TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Milligan University's ninth-ranked men's cross country team outpaced their national billing with an eighth-place finish at the NAIA Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.

"I think it's really easy to get in the weeds after a big one like this but we were ranked 9th coming in and finished 8th so we need to be proud of what was accomplished today," head coach Chris Layne commented.

The team ended up with 341 points on the day to conclude the festivities in eighth out of 37 teams in attendance.

Bryson Lewis came away as the top finisher for the Buffaloes, notching a 48th-place finish in 25:23.3.

Marti Molins Rallo concluded his run with a time of 25:33.0 to earn 61st place in his first XC nationals appearance after transferring from Lindsey Wilson prior to the start of this season.

In 64th, Aaron Gottlied finished in 25:34.5 to round out Milligan's top three in the race.

Winston Telford (73rd, 25:37.2) and Rowen Moser-Bryan (164th, 26:24.6) were Milligan last two counting runners at the championships.

"On the men's side we just missed in a spot or two with regard to where we wanted to be but there were a number of bright spots in Marti and Aaron's effort today and I thought Rowen did a nice job for his first-ever national meet," stated Layne.

Both Luke Kennedy (172nd, 26:29.2) and Josh Hale (244th, 27:08.3) ran for the Buffaloes on Friday morning, as well.

With the result of the women's race (2nd), and the finish by the men (8th), the Buffaloes concluded the event in third in the combined team standings. 

"We take a lot of pride in the combined element of our championship as well. It's hard enough to have one team in the mix so to get on the podium in the team combined points says a lot about the culture these kids have put in place," Layne concluded. 

Both the Milligan men and women look ahead to the beginning of indoor season in the month of December. 

RESULTS