No. 4 Buffs looking good as nationals approach

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Nov. 20, 2019) – A steady rise in the national poll and steady progress through the regular season has the No. 4 Milligan College women's cross country team primed for the 40th annual NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship, set for Friday, Nov. 22, in Vancouver, Washington.

This marks the 17th straight time Milligan has qualified as a team for the national championship meet. During this time, the Buffs have finished inside the top 10 on four occasions, including their highest finish of third in 2007. Milligan is fresh off a runner-up finish at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship where the team landed second by two points to SCAD Atlanta, the top-ranked NAIA team since Oct. 17.

"For both squads, I think the AAC Championships served as confirmation that we can compete with the best," Head Coach Chris Layne says. "Coming off that meet, they should know they're fit and in a good place heading into Vancouver."

Race Details

The 40th annual women's national championship meet is slated to start at 11:30 a.m. local time/2:30 p.m. EST, following the 64th annual men's championship at 1:30 p.m. EST. Cascade Collegiate Conference serves as the host for the 5k championship race, which will take place at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

The field is set to include 37 teams and 89 individuals.

Milligan this season

Milligan has posted three wins and two runner-up finishes across five meets on the schedule. The two runner-up finishes came against James Madison, an NCAA D-I program and one of the top women's teams out of the Colonial Athletic Association, and SCAD Atlanta, the No. 1 program in NAIA. Milligan has a win-loss record of 58-2.

Among Milligan's wins, the Buffaloes beat Tennessee Wesleyan and Montreat head-to-head. Tennessee Wesleyan and Montreat finished third and fourth in the AAC and are both receiving votes in the latest coaches top 25 poll.

Gabrielle Mardis, one of several prominent sophomores on Milligan's squad, led the Buffs against Tennessee Wesleyan with the individual win before sophomore Avery DeWolf led Milligan against Montreat, also with an individual win.

Sophomore Bekah Owen led Milligan at the AAC meet, taking fifth individually.

"We're going to require a strong run collectively from our sophomore women and then Amy Ferguson, Katlyn Haas, Erica Stone and Hannah Bell need to really compliment those young ladies," Layne says. "Everyone needs to focus on doing their job but it ultimately comes down to how we compete as a team."

History of success

The Buffs have a tradition of success at the national stage. In addition to qualifying as a team for the NAIA National Championship in 17 straight seasons, the Buffs have won the AAC Championship 14 times in the last 17 seasons.

Last year, Jacquelyn Crow led the Buffs to 12th overall with an All-American finish. Stone (81st), Mardis (97th), DeWolf (129th), Owen (168th) and Bell (171st) all landed in the top 200.

"It's going to come down to who in the top five runs the best on the day," Layne says. "I think we have 5-6 teams capable of winning this thing. If you have a tight pack of five women, you're going to be really competitive in championship races."