BOONE, N.C. – The No. 2-ranked Milligan University women's cross-country squad made the trek to Boone, N.C. for the Firetower Project Run, hosted by Appalachian State University at their on-campus cross country course. Senior superstar
Ellen-Mary Kearney placed second as an individual with a time of 21:17.3, which helped push the team to a third-place finish among an impressive list of competitors.
The Buffaloes finished behind just NCAA Division I powers Appalachian State and Willian & Mary in the race, outdueling the likes of College of Charleston, Radford, Coastal Carolina, and James Madison.
"I felt like the women's squad played it well early," said head coach
Chris Layne, "maybe we were a tad bit too cautious, but I thought they ran well the second half of the race. The weather was perfect but I think the course definitely ran a little slower than in the past due to all the rain they've had. Obviously, Ellen-Mary had a really good run today. Right now she's training at another level and I think we'll really see her come out the other side in November. Really proud of our young crew of ladies - they continue to work hard and embrace each of these opportunities."
Annabelle Stewart nabbed a top-10 finish for the Buffs crossing the line in 21:54.6.
Alyssa Bearzi (22:21.2) and
Kirsten Geary (22:32.7) finished less than a minute later, picking up 21st and 32nd place finishes, respectively. The final time that counted toward the team score came from
Patricia Barrera who ran at a pace of 22:45.0 which was good enough for 38th place.
Next on the schedule for Milligan is a trip to Salem, Va. for the Roanoke Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 18, as they look to build on a solid start to the 2025 season.
RESULTS
