Cross-country maintains high rankings in national polls

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Oct. 17, 2019) – Both the Milligan College women's and men's cross-country teams kept a high national ranking according to the latest NAIA coaches top 25 poll. The women remained in the top 10 for the seventh consecutive week, polling in at No. 7. The men landed this week at No. 13, marking 47 straight weeks inside the top 20.

"We haven't raced since the last poll so I expected to see us shift a little," Head Coach Chris Layne said. "Training has gone really well for both squads so I'm really excited to see how we respond when we line back up on Oct. 25."

Season Review

Milligan has posted stellar seasons so far on both sides, the women with a record of 44-1 and the men with a record of 47-1. The only loss for each team came last month at the Queen City Invitational, although the Buffs defeated several NCAA Division I and Division II schools.

This season also saw the Buffs win the Dual at Buffalo Creek, a head-to-head event against Appalachian Athletic Conference foe Tennessee Wesleyan, and the Zaxby's Open, a season-opening meet at Tusculum University. The women won the Dual at Buffalo Creek by a wide margin before the men won with a perfect score.

Buff Leaders

Gabrielle Mardis has been the frontrunner for the Buffs on the women's side, leading her team both times she raced. Mardis ran one of the fastest 5k times in Milligan history (18:16) at Queens City after posting the fastest two-mile time in Milligan history (11:09) on Milligan's campus.

Nathan Baker has been the leader for the Buffs on the men's side. Baker ran away with the individual victory at the Dual at Buffalo Creek, then landed a ninth-place finish in a deep and talented field at Queens City.

On the Schedule

The Buffs continue this season with one more meet, the Dual at Tweetsie Trail Friday, Oct. 25, before heading to the championship portion of the season with the AAC Championships (Nov. 8) and NAIA Championships (Nov. 22).