TIFTON – Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Kylie Downs recently became the school’s first cross country runner to place at the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Region 17 championships. She was also named to the GCAA Women’s Cross Country All-Region team.
“It’s really an honor,” said ABAC cross country coach Mike Beeman. “This is the second year we’ve had this program, and we’re already very competitive with top established teams within the region.”
Only the top five finishers in the men’s and women’s competition earned All-Region status. Downs placed fifth in the 5-kilometer race held at the Council Farms course in Milledgeville.
Downs, a freshman from Adel, has been running for eight years and credits her high school coach Jonathan McDaniel with encouraging her to attend ABAC. During her prep career, she was Cook High’s first individual region champion in the sport.
She said that she didn’t know where she had placed while competing in the regionals. But she realized it must have been in the top five when she saw Beeman shouting in celebration at the finish line.
“My goal was just to get faster every time,” she said.
