MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (October 21, 2006) --- The Milligan College women\'s cross country team, ranked No. 10 nationally in this week's NAIA poll, finished third Saturday morning at the Southeastern Classic. The event, held in Berea, Ky., was filled with a field of 25 teams included six of the nation's top-30 women\'s cross country programs.
The Lady Buffs finished with 82 points, 11 points behind No. 5 Malone (Ohio) College. Cedarville (Ohio) University, the nation's No. 6 team scored a mild upset with the win and 39 points.
Milligan sophomore Jacklyn Talbert (Mt. Carmel, Tenn.) placed sixth overall and moved to No. 3 on Milligan\'s all-time list with a new lifetime best 5,000 meter time of 18:58 on the muddy course. ETSU transfer MacKenzie LaBonte (Port Charlotte, Fla.) crossed the line second for Milligan in 19:05 to finish 11th overall, while freshman Rebecca McDowell (Mechanicsville, Va.) continued to run well with a 17th place finish in a time of 19:18. Junior Kortney Goulds (Johnson City, Tenn.) finished 20th as the fourth Lady Buff across the finish line.
Sophomore Ashley Pearce (St. Cloud, Fla.) rounded out Milligan\'s top five with a time of 19:53, the second fastest 5,000 meter of her career.
In the men\'s 8,000 meter, sophomore Will Frye (Pulaski, Va.) finished 49th overall to lead the Buffs to a top-ten finish in the 25 team field. The Buffs bettered Appalachian Athletic Conference rivals King (Tenn.) College, Covenant (Ga.) College, and UVA-Wise, but fell one place short against Bryan (Tenn.) College.
Virginia Intermont College, ranked 2nd nationally, won the men\'s team title with 29 points. Malone College finished second.