Buffs, Cavs to clash on Tweetsie Friday

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Oct. 23, 2019) – Two nationally recognized cross-country programs will face off in a head-to-head meet Friday as Milligan College and Montreat College compete in the Dual at Tweetsie Trail.

The women's race is set for 4:45 p.m. with the men's race to follow at 5:30 p.m. Both races will feature a point to point 5k starting near First Apostolic Church in Johnson City and ending near Lions Field in Elizabethton. More specifically, the races will start at mile point one and end just beyond mile point four.

"We are really looking forward to hosting Montreat on Friday," Head Coach Chris Layne said. "With the hope the men will have two big 8k's on the horizon with the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships and then the NAIA National Championships, we felt it was important for them to step down in distance, so both will run a 5k. The Tweetsie Trail will provide a unique setting in that it's a point to point race but it handles the weather really well and it should yield the opportunity to run fast so we can get a real read on our fitness."

The meet will serve as a suitable tune-up for the upcoming AAC Championships, as both teams rank near the top of the league. Milligan, No. 7 in the nation, is No. 2 in the AAC on the women's side, while Montreat's women, receiving votes in the latest NAIA poll, is No. 4 in the league. On the men's side, Milligan is No. 1 in the AAC and No. 13 in the NAIA while Montreat is No. 2 and No. 18, respectively.

As the national rankings indicate, Milligan is progressing through one of its most successful cross-country seasons in its history. The women are 44-1 through three events this season while the men are 47-1. Each team's only blemish came at the Queen City Invitational last month, although the Buffs defeated numerous NCAA Division I and II programs there.

Gabrielle Mardis has led the Milligan women both times she competed this season, including taking fourth at the Queen City Invitational with one of the fastest 5k times in Milligan history (18:16). Nathan Baker ran to a ninth-place finish at that event with a time of 25:30.

After the upcoming meet on the Tweetsie Trail, Milligan will head to the AAC Championships Nov. 8 and the NAIA Championships Nov. 22.