MILLIGAN, Tenn. – The Milligan University men's cross country program will begin their 2025 cross country season with the goal of returning to the top of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) and NAIA podiums.

The Buffs begin their season at the Queen City Invite in Charlotte, N.C., hosted by Queens University on Sept. 12.

2024 Season Review: Milligan's 2024 journey started following a national championship victory for the 2023 outfit. The squad was in the top two of the national rankings for the vast majority of the campaign, receiving broad acclaim.

The squad earned their sixth straight AAC Championship, with Bryn Woodall becoming the individual conference champ for the second straight year. The five counting runners for the Buffs all finished in the top nine at the event.

The Buffs boasted three All-AAC First Team honorees (Woodall, Blake Hipkiss, Winston Telford) and four All-AAC Second Teamers (Bryson Lewis, Zimri Kuhn, Douglas Cornfield, Sylas Chambers) at the conference meet.

At the 2024 NAIA National Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., Milligan scored 96 points, scoring just three points higher than their national championship winning mark of 93 in 2023. It was nine points behind the eventual national title winner, College of Idaho.

Woodall (5th), Telford (14th), Hipkiss (27th), Kuhn (29th) and Lewis (39th) each earned All-America honors for the squad, with Woodall (3x), Kuhn (2x) and Lewis (2x) sporting multi-year XC All-American honors as members of the Buffaloes.

2025 Preseason Poll: The Buffs topped the 2025 AAC Preseason Poll with a total of 165 points and 10 first-place votes.

2025 AAC Men's Cross Country Coaches' Preseason Poll
School (First-Place Votes) - Total Voting Points
1. Milligan (10) - 165
2. Montreat (1) - 156
3. SCAD Atlanta (1) - 145
4. Reinhardt - 128
5. Tennessee Wesleyan - 123
6. Truett McConnell - 99
7. Bryan - 96
8. Columbia - 83
9. Spartanburg Methodist - 59
10. Columbia International - 57
11. Union Commonwealth - 55
12. Pikeville - 46
13. Johnson - 33
14. Bluefield – 15

Key Returners: Telford (Gr.) and Lewis (Jr.) return as defending NAIA All-Americans, finishing in the top 40 of the national field in 2024.

Josh Hale (Sr.) has run at nationals for the Milligan men in 2023, as well, having placed 78^th in that year's championships. The team will look for him to take a step forward in 2025.

Joseph Abbott was a nationals alternate for the squad in 2024—his freshman season with the Buffaloes—and can be expected to be a part of the conversation for Milligan over the entirety of the 2025 campaign.

Coach Chris Layne expects a surge from Bailey Wade—who dealt with an ailment that forced him out of the 2024 slate—to return him to his stellar form from high school, in which he boasted a stellar 9:34 3200m clip.

Another returner with upside is Aaron Gottlied, who has focused heavily on his distance mentality entering the 2025 season.

"Bailey had a phenomenal high school career, and I believe we're going to see him emerge this season," Layne opined. "Aaron is another guy that his taken his focus to another level, and I won't be surprised if we see one or two others emerge before it's all said and done." 

Newcomers: Overall, the squad feels they have the pieces to compete for the national spotlight again this year, partially due to their incoming class.

Marti Molins Rallo headlines the class as a transfer from Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.). He has traditionally run at the 1000m distance during the track season, and he placed as the national runner-up in the 2025 indoor track competition. Early signs have shown he has what it takes to stretch that distance out to 8k.

A trio of big-ticket freshmen, including Jack O'Leary, Rowen Moser-Bryan and Evan Holbrook, will help the team continue to help replenish their talent this year.

"I am particularly excited about the maturity that I am seeing from O'Leary, Moser-Bryan and Holbrook, already," Layne noted.

Looking at the Schedule: A total of six regular-season dates make up the schedule for the Buffs in 2025, prior to the AAC and NAIA Championships.

The Queen City Invite will begin their trek, as the Queens University (N.C.)-hosted event takes place on Sept. 12 in Charlotte.

The Brevard XC Classic is next on the docket, the following Friday, Sept. 19 in Brevard, N.C.

Milligan will host the Eli Cramer Invitational at Steele Creek State Park in Bristol, Tenn. on Sept. 26 at 6:15 p.m. in remembrance of the former Milligan standout and current department Hall of Famer.

For the first time, the Firetower Project, hosted by Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. is later in the year, as the event will take place on Oct. 3 this season.

On Oct. 18, the Roanoke Cross Country Invitational in Salem, Va. will include the Buffaloes, before they head to the NAIA Appalachian Challenge on Oct. 24. The event is hosted by Tennessee Wesleyan University in Knoxville at Sequoyah Park and will feature many top-rated programs in the Southeast.

The AAC Cross Country Championships return to Sequoyah Park, as well, and will be run on Nov. 7. Milligan will be in search of their seventh conference title in a row.

Lastly, the NAIA National Championships will be held in Tallahassee, Fla. this year, and will take place at Apalachee Regional Park on Nov. 21. The Buffs will be aiming to return there as a team and battle for their third national title.

Last Word: "There is a ton to be excited about this year for our men with several unknowns and some talented returners," Layne concluded, "and I really believe the talent is there and that it will just be a matter of our guys coming together at the right time."