CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Milligan University's No. 2-ranked men's cross country squad began their 2025 campaign on Friday evening in Charlotte, N.C. at the Queen City Invite, hosted by NCAA Division I Queens University.

The Buffaloes had a consistently strong night, placing fourth out of 21 teams in attendance, including higher finishes than all NAIA opposition and a pair of Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opponents.

Their top finisher was Josh Hale, who clocked in at 25:24.65 to take 27^th place as an individual. Bryson Lewis was only four spots and five seconds behind Hale, with a 31^st-place showing in 25:29.72.

Aaron Gottlied (25:42.82, 49^th) and Luke Kennedy (25:49.68, 52^nd) were the next pair of Buffs to cross the finish line, and they boasted the third and fourth counting times toward the team score.

Newcomers Rowen Moser-Bryan (26:12.55, 72^nd) and Marti Molins Rallo (26:15.14, 74^th) were nearly two-and-a-half seconds apart, as Moser-Bryan counted as the final score for Milligan on the evening.

Evan Holbrook (94^th, 26:38.55) and Joseph Abbott (98^th, 26:40.76) also finished in the top 100 for the Buffs.

Overall, the Buffs had their top five finishers cross the line within 48 seconds of each other, as the group totaled 180 points.

"I felt like this was a good start for our men," head coach Chris Layne said. "We saw a nice mix of veterans, newcomers and freshmen step up for us today, and the competitiveness of this race is what we need. I continue to be very high on the potential of this squad."

Following a strong opening to their season, the Buffaloes will now look ahead to their next opportunity on the course at the Brevard XC Classic in Brevard, N.C. on Sept. 19.