Women's Cross Country stays at No. 2 in NAIA Top 25 for fourth-straight poll

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (October 28, 2021) – The Milligan University women's cross country team remained the No. 2 team in the nation in the latest edition of the NAIA Women's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 poll on Thursday.

The NAIA's top five of St. Francis (Ill.), Milligan, Cornerstone, Taylor and Saint Mary remains unchanged for the third-straight poll. For Milligan, it marks the Buffs' 51st-straight ranking and 18th-consecutive top-10 showing.

The Buffs finished 1st out of a dozen teams at the NAIA Southern States Challenge, hosted by USC-Beaufort on Saturday. Milligan had the top three finishers in the event and five of the top eight overall individuals as the Buffs' claimed the meet title with a team score of 20.

In Milligan's four regular season meets, the Buffs have recorded a 78-5 head-to-head record.

Graduate standout Lemi Wutz owns the fastest 5k time in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) this season at 17:08. Alyssa Bearzi and Avery DeWolf Burton rank second and third in the conference with times of 17:24 and 17:43, respectively. Gracie Allen (18:15), Caitlin Dominy (18:18) and Gabrielle Mardis (18:29) rank sixth, seventh and ninth on the AAC leaderboard in 2021.

The Buffs are looking to punch their ticket as a team to the NAIA National Championships for the 19th-straight year next weekend at the AAC Championships in Canton, Ga. Milligan won its 15th AAC title last fall.