Men’s Cross Country ranks No. 6 and receives first-ever No. 1 vote in NAIA Top 25 Poll

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (September 23, 2021) – The Milligan University men's cross country team was ranked No. 6 in the latest NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Poll and picked up the program's first-ever first-place vote on Thursday.

Thursday's poll marks the 17th-consecutive week that Milligan's men's cross country team has been ranked. It's the first fifth time in the last eight polls that the Buffs have cracked the top 10.

Of the 21 first-place votes in the top 25, Indiana Wesleyan collected 13, Saint Mary in Kansas had six and Milligan and Lewis-Clark State each reeled in one vote.

The Buffs opened their 2021 season on Sept. 3 at Appalachian State's Covered Bridge Open among nine NCAA Division I opponents. Milligan finished sixth at the meet, besting four Division I teams without two key runners competing.

Two-time cross country All-American Nathan Baker led the Buffs as the top non-Division I finisher at App State. He led the Buffs with a 25:54.5 8k time, good for 16th in the 137-runner field.

Junior Jake Crow and Sophomore Eli Cramer both logged top-30 finishes as Crow was 28th in 26:16.8 and Cramer crossed 29th at 26:19.8.

Will Stockley debuted for the Buffs and took 35th in 26:26.5 and Alex Mortimer rounded out the Buffs' top five in 26:40.2, approximately 45 seconds after Baker.

Milligan cross country heads to Charlotte for the Queen City Invitational tomorrow evening for the team's second event of the year.