BOONE, N.C. – On Friday morning, the No. 2-ranked Milligan University women's cross country squad sent a contingent to the Covered Bridge Open, hosted by Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. at their on-campus course. The 5k meet included three university programs, App State, the University of Georgia and the Lady Buffs. At the conclusion of the race, MU placed third in the 5k race with 85 total points.
"It was a really unique environment today with a small field and high humidity," said director of cross country and track & field
Chris Layne, "but I like how our athletes handled themselves. We held out a lot of runners who we anticipate will be in our top seven as the season unfolds, but it was great to officially get the season under way."
Ella Hoover was strong for the Buffs as their top placer, ending up in 18
th of 33 harriers. She clocked in at 19:36.5 to pave the way.
Kelsey Burleson (20:07.4) and
Anna Gisler (20:14.7) made their collegiate debuts at the event, each placing among the top 25.
A pack of three runners, including
Rylee McGuire (20:25.8),
Abbie Page-Jones (20:26.0) and
Madeline Bennett (20:27.9) crossed as a group as runners four through six for MU.
Kayleigh Burkhead (21:49.2) was the seventh Milligan finisher, before
McKenna Spaulding (21:54.1) and
Kyra Couch (22:20.1) concluded the list of racers for the Lady Buffs on Friday.
"Ella did a nice job of mixing it up at the front," said Layne, "and I was really impressed with how our freshman women competed."
Next up for the Buffs are the Southern Showcase and the Brevard Invitational on Sept. 18, as the team will have two separate groups at the events to help them prepare for the grueling road ahead to the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Championships later this fall.
RESULTS
