Women move to No. 9, men hold steady in national poll

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Sept. 19, 2019) – Undefeated seasons so far for both Milligan College cross country teams have helped the Buffaloes continue to receive national attention according to the latest NAIA coaches top 25 polls, released Thursday. The women moved up eight spots into the top 10 at No. 9 while the men rank No. 16.

"I was a little surprised with the women's preseason ranking and feel like this move is a little more representative of who they are," Head Coach Chris Layne said. "But the bottom line is we have to keep our foot on the gas because we're expecting to be a lot better come November."

Both teams remain unbeaten this season and posted an individual inside the top three in each of the first two races. Senior Hannah Bell led the Buffs to a team victory with a runner-up finish in the opening race of the season on the women's side before sophomore Gabrielle Mardis and the Buffs won the Dual at Buffalo Creek last week on Milligan's campus. Jake Crow paced the men in their opening race before Nathan Baker led a group of Buffs who achieved a perfect score with the top seven men at the home race.

"I was really proud of how we raced last weekend," Layne said. "We have a little more depth on both sides and that certainly makes for a more competitive environment day in and day out. For everyone around the country, it's going to come down to staying healthy."

Up next, Milligan heads to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Queens City Invitational next Friday, Sept. 27, for the third meet of the season. It will be one of three events left on the schedule prior to the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships and NAIA National Championships.