Brett Seybert
Reporter
October 21, 2005
Heading into the closing stretch of the 2005 cross
country season, the Milligan College Buffaloes appear poised to make a repeat
performance of last year’s success at the regional and national levels.
The Milligan women, after finishing 24th in the
nation in 2004, are again led by last year’s 10th place national individual
finisher, senior Megan Lease, and began this season with an NAIA national
ranking of 27th out of 194 schools participating in the sport.
The Milligan men also have enjoyed the return of
last year’s top performer, senior Chris Wright, who finished fourth in NAIA
Region XII.
“Our returning student-athletes are the foundation
for our success thus far,” said head coach Chris Layne. “Our top two or three
spots on both teams are occupied by returning athletes, and our new athletes
look to them for guidance and direction. I think it’s because of their
maturation from last season until now that we’ve seen such an improvement across
the board.”
This season began with an impressive showing
against some stiff NCAA Division I competition at the Virginia Tech Invitational
in Blacksburg, Va. The women finished third as a team, ahead of schools such as
East Tennessee State University, Radford University (Va.) and the University of
North Carolina at Greensboro. Milligan’s women were bested only by host Virginia
Tech and Liberty University (Va.).
“It’s encouraging that we have done so well
against bigger schools,” said Lease, last year’s Region XII champion. “We may
not be the most talented team, but I think it shows how hard and smart we work,
and that pays off in the long run.”
The Lady Buffs were paced by Lease with a
seventh-place finish, and freshman Jacklyn Talbert, who finished 13th.
“Our freshmen, especially on the women’s side,
have dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s,” said Layne. “Our returning runners
have gotten the job done on a regular basis, but it’s our freshmen like Jacklyn
Talbert, Emily Schmitt and Ashley Pearce who have stepped up and filled the
holes when left open, and this has allowed us to be more competitive in practice
and on a national level when it’s time to race.”
On the men’s side, Wright’s performance was good
enough for a 17th-place finish at the Virginia Tech Invitational.
The next competition took place in Rock Hill,
S.C., at the Winthrop Invitational. The women came away with a team victory and
were led once again by Lease, who won the women’s five kilometer, and last
year’s Region XII runner-up, junior Marta Zimon, who finished fourth.
Winthrop was also a successful outing for the men,
as Wright came away with the eight kilometer victory, and senior Brandon
Talbert, freshman Will Frye and junior Jair Collie all placed in the top 15.
The Mountaineer Open at Appalachian State
University in Boone, N.C., was another successful event for the Buffaloes. The
women finished second as a team, as Lease, Zimon and Talbert finished in the top
10, and four of the top six women entered Milligan’s all-time top 10 records.
The men posted a third-place finish, with Wright finishing 14th overall.
Most recently, the Milligan cross country team
traveled to Orlando, Fla., to participate in the Disney Classic on Oct. 7.
Wright led all Milligan runners by finishing fourth in the men’s competition,
leading the men to a 13th place finish. The women finished fifth as a team. The
University of Florida won both the men’s and women’s team competitions.
Only the Southeastern Classic in Berry, Ga., on
Saturday remains before the Region XII/Appalachian Athletic Conference
Championship in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 5. The Milligan runners are confident
that success at a large scale will continue through the end of the season.
“As a team, one of our main goals is to be in the
top 20 or higher at nationals, which I definitely believe we are capable of
doing,” said Lease.
Zimon is also hopeful about the end of the season. “I hope our entire team can
make it to nationals, and that we all set personal records.”
In addition to preparing his team for the regional
and national tournaments, Layne learned he will lead an expanded track and field
program next year for the Buffaloes. This expansion comes at the heels of the
AAC decision to begin including outdoor track and will include sprint, jump,
hurdle and throwing events.
With this expansion comes an increased workload
and responsibilities for Layne; however, Layne says he is more than willing to
adjust. “This expansion is a definite positive. We’re thankful to Dr. Jeanes,
Mark Fox and the Milligan decision makers for their continued support of our
program,” Layne said after the expansion was announced on Friday.
“The expansion brings us in line with other
colleges and universities that take the sport very seriously. I’ve come to the
realization that it takes time to build a national caliber program, but this
expansion really helps keep us on track.”
Photo submitted by Megan Lease