COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY - Buffs, Lady Buffs prepare for NAIA national championships
The Milligan College men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Louisville, Ky. Friday morning in preparation for the NAIA Cross Country National Championships at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. The men's 8000 meter race takes place at 10:30a.m., followed by the women's 5000 meters at 11:30a.m.
The Buffs send three individual qualifiers, seniors Chris Wright (Ocean City, MD) and Brandon Talbert (Mt. Carmel, TN), along with junior Jair Collie (Johnson City, TN), while the no. 14 ranked Lady Buffs will travel seven women, led by senior All-American Megan Lease (Camden, NC).
Joining Lease on the women's side are freshmen Emily Schmitt (Avon, IN) and Jacklyn Talbert (Mt. Carmel, TN), sophomores Lindsey Davis (Johnson City, TN), Erika Fox (Gambrills, MD), and Kortney Goulds (Johnson City, TN), and All-American Marta Zimon (Lodz, Poland) is the lone junior making the trip for the third time in a row.
Milligan's women are coming off their third-straight AAC/Region 12 title, while the men have finished in the runner-up position the last two seasons to national powerhouse Virginia Intermont, currently ranked no. 2 nationally.
Last season, the Lady Buffs finished 24th overall, while Lease earned an individual 10th place finish and All-American honors. Wright returns as the highest finisher from the 2004 championships where he finished 43rd.
The honors continue for both squads as Lease, and (Brandon) Talbert were named to the Academic All-American teams for women and men, respectively.
Live web updates of the championships can be found by visiting www.chasingtradition.com.