Two wins and four medals were claimed when Milligan University’s Cross Country teams participated in the annual Appalachian Athletic Conference Preview race in Asheville on Oct. 17. It was the fourth win of the season for the women’s team and the fifth win for the men’s team, leaving the men’s team undefeated this season.
Avery DeWolf and Gabrielle Mardis claimed the first and the third spots in a field of 44 runners. DeWolf won the 5k run with a time of 18:09 while Mardis placed third in the race with her time of 18:29.
Seven Lady Buffs participated in the race and together with DeWolf and Mardis, Caitlin Dominy (18:51), Bekah Owen (19:01), Gracie Allen (19:15), Ali Burns (19:32), and Kelsey Mowrey (19:38), all placed in the top 12.
“I was super proud of how everyone raced as a team, and we were definitely happy about the win,” DeWolf said. “I have never really run a whole race alone before so that was new for me, but I was happy with my finish.”
Aaron Jones and Tim Thacker led the men’s team with their first and third placements. Jones’ winning time for the men’s 8k run was 25:30 and Thacker’s 26:04 resulted in the third spot. Along with Jones and Thacker, Eli Cramer (26:20), Jake Crow (26:38), Andrew Burton (26:40), all placed in the top 12 in a field of 51.
“The guys are really buying into what they can accomplish as a team, and there continues to be a ton of energy that makes this group a lot of fun to work with,” Coach Layne said after the men’s team won.
Since the NAIA National Championship is postponed and rescheduled for April 9 because of COVID-19, the AAC Championship on Nov. 14 will wrap up the 20-21 season. Milligan’s women’s Cross Country team has won the championship 14 times in the past 17 years, and the men’s team has won three times in the past five years. The women’s team is currently ranked no. 8, while the men’s team is ranked no. 13.
Headline photo: Milligan’s women’s Cross Country team at the beginning of the race with Avery DeWolf in the lead.