Milligan dominated the “The Dual at the Tweetsie” cross-country race on Friday, Oct. 25. Milligan hosted Montreat College at the event, and the race spanned from mile marker 1 to 4.1 on the Tweetsie trail, covering 3.1 miles or a 5K.
The run was close to campus, making it easy for students to go cheer on their classmates.
“It was crazy to watch the cross-country team compete,” said sophomore Jonah Sanchez. “Normally they travel too far to watch, but seeing them in person brings a whole new perspective to what they do.”
The women took places 1-7 with sophomore Avery DeWolf in first with a time of 17:44.9 and sophomore Bekah Owen seven seconds behind. Finishers 3-7 were junior Amy Ferguson, senior Katlyn Haas, sophomore Gabrielle Mardis, senior Erica Stone and senior Hannah Bell. Milligan women also took places 10-12 and 19.
The men went 1-2 and also claimed many spots from 5 to 32.
Junior Nathan Baker ran a 14:56.4 to take the win and junior Tim Thacker was hot on his heels with a time of 15:06.8. Baker’s time set a school record.
Following Baker and Thacker, the men’s team top ten included Alex Mortimer (5), Jake Crow (6), Cory Aulich (7) and Andrew Burton (9).
The Milligan women won the team competition of the day with a collective time of 1:30:07 and an average time of 18:01. Milligan men also defeated Montreat with a collective time of 1:16:37 and an average time of 15:19.
Both teams are nationally ranked with the Lady Buffs sitting No. 7 and the men ranked No. 13.
The cross-country team’s next race will be the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday, Nov. 9. The team will race at the NAIA Championships on Friday, Nov 22.
Headline photo: Junior Nathan Baker races on the Tweetsie Trail.