Women's Cross Country | August 18, 2026
AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Peach Belt Conference (PBC) unveiled its Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 2026 Cross Country season on Monday morning. The Clayton State men's cross country team was picked to finish in fourth while the women were tabbed to finish in eighth.
MEN'S TEAM
In the coaches' poll, Flagler was picked to finish at the top of the podium of the conference with six first-place votes followed by Augusta with three first place votes. Georgia College, Clayton State, and Lander round out the top five. In last year's conference championship, the Lakers finished in fourth out of nine schools with 129 points. Fourth is tied for the best finish since 2011. The Lakers are led by their veterans
James Morrow,
Nehemiah Horton,
Emanuel Dixon, and
Dion Dial. Dixon and Morrow are the top returners after they both finished in the top three on the team in a combined 11 meets. The Lakers also welcome
Aiden Frye to the team for this season. Frye is an incoming freshman from Stockbridge, Ga. and will bring a lot of value to the team this season.
Complete Poll is below:
| School |
Votes (First Place) |
| Flagler |
62 (6) |
| Augusta |
59 (3) |
| Georgia College |
49 |
| Clayton State |
39 |
| Lander |
34 |
| Columbus State |
28 |
| USCA |
27 |
| USCB |
18 |
| Georgia Southwestern |
8 |
WOMEN'S TEAM
Like the men's poll, Flagler was slated to win the conference title, receiving 10 of 11 first place votes. Augusta received one first place vote, followed by North Georgia. Georgia College and Lander round out the top five in the poll. Last season, the Lakers finished eighth in the conference championships with 217 points. The Lakers are led by their veteran leadership of
Ahlana Failey. Failey finished in the top four on the team in all five meets. Also returning is
Maleena Castillo,
India Williamson and
Amaya Myers. Coach Hickom welcomes four newcomers to the team in
Gisele Cabrera, Juana Cervantes-Gonzales,
Jamea Lindley and
Rebecca Oji.
The Complete Poll is below:
| School |
Votes (First Place) |
| Flagler |
100 (1) |
| Augusta |
88 (1) |
| North Georgia |
80 |
| Georgia College |
77 |
| Lander |
60 |
| USCA |
52 |
| Columbus State |
44 |
| Clayton State |
41 |
| USCB |
29 |
| Middle Georgia |
19 |
| Georgia Southwestern |
15 |
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Clayton State cross country teams open its 2026 season at the Julius Johnson Invitational, hosted by Mercer University, on Saturday, September 5
th. The men compete at 8 a.m. while the women race at 9 a.m. Please visit claytonstatesports.com for more information.
Be sure to follow Clayton State Athletics, "South Atlanta's College Team" on
Twitter,
Instagram and
Facebook.
