The Milligan College women’s cross country team moved up in the national rankings from sixth to fourth, overall. This comes after their performance in the Appalachian Athletic Conference championship right in time for nationals.
“Any time you take a step up in the rankings, there is confirmation that things are moving in the right direction,” said head cross country coach Chris Layne. This movement in the “right direction” is certainly what the Lady Buffs seem to be doing with their recent success.
Before the new rank, the Lady Buffs were already recognized as one of the top programs in the nation. However, the move up in the rankings did not shock the Buffs. “The move up in the ranking wasn’t very surprising because of the great performance of the girls at conference,” senior cross country runner Hannah Bell explained.
Bell’s teammate, senior Katlyn Haas, agrees that “the move up the ranking did not surprise me one bit.” Both attributed the move up in the ranking to their performance at a conference.
While the ranking change was not a surprise for the Buffs, it does potentially impact the team for the national championship. “They know this is just a ranking, but I think it does give them continued confidence that they can compete with the best programs in the NAIA,” Layne said.
The news of the Lady Buffs moving up in the ranks should also reveal what the team is capable of and what it takes to get there. “I hope this change will show our dedication to the sport. Becoming a top-five ranked team has hopefully boosted people’s confidence in us and our program,” senior Erica Stone said.
While moving up a couple of spots in the rankings is exciting, the team’s job is not finished. Performing well at nationals is on everyone’s mind. “Truthfully, it doesn’t mean much if we don’t go to the national championships and back it (the new ranking) up, and that’s their focus,” Layne explained. The team is now looking to train well and take care of their bodies as they look forward to their next competition.
Headline photo: The Milligan women’s cross country team will take their new national ranking into Vancouver Washington Nov. 22 as they compete for an NAIA national championship.