Men's Cross Country | August 25, 2025

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Peach Belt Conference (PBC) announced on Monday its preseason coaches' polls for the 2025 men's and women's cross country seasons.  Clayton State University found themselves in the middle of the pack. 
 
The men's team are picked to finish fourth while the women's team are picked to finish in sixth.  In last year's conference championship, the men's team finished in fourth while the women finished in seventh.  In all, the coaches on the men's side picked Augusta to win the league while Flagler was picked to win on the women's side. 
 
The men's team is led by the senior leadership of Camron Gaddis and Rakiem Barnes.  The Laker seniors led the team in the majority of races last season.  They are joined by Nehemiah Horton, Terry Mitchner, and Mykell Strickland, who also made huge impacts last season.  The women's side is led by Ivorie Smith, Marley Tate, and Ahlana Failey.  The Lakers also return Jada Warren, who led the Lakers from 2022 to 2023. 
 
Below are the full coaches' polls for the 2025 season:
 
Men's Cross Country

Place	School	Votes
1.	Augusta	62 (6)
2.	Flagler	59 (3)
3.	Georgia College & State	50
4.	Clayton State	41
5.	Columbus State	29
5.	Lander	29
7.	USC Aiken	27
8.	USC Beaufort	15
9.	Georgia Southwestern	12

 
Women's Cross Country

Place	School	Votes
1.	Flagler	98 (9)
2.	Augusta	89 (1)
3.	North Georgia	84 (1)
4.	Georgia College & State	75
5.	Lander	59
6.	Clayton State	51
7.	USC Aiken	48
8.	Columbus State	42
9.	USC Beaufort	26
10.	Georgia Southwestern	17
11.	Middle Georgia State	16

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Clayton State cross country teams kick off their 2025 season on Friday, September 12^th at the UNG XC Invitational.  The men's race is set for 5:45 p.m. while the women is set for 6:30 p.m.  Please visit claytonstatesports.com for all the information!
 
Be sure to follow Clayton State Athletics, "South Atlanta's College Team" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.