TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – At Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. on Friday morning, the No. 2-ranked Milligan University women's cross country squad ran as part of the NAIA Cross Country National Championships. It was an incredible race for the Buffaloes, who notched a national runner-up placement as a team, and Ellen-Mary Kearney posted the highest individual finish for the Lady Buffs since Alyssa Bearzi's national title in 2021.

"We were ranked 2nd coming in and finished 2nd so we are proud of what we accomplished today," said head coach Chris Layne. "Not having Kirsten in our line-up on the women's side was a hit but I'm incredibly proud of how our seven women stepped up and battled to the end to make it a close one."

Milligan had three racers close out the event in the top 40 finishers, earning NAIA All-American honors with those performances. In terms of points, the squad improved on last season by 20 points, totaling just 109 to finish 19 points shy of the national title mark of 90.

Kearney came away with the best finish of her career at nationals in her final season as a member of the Buffaloes. She posted a 20:43.6 clip to place second and earned national runner-up and NAIA All-American status.

"What a great way for Ellen-Mary to close out her college career. She's had a phenomenal year and I'm really impressed with how she goes about her business each and every day," Layne added. 

Freshman Annabelle Stewart put together a standout nationals debut, placing ninth in 21:29.1 to also earn All-America honors.

Milligan's last All-American finisher of the race was Bearzi, who ended up in 30th with a time of 21:51.4 to help solidify the Buffaloes' standing by climbing six places in the final 1k.

Kerigan Lewis finished 41st, just one spot out from becoming an All-American in her freshman season. She clocked in at 22:01.5.

Karly Wilhjelm and Patricia Barrera finished back-to-back in 46th and 47th, as Wilhjelm's time of 22:09.7 counted toward the eventual final team score. Barrera ran a 22:12.8.

Kaylee Coll came away in 102nd as an individual, with a time of 22:54.6, 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. 

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