Women’s XC holds steady at No. 2 and picks up first-place vote in the NAIA Top 25

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (October 7, 2021) – The Milligan University women's cross country team closed the gap on the number-one spot in the nation as the Buffs picked up 42 points, one first-place vote and held steady as the No. 2 team in the latest NAIA Women's Cross Country Top 25 poll, released Thursday.

The Buffs appear in the rankings for the 49th-straight Top 25 poll. It also marks the 16th-consecutive top-10 ranking for the program, dating back to 2019. Thursday's poll marks the ninth time the Buffs' have earned the No. 2 ranking, the highest in program history.

St. Francis held the top spot in the first in-season poll with 560 points and 20 first-place votes with the Buffs 32 points behind at 528 points. This week, St. Francis earned 20 first-place votes with 591 points, while the Buffs gained a first-place nod and racked up 570 points from voters.

The Buffs turned in a historic outing at the Queen City Invite in Charlotte on Sept. 24. Milligan won the 33-team event that featured seven NCAA Division I teams. The Buffs also had two 5k times that ranked among the best in school history.

The Buffs had three of the top 10 finishers in the 262-runner race and finished with a team score of 58, 24 points ahead of second-place Anderson (S.C.), who rank No. 3 in the USTCCCA Division II Southeast Regional poll. Milligan finished 32 points above Queens (N.C.) who's currently ranked No. 8 in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II National Coaches' Poll.

Lemi Wutz matched Milligan's all-time cross country 5k record at 17:08, tying her with four-time NAIA national champion and Milligan Hall of Famer Hannah Segrave. Wutz was the race's runner-up, finishing a second behind Queen's Fatima Alanis.

Sophomore Alyssa Bearzi became the third-fastest woman in Milligan cross country history, behind Wutz and Segrave, with a 17:24 in her second-ever meet for the Buffs. She finished fourth overall.

Avery DeWolf Burton made her season debut with a 17:57, just 15 seconds behind her personal best, to finish 10th.

Gracie Allen improved on her PR at Appalachian State with a new personal best time of 18:15, good for 18th place. Junior Caitlin Dominy rounded out the Buffs' top five with a personal best mark of 18:22, good for 24th place.

The Buffs return to McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte for the Royals Challenge tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.