Women’s XC collects No. 2 ranking in NAIA preseason poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (August 24, 2023) – The Milligan University women's cross country team was ranked No. 2 in the NAIA Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday.

The Buffs finished as the national runner-up in 2022 after claiming the NAIA national championship in 2021. Milligan receives its 13th-straight top-two ranking in the national poll. The Buffs have appeared in every national ranking dating back to the 2015 season. Defending NAIA national champion was the unanimous No.1 pick in the poll.

Sophomore Ellen Mary Kearney, graduate student Caitlin Dominy and senior Alyssa Bearzi are returning cross country All-Americans. The Buffs won their third-straight and 17th overall Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) championship in 2022. Milligan finished the season with five meet titles, a 106-4 head-to-head record with a 16-3 mark against NCAA Division I opponents. The Buffs picked up notable head-to-head triumphs over Louisville and South Carolina last fall.

Milligan opens its 2023 season at Appalachian State's Firetower Project Run on Sept. 1.