The no. 2 ranked Milligan College women's cross country team won their fifth straight AAC/Region XII title Saturday morning at Elizabethton's Sycamore Shoals State Park. Lady Buff finishers occupied the first six places in the race with a perfect score of 15 points. In addition, Milligan placed seven women in the top 10, and nine women in the top 15.
Conference foe King College finished second with 74 points, while Montreat College, also of the AAC, finished third with 110 points.
As she's done all season, Milligan senior MacKenzie LaBonte led the Lady Buffs with the individual title in a 5k time of 18:36. She was followed closely in the next five places by sophomore Rebecca McDowell (18:42), junior Jacklyn Talbert (18:48), senior Erika Fox (18:52), junior Ashley Pearce (18:52), and junior Nicole Moore (18:53).
Freshman Lili Zaldana rounded out Milligan's top seven with another lifetime best mark of 19:07, more than 30 seconds off her best from three weeks ago at Appalachian State. In all, the Lady Buffs recorded eight new lifetime bests.
"I couldn't be more pleased with how the women executed their race plan today. This is a deceiving course with the loose gravel and tight turns, these times tell me they're ready to go in two more weeks." said head coach Chris Layne.
LaBonte won AAC and Region 12 Runner of the Year honors, while head coach Chris Layne was named the women's AAC and Region 12 Coach of the Year.
Milligan's men earned Region runner-up honors, improving on their fourth place finish from a year ago. AAC rival Bryan College won the men's team title with 29 points, while the Buffs tallied 54 points. Freshman Ben Ronoh dominated the men's 8k race from gun to tape to take the individual title in 25:27, more than 20 seconds ahead of runner-up finisher Daniel Goetz of Bryan College. Junior teammate Wegene Degefa finished third overall in 26:35, while junior Will Frye finished 11th. Sophomore Aaron Wood finished 12th.
"Our men certainly took a shot at the title and left everything on the course today," said Layne.
Ronoh earned AAC and Region 12 Runner of the Year honors and was joined on the All-Freshman team by Michael Kaal and Nathan Bordelon. Both Ronoh and Degefa should earn individual berths to join the women's team at the NAIA National Championships in Kenosha, Wisconson on November 17th.
The no. 2 ranked Milligan College women's cross country team won their fifth straight AAC/Region XII title Saturday morning at Elizabethton's Sycamore Shoals State Park. Lady Buff finishers occupied the first six places in the race with a perfect score of 15 points. In addition, Milligan placed seven women in the top 10, and nine women in the top 15.
Conference foe King College finished second with 74 points, while Montreat College, also of the AAC, finished third with 110 points.