The Milligan College cross country men’s and women’s teams ran in the Queens City Invite at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday, Sept. 27. Both the men and lady Buffs finished second as a team in the overall standings.
The men of Milligan’s cross country team ran their first eight-kilometer race this season. In a field that consisted of 43 different teams and 327 runners total, Milligan managed to finish second out of everyone that competed.
Milligan finished three spots ahead of conference foe Montreat University. They were the closest conference team in the standing in this meet.
Junior Nathan Baker managed to earn a top ten finish as he crosses the line ninth with a time of 25 minutes and 30 seconds. Tim Thacker, junior, also picked up big points as he ran under 26 minutes and had a final time of 25 minutes 50 seconds.
With 37 teams and 316 total contestants, the lady Buffs also ran to the top of the rankings in this meet. The Ladies finished second overall on the five-kilometer course. Sophomores Gabrielle Mardis and Bekash Owen, as well as senior Katlyn Haas, all finished in the top 20.
Mardis crossed the line first for Milligan placing fourth overall with a final time of 18 minutes and 16 seconds. Owen was not far behind as she finished ten seconds after her teammate and placed seventh overall.
Placing 17th, Haas also finished sub-19 minutes with a final time of 18 minutes 38 seconds. The Lady Buffs also finished well ahead of their conference counterparts as the Buffs placed ten spots ahead of the 12th place Tennessee Wesleyan University.
“McAlpine Park is well known as a fast course,” Thacker says. “The temps were over 90 degrees and the path, being an extremely fine dirt/gravel, quickly turned into clouds of dust. So it was a great place to run but definitely not the best day for it.”
These conditions led to runners dropping out of the race, “but the Buffs did considerably well in the conditions,” Thacker said. “As a whole, the team performed phenomenally well and showed a lot of trust in each other.”
This effort will serve the Buffs well as the season goes along. “This meet will definitely shake up the national rankings, and it’s a great sign for things to come.”
The Buffs’ next meet will be in October as they face Montreat University in a dual meet at Tweetsie Trail.
Headline photo: Lady Buffs after their 5 kilometer race.