Lady Buffs Outlook:
The Lady Buffs cross country team enter the 2005 season with the largest women\'s roster of it\'s young program. The women\'s squad returns six of it\'s top seven from last year\'s Appalachian Athletic Conference and NAIA Region XII championship team.
Senior returnees Megan Lease (Camden, N.C.), an All-American in cross country and indoor track during the 2004-2005 season will surely lead the Lady Buffs by example. Marta Zimon, an experienced international competitor, and 2002 indoor national champion over 5000 meters, will add strength to the top of the pack.
National qualifiers from last years squad who will be looking to step-up again this season include sophomores Erika Fox (Gambrills, Md.), Kortney Goulds (Johnson City, Tenn.), and Megan Allen (Johnson City, Tenn.), bringing championship experience to a youthful team.
\"On paper, we\'ve got a very talented squad, but the key will lie in how this team comes together to pursue the goal of getting back to nationals,\" said Milligan\'s head coach Chris Layne.
A talented incoming group of freshmen that are expected to challenge the top five include Tennessee 800 meter state champion Jacklyn Talbert (Mt. Carmel, Tenn.), Emily Schmitt (Avon, Ind.), Idaho state finalist Nicole Moore (Boise, Idaho.), Ashley Pearce (St. Cloud, Fla.), and Kim Hogan (Springfield, Va.).
Buffs Outlook:
The men\'s roster won\'t boast the depth of the women\'s squad, but won\'t be lacking in the experience department.
The Buffs return three of it\'s top five runners from last years conference and region runner-up squad. Seniors Chris Wright (Berlin, Md.) and Brandon Talbert (Mt. Carmel, Tenn.), join junior Jair Collie (Johnson City, Tenn.) to again challenge for the men\'s top three positions.
Incoming freshmen Will Frye (Pulaski, Va.) and David Matee (Nairobi, Kenya) should immediately impact the Buffs top five. Frye was a finalist in the two-mile at the Virginia State Championships, while Matee is a middle-distance specialist who will step up to run 8k in cross country.
\"Our men\'s team will focus on staying healthy, if this happens, we can surprise folks by seasons end,\" said Layne.