MILLIGAN COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY - Lady Buffs dominate, Rono takes men's title
September 8, 2007 -- The Milligan College men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2007 season at the Eye Opener Invitational in Spartanburg, SC Saturday morning. The fifth-ranked Lady Buffs backed up their early season rating and ran away with the team title with a score of 22 points, while freshmen Benjamin Rono won the men's 8k race in 25:35.
Leading the way for Milligan's women was the duo of senior MacKenzie LaBonte, and junior Jacklyn Talbert. Both LaBonte (18:30) and Talbert (18:35) recorded new lifetime bests over the 5k course. Senior Erika Fox crossed the line third for Milligan in a new lifetime best time of 18:54, while junior Ashley Pearce was the fourth Milligan woman in a new lifetime best of 18:58. Junior Nicole Moore rounded out the top five with a new personal best time of 19:05.
Also running well for the Lady Buffs were sophomore Rebecca McDowell and senior Brittany Bales. All seven women finished top ten in a field that included 22 teams.
Led by Rono's strong individual performance, Milligan's men finished seventh overall in a field of 17 teams, Junior Will Frye ran in the Buffs number two position and finished 37th overall with a time of 27:52, with freshman Nathan Bordelon, sophomore Aaron Wood, and freshman James Butcher rounding out the men's top five.
The Buffs were without the services of preseason number one runner Wegene Degefa. Degefa will join both squads and open up at next weekend's Catamount Classic on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC.
MILLIGAN COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY - Lady Buffs dominate, Rono takes men's title
September 8, 2007 -- The Milligan College men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2007 season at the Eye Opener Invitational in Spartanburg, SC Saturday morning. The fifth-ranked Lady Buffs backed up their early season rating and ran away with the team title with a score of 22 points, while freshmen Benjamin Rono won the men's 8k race in 25:35.