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Geary Paces No. 1 Lady Buffs XC at ECU Pirate Invitational

Kirsten Geary’s 10th-place finish was the top time for the Lady Buffs, as she helped the team finish fourth out of 20 schools at the predominantly NCAA DI event
Kirsten Geary’s 10th-place finish was the top time for the Lady Buffs, as she helped the team finish fourth out of 20 schools at the predominantly NCAA DI event
Results
October 4, 2024

GREENVILLE, N.C. – On Friday morning, the Milligan University women's cross country team took part in the Pirate Invitational, hosted by East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. It was a positive result for the Lady Buffs, as they finished fourth out of a list of 20 total programs, with Milligan being the only non-NCAA Division I school.

The 6k race saw the top five Buffaloes finish in the top 62 racers in a field of 202 finishers. Kirsten Geary paced Milligan in the event, notching a 21:58.9 time to finish in 10th place.

Ellen-Mary Kearney placed 15th in the field with a 22:09.6 run as the second Milligan finisher, while Alyssa Bearzi was 35th overall and third for the Buffs. Bearzi clocked in at 22:41.4 for the race,

Hannah Brown managed a 54th-place result and became Milligan's fourth finisher on the event. She posted a 23:05.4 time, and was followed by Ashlyn Haas as the Buffs' fifth racer to cross the line in 63rd with a 23:11.0 clip attached to her.

The top seven scores were counted toward the team's score at the event, as the remaining racers to finish for Milligan with points were Karly Wilhjelm (113th) and Gracie Franklin (118th). Patricia Barrera (137th), Hope Krell (140th), McKenna Spaulding (158th), Anna Jones (166th), Cameron Walker (171st), Annie Kate McDermott (184th), Morgan Wilson (199th) and Isabelle Johnson (209th).

"Both squads are at the end of a pretty heavy training window," said head coach Chris Layne, "so taking that into consideration, I feel like we got a lot out of today. In the women's race, we just didn't run fast top to bottom. The race may have been a little long. We are excited to get them freshened up so we can turn into the championship window ready to go."

The Lady Buffs now have a three-week prep period for their next meet, which is the NAIA Appalachian Challenge, hosted at Sequoyah Park in Knoxville, Tenn. on Oct. 26.