TIFTON — Runners, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is making a long distance call. Cross country was announced Monday as the college’s newest men’s and women’s sports and a familiar face, Mike Beeman, is at the helm.

Beeman, longtime cross country coach at Tift County High, is stepping down from his teaching position at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Cross country begins for the Stallions and Fillies this August.

“This fall semester will kick it off,” said Athletics Director Alan Kramer. He and Director of Public Relations Emeritus Mike Chason introduced both the sport and Beeman via the ABAC television studio.

“It’s an honor to be here and on the ABAC staff,” said Beeman. He already knows the campus well. For more than a decade, TCHS has been running the Blue Devil Invitational and postseason meets by Baldwin Lake. Beeman said he was thrilled to be part of history.

The ABAC campus isn’t new to Beeman. Neither are startup cross country programs, said Chason. Beeman helped get the UMass Lowell women’s program off the ground in 1981. He’s also quite the runner himself, having competed in 45 consecutive Boston Marathons, which ranks among the longest streaks for any runner.

Beeman said he was “blessed” to have taught at Tift County High. He cited his age as a reason to step down. “When this opportunity came up, it was a great transition,” said Beeman. “A win-win for Tift County and ABAC.”

Some of his current students have expressed a desire to run for the Fillies and Stallions.

Chason said that Beeman will be more than coach for ABAC, but an ambassador for the green gold as well. Beeman is well known at Tift for his support of all sports. He has been an assistant with girls basketball and the track teams in recent seasons and a major presence for the teams he doesn’t coach. That includes leading the singing of “Sweet Caroline” at baseball games.

“I feel like I’ll be ABAC’s biggest cheerleader,” Beeman said. “If you have an event where you need a hype man, I’m it.”

Beeman said he’ll be an encouraging force for his runners and, with his schedule will flexible for theirs.

Kramer said he anticipates many area students joining the squads.

Students interested in joining ABAC cross country can contact Kramer at akramer@abac.edu or Beeman, who is in the process of getting his ABAC email address set up.

Cross country is the seventh and eighth sport currently offered by ABAC and the first, said Kramer, to be introduced since soccer in 2006. Other women’s sports are soccer, softball and tennis. Men’s sports at Abraham Baldwin are baseball, golf and tennis.

There will be six other women’s cross country teams in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association this fall (one, like ABAC, will be brand new), said Kramer, and three other men’s teams. The men’s and women’s team will be in different divisions in the GCAA. The Stallions will be Division III non-scholarship, with the Fillies as a Division I scholarship team.