WINGATE, N.C. (Sept. 24, 2016) â€" Milligan College's cross country teams travelled to Wingate University for the Bulldog Stampede on Saturday. Led by the upper classmen, both teams gave strong showings with the men winning the 8k event and the women finishing second in the 6k.
The women's team had seven runners in the race, with five finishing in the top 15.
Hannah Segrave (22:25.33) trailed Alyssa Johnson of host-school Wingate for the majority of the race, but closed in on her and won in the final stretch. Today's race was Segrave's first event of the fall season.
"I felt good but I'm not where I need to be yet," Segrave said following the win. "Today was more of a rep than anything, but I'll take the time and go on from here."
JJ Robinson followed Segrave with a top five finish of her own, finishing in 23:02.22.
A trio of Milligan runners rounded out the top 15, with
Erica Stone (24:34.56) finishing 13
th,
Ashton Bunch (24:42.45) finishing 14
th, and
Sarah Kate Gartman (24:45.78) finishing 15
th.
"Hannah did a nice job of staying controlled and doing what was necessary to pick up the win," Head Coach
Chris Layne said. "Some of our younger women saw PBS through 5k today which tells us we're moving in the right direction."
The men's team followed Segrave's win with a win of their own, including three top five finishes.
Brandon Ellis (26:41.69) finished first, followed by teammate
Taylor Tafelsky (27:04.82) in second, and
Mitch Bronstetter (27:15.66) finishing fourth.
"It was a tough cross course and it was pretty hot," Ellis said following his win. "It's definitely exciting to be able to step up when other teammates are having an off day. That's what this team does."
Two more Buffaloes finished in the top 10, with
Sam Wehner (27:57.84) finishing seventh and
Carson Kirby (28:30.07) rounding things out at number 10.
"Brandon has been really smart with his training and I really like the maturity he has done early on," Layne said. "The men did a nice job of working together early on and that put us in a good overall place."
Despite the tough conditions, Coach Layne was optimistic on the impact racing in them could have later on in the season. "On both sides this was about a race rep in an uncomfortable environment and I think that pays off later in the year," Layne said.
The Buffaloes return to action in two weeks when they travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the NAIA Preview race, scheduled to start at 4 p.m.ÂÂ
