finished alone in 58th at +20, posting scores of 79, 79, 78.

Isleworth marks the second straight tournament the Jaguars have struggled down the stretch. In the Brickyard Collegiate Championship in Macon, Ga., Augusta State opened with a round of +4, 292 to begin in fourth place. However, a second-round total of +14, 302 dropped them to seventh, and a final-round total of 302 pushed them back to a 12th-place finish.

Floyd opened with consecutive scores of 72 before falling with a 77 in the final round at Brickyard. Chang posted a 73 in the first round before dropping with rounds of 78 and 76. Freshman Cody Shafer opened his collegiate career with a 73 before dropping with rounds of 77 and 74.

Augusta State wraps up its fall schedule with a two-day tournament at Royal Oaks in Dallas on Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

Ward receives conference honor

Following a successful run in the Peach Belt Conference Championship for both the men and women, the program received another accolade by the conference.

Adam Ward, women’s head coach, was named conference women’s co-coach of the year. The award was Ward’s fifth in his eight-year tenure at Augusta State. He shares the award with UNC Pembroke’s Gary Aycock.

Ward coached the women’s cross country team to a third-place finish in the conference championship at Pacer Path in Aiken, S.C. The team won the Pacer Invitational on the same course in September, and finished second in the Augusta State-hosted Jaguar Invitational earlier in October. The Lady Jaguars are currently ninth in the Southeast Region poll. Ward coached a First-Team All-American in freshman Jessica Carpenter.

The men’s cross country team moved up two spots to sixth in the current region poll heading into NCAA Southeast Regionals in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 5.

Three Lady Jaguars combine to down Pacers

Three Lady Jaguars posted double-digit kills in a 3-1 win over USC Aiken on Tuesday.

Jessica Hanson recorded 16 kills to lead the squad and match, posting a .615 percentage. Alex Rohlfing added 13 kills and Kristen Koch added 11.

Collette Richards led the Lady Jaguars with 27 digs while Krystin Wahlig added 11.

Augusta State struggled out of the gate, losing the first set, 25-21. However, the team bounced back to take the second set 25-18, which was the beginning of a three-set win streak to take the match win. They took the third set 25-17 and the fourth set 25-19.

The win marked a season-sweep of the Pacers.

The win marks the beginning of an important stretch for Augusta State, as the squad travels to Flagler on Friday and visits Armstrong Atlantic on Saturday. The Lady Jaguars currently sit at 5-5 in the conference.

Men’s cross country claims conference title

In just its second year since reinstatement, Augusta State’s men’s cross country team took home the Peach Belt Conference Championship on Saturday.

A combination of one freshman and three sophomores made up the Top 4 times for the Jaguars, as Dustin Ross finished fourth for the team’s best time. Jaiden Brandt came in seventh, while Robert Blackwelder and Matthew Johnson finished 11th and 12th, respectively.

UNC Pembroke’s Pardon Ndhlovu won the individual title, and the Braves finished second behind the Jaguars with five points more. Augusta State’s time of 2:15:56.92 was actually higher than Pembroke’s 2:13:57.69, but the Jaguars clinched the win with a 23rd-place finish by Clay Holton.

It was Augusta State’s second win at Pacer Path in Aiken, S.C., this year after winning the Pacer Invitational in September. It was also the Jaguars’ third win on the season.

Women’s cross country finishes third in conference championship

The women’s cross country team finished third behind Montevallo and Clayton State in the conference championship, also held at Pacer Path. Freshman Jessica Carpenter finished fourth for the Lady Jaguars, while the squad posted times good for 16th, 17th and 18th. They finished three seconds behind the Falcons and one second behind the Lakers as a team, as well as 42 points behind the Falcons.

The men’s and women’s teams will compete in NCAA Southeast Regionals in Charlotte, N.C., Nov. 5.

Volleyball splits conference matches

The volleyball squad shut out Montevallo 3-0 on Monday before falling 3-1 to Lander on Friday, as well as a 3-1 loss to non-conference opponent Lees-McRae on Friday.

In the Montevallo win, the Lady Jaguars had three players with 10 or more kills. Alex Rohlfing led with 14, Mandy Irizarry had 11 and Jessica Hanson added 10. Collette Richards picked up 16 digs while Lauren Alverson added 14.

The Lady Jaguars took the first set with ease at 25-19, but they worked for the final two sets, with scores of 26-24 and 28-26.

Augusta State dropped the first two sets against Lander before surviving in the third set with a 25-15 win. However, a 25-15 loss in the fourth set sealed the team’s loss.

Kristen Koch led the Lady Jaguars with 12 kills while Rohlfing added nine. Rohlfing also had 19 digs while Richards had 15.

