Women's Cross Country 9/11/2025 7:59:00 PM Brendan Sweany, Assistant AD for Sports Communications

Season Preview: 2025 Women’s Cross Country

MILLIGAN, Tenn. – Milligan University's women's cross country team has high expectations at the conference and national levels entering the 2025 season, after finishing fourth in the nation in 2024.

Milligan's women's season begins at the Queen City Invite in Charlotte, N.C. on Sept. 12, hosted by Queens University.

2024 Season Review: The 2024 campaign mirrored the previous season's finish, as the Buffaloes took home the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) crown and placed fourth in the nation at the NAIA Championships in both 2023 and 2024.

It was the fifth straight AAC Championship title for the Lady Buffs, as the squad saw five runners place in the top 10 at the event.

Four Milligan runners were selected to the All-AAC First Team (Alyssa Bearzi, Kirsten Geary, Ellen-Mary Kearney, Patricia Barrera) and also had an All-AAC Second Team member (Karly Wilhjelm) at the conference meet.

At the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., the Buffaloes competed in the NAIA National Championships and scored 129 points, which shaved 16 points off their previous season's total of 145 at nationals. It was the program's fourth straight podium as a part of the top four at a national championship event.

Kearney (5th), Bearzi (16th), Hannah Brown (27th) and Geary (29th) each earned All-America honors for the squad, with Kearney (3x), Bearzi (3x) and Brown (2x) sporting multi-year XC All-American honors as part of the Milligan squad.

2025 Preseason Poll: The Buffs were selected to finish first with 12 of the 13 first-place votes in the AAC 2025 Preseason Coaches' Poll.

2025 AAC Women's Cross Country Coaches' Preseason Poll
School (First-Place Votes) - Total Voting Points
1. Milligan (12) - 194
2. Montreat (1) - 183
3. SCAD Atlanta - 169
4. Reinhardt - 152
5. Brenau - 140
6. Truett McConnell - 123
7. Columbia - 115
8. Bryan - 112
9. Tennessee Wesleyan - 90
10. Columbia International - 73

11. Spartanburg Methodist - 58

12. Union Commonwealth - 53
13. Pikeville - 44
14. Johnson - 34
15. Bluefield – 20

Key Returners: Milligan has a nearly identical group to their 2024 roster, having retained a massive list of contributors from the 2024 campaign.

Kearney begins the list, having been the highest finisher for the Buffaloes in the 2024 nationals 6k at fifth overall. The three-time cross country All-American looks to make her senior year the most memorable one.

Alyssa Bearzi, a former cross country individual national champion, placed 16th in the field at the 2024 championships and is in search of another signature performance to close out her career in her final season of eligibility.

Kirsten Geary is another one of the returning pieces from last year that boasted All-American honors in '24. She finished 29th at nationals and fifth at the AAC Championships and has the potential to climb even higher in 2025.

A freshman last year, Karly Wilhjelm turned up the heat with a 10th-place showing at the AAC Championships as a member of the All-Freshman team for the AAC. She ran with the team at nationals, as well, and is looking forward to besting her first foray into the collegiate landscape.

Patricia Barrera and Ashlyn Haas are a pair of runners who ran at nationals last year and placed 62nd and 68th, respectively, at the event. Entering their senior campaigns, they each have their sights set on helping their team return to the top of the podium this season.

Newcomers: Several key newcomers will bolster the group of talented returners to the fold in 2025.

Transfer Tatum Dermatas from UNC-Charlotte figures to be a constant presence for the team, as she enters her junior season of eligibility in 2025.

Five freshmen with gaudy race times join the Buffs squad this year.

Annabelle Stewart boasted a five-minute 1600m in high school, while Kaylee Coll ran a 5k at 18:07 during her prep years. Kerigan Lewis' 5:04 clip in the 1600m nearly matches Stewart, while Shelby Vitous comes in with a 5:11 mark at the same distance. Gabriella Hoover also figures to contribute, having clocked a personal-best 19:10 5k in her high school career.

"This freshman class is loaded with young ladies that are going to help us," Layne said. "I am really excited about their upside and what they bring to the table as student-athletes, not to mention the positive impact they're going to have on our team culture."

Looking at the Schedule: Six regular-season events will get the Buffaloes ready for the AAC and NAIA Championships in 2025.

First, the Queen City Invite takes place on Sept. 12 in Charlotte. The race is hosted by Queens University.

Next up will be the Brevard XC Classic on Friday, Sept. 19 in Brevard, N.C.

Milligan hosts the Eli Cramer Invitational at Steele Creek State Park in Bristol, Tenn. on Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. in memory of the former Milligan men's cross country star and current department Hall of Famer.

Appalachian State University's Firetower Project happens a little later this season, as the race will be run on Oct. 3 in Boone, N.C.

The Roanoke Cross Country Invitational, hosted by Roanoke College in Salem, Va., will be next on Oct. 18. Then the Buffs head out to Knoxville for the NAIA Appalachian Challenge on Oct. 24 at Sequoyah Park.

The AAC Cross Country Championships are once again at Sequoyah Park, and it will take place on Nov. 7. Milligan has their sixth straight conference title in their sights.

Following last year's trip to Columbia, Mo., the NAIA National Championships will be held in Tallahassee, Fla. this year at Apalachee Regional Park on Nov. 21. The Buffaloes' quest for their fifth straight national podium finish, and second national team title ends there.

Last Word: "Our women are an established group," said head coach Chris Layne. "With almost everyone back from last year's squad, plus the new faces, we have ample talent to compete for a championship nationally."

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