DeWolf, No. 5 Buffs win AAC crowns

SWANNANOA, N.C. (Nov. 14, 2020) – Junior Avery DeWolf won the race by 15 seconds to lead the No. 5 Milligan University women's cross country team to the Appalachian Athletic Conference title Saturday morning. The Buffs earned the top three spots and six of the top 12.

"I am extremely proud of both of these squads, and not because we just won two conference titles, but because of how they've handled the COVID-19 situation," Head Coach Chris Layne said. "They've sacrificed a lot to get to this point, and I am so happy they were able to see this season to the end and without one positive case."

DeWolf's winning time of 18:02.09, a season best, helped her win AAC Runner of the Year honors, while Milligan won the team title for the 15th time in the last 18 years.

Bekah Owen (18:17) and Gabrielle Mardis (18:27) took second and third individually. Kelsey Mowrey (19:26), Ali Burns (19:27) and Caitlin Dominy (19:36) went 10-11-12.

"Our veterans really came through on the women's side by going 1-2-3," Layne added. "We've had other conference women running close to us all season but those three really stood out today, and that was the difference. We have to get a little more consistency from our back half and when we do, I think we can run with anyone."

Other finishers for Milligan included Gracie Allen (19:45), Lauren Spry (20:22), Maci Cloninger (20:28), Camila Rivas (21:03) and Kaelyn Slaughter (21:25). All finished in the top 30, with nine Buffs finishing in the top 20.

Team scoring | history

Milligan won the AAC title with 25 points, easily defeating No. 17 Montreat (44 points) and the next closest team, which finished with 122 points.

Aaron Jones led No. 9 Milligan with the individual AAC crown on the men's side. It marked the first time since 2015 that Milligan swept both the men's and women's titles in the same year.

The win this year for Milligan's women marked their fifth team win in six events, and the Buffaloes remained perfect when running with their top group.

DeWolf's victory was her fourth of the season in four races. She previously won the Montreat XC Kickoff, Buffalo Creek Invitational and AAC Preview. Last season, she finished ninth at the AAC Championship.

"I've said this before, but even just a year ago, Avery wasn't quite sure what she was capable of, and she would leave a little bit out there each race, but it's a different story this year," Layne said on the effort of his top runner. "She is racing with a ton of confidence from the gun and I just wish she would have had the chance to get on the right course with the right field because I think she's in the type of shape to have a huge breakthrough time-wise. A number of them are to be honest."

All-AAC accolades

In addition to winning AAC Runner of the Year, DeWolf was the first representative of Milligan on the All-AAC first team. Owen and Mardis also earned first team honors, while Mowrey, Burns, Dominy and Allen earned All-AAC second team. Milligan claimed seven of the 14 available spots on the All-Conference teams.

Recap of last year

Owen, Mardis and DeWolf were Milligan's top three finishers last season as well. Owen took fifth, and Mardis and DeWolf went 8-9. The Buffs placed six in the top 13 on the way to taking runner-up to No. 1 SCAD by two points.

Up next

Milligan will next be in action in the spring, as the NAIA Men's and Women's Cross Country National Championships are currently set for Friday, April 9, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Last year, the Buffs finished eighth on the women's side and 14th on the men's side.