Augusta State sits at 12-14, 4-5. The squad is 7-3 at home while 2-5 on the road and 3-6 at neutral sites. This week will be perhaps the biggest for the Lady Jaguars as they travel to USC Aiken, Flagler and Armstrong Atlantic. The Pirates enter this week 28-0.

Athlete of the week

Casey Kennedy
Sophomore
Women’s Golf

Due to no Paw Prints last week, Kennedy’s accomplishments roll over to this week’s athlete of the week award. The sophomore from Cape May, N.J., shot a 76, 71, 71 to finish +5, good for third place individually in the Lady Northern Intercollegiate in Indiana. Kennedy’s scores helped lead Augusta State to a fifth-place finish in the tournament.

The Augusta State men’s cross country team took its first Peach Belt Conference Championship title on Saturday in Aiken, S.C.

In just their second season since reinstatement, the Jaguars were crowned conference champions, besting UNC Pembroke by five points. It was the team’s second title at Pacer Path this season after winning the Pacer Invitational in September.

Sophomore Dustin Ross led the Jaguars with a fourth-place showing, followed by freshman Jaiden Brandt at seventh. Sophomores Robert Blackwelder and Matthew Johnson finished 11th and 12th, respectively. The young Jaguars squad came in at 2:15:56.92. The Braves finished at 2:13:57.69, but senior Clay Holton came in ahead of Pembroke’s Kevin Clancy for 23rd, clinching the win.

The men’s team entered the championship ranked eighth in the Southeast Region poll, its highest since reinstatement. The Jaguars currently have three wins on the season, also finishing first in the Jaguar Invitational on Oct. 8. With the Top 4 Jaguar runners from the conference tournament being freshmen and sophomores, the future appears bright for the young program.

The Lady Jaguars finished third behind Montevallo and Clayton State with a time of 2:03:07.03, three seconds behind the Falcons and one second behind the Lakers. They finished 42 points behind the Falcons. Freshman Jessica Carpenter took fourth place while three Augusta State runners finished 16th, 17th and 18th.

The women’s team also entered the championship ranked eighth in the region poll. The Lady Jaguars’ highest ranking this season was No. 5.

Both teams will compete in the NCAA Southeast Regionals in Charlotte, N.C., Nov. 5.

The loss of Franck Ndongo as Augusta State’s big man would seemingly hurt the Jaguars’ defensive ability. But this season’s additions, along with a returning player, should help fill the gaps down low.

Augusta State led the Peach Belt Conference in defense last season by allowing 60 points per game, three points fewer than Montevallo. As a result, they led the conference in scoring margin at +11.3.

The Jaguars averaged 6.9 steals per game compared to 4.7 per game from the opposition. The two that led the team in steals were George Johnson (52) and Ndongo (47), followed by senior guard O’Neal Armstrong (43). Three of the top four in steals last year are no longer suiting up for the Jaguars.

Those returning that can provide more steals include the aforementioned Armstrong, as well as fellow senior guard Tye Beal, who provided solid defense against several of Augusta State’s toughest opponents last year, including Shahmel Brackett of UNC Pembroke in the conference tournament. In limited action, junior guard Kyle Armour has been a spark plug on defense, also.

Only time will tell how the incoming freshmen guards handle defensive duties. New guards Jay Manning, Devonte Thomas, Roman Hill and D’Angelo Boyce are a tad bigger than what the Jaguars have had at the position over the past year or two, and game speed is always a factor for new players at the college level. Defense in the backcourt is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Last year, the Jaguars were 11th in blocks per game with 2.2 while ranking last in offensive rebounds with 10.2, as well as ninth in defensive rebounds with 23.2. Ndongo averaged 7.9 rebounds per game, 5.2 more than the second-most on the team. The most of any returning player was Armstrong’s 2.9. Size and presence in the paint were definitely targets for head coach Dip Metress in the offseason, and he responded by bringing in several potential solutions down low. They now have five players at 6’5 or bigger.

So while the Jaguars will miss Ndongo’s presence in the frontcourt, Travis Keels is expected to take a step forward in his junior season, and Metress said he is healthy. New big man Kelth Cameron will provide a large body under the basket at 6’7, 259 pounds. Harold Doby‘s name was brought up in the first weekend of practice as one to watch; he is athletic at 6’5, 209 pounds, and he should get plenty of minutes.

Metress worked to bring in big bodies for offensive purposes to relieve the guards of so much outside shooting this season, but defense also likely had a factor in his decisions. While the Jaguars led in defense last year, the lack of presence in the paint was looming as a potential factor, and the additions should limit some concerns.

The Jaguars work on drills during the first weekend of practice. Augusta State sports several new faces, including a few forwards expected to contribute defensively. // David Wicker, Photographer