Brookwood student Ben Mavity, center, was awarded the largest academic scholarship ever given to an Andrew College cross-country runner. With him as he signed the letter of intent are his parents, Steve and Donna Mavity of Thomasville, Abshul Ellis, captain of the Andrew team, and Dr. Juan Gomez, the Andrew College coach.
Team eyes conference title
The Andrew College cross-country team fired another volley in the NJCAA Region 17 battle when Ben Mavity, a senior from Brookwood School in Thomasville, Ga., inked a letter of intent with the Fighting Tigers.
Mavity is the 3rd top-level recruit that head coach Juan Gomez has signed this year, and Gomez feels that his team is poised to make a run at the region championship.
"We are very happy to have a runner of Ben's caliber join our squad." said Gomez. "My assistant coach Mark Brown and I have been recruiting Ben since we saw him run at the Sherwood Christian Cross Country Meet in September. He is an outstanding runner, and I expect the top spot on the team to be a dog-fight between Ben, Josh Timms, who signed in April, and Patrick Hansrote, who came on board in February."
Mavity recently qualified for the GISA State Track meet in the 2-Mile, and after a week or two of rest, he is going to begin training for his first collegiate season with Andrew College in Cuthbert, Ga.
His first race will be August 28th, at Darton, on their new cross-country course.
"Ben won't have to wait long to see how he stacks up against the top runners in the conference, but I am confident he will do well," Gomez said. "Ben's potential is unlimited. He has taken a very smart approach to running during his high school career. He is just now coming into his own as a runner, and with an increase in his weekly mileage, I expect him to be one of the top runners in the conference."
Mavity is also an all-star in the classroom, Gomez said, as he was awarded the largest academic scholarship ever given to an Andrew College cross-country runner.
"We are trying to build our program around fine young men like Ben," said Gomez. "He is going to be an excellent addition to the Andrew College community."
With Mavity, Hansrote, and Timms leading the way, Gomez feels that Andrew has a legitimate shot at the conference title.
"Darton's top two runners are going to be very tough to beat, but my top three guys should be able to challenge them," Gomez said. "Darton is getting a little too comfortable at the top of the conference, so we need to step up and change that."
