Milligan dominates at App State, Ronoh lowers school record
Boone, N.C. (Oct. 12, 2007) --- The Milligan College women's cross country team won the team title at the Appalachian State Blue Ridge Open Friday afternoon in Boone, N.C.
The Lady Buffs, who move to 87-3 on the season, turned back the field of 20 NCAA DI, II, and NAIA teams with a total of 46 points. High Point University finished second with 66 points, while host Appalachian State finished third with 101 points.
Senior MacKenzie LaBonte (Port Charlotte, Fla.) finished fifth overall to again lead the Lady Buffs. Her time of 18:33 was the second fastest 5k of her career. Junior Jacklyn Talbert (Mt. Carmel, Tenn.) finished 7th overall in 18:47 and was the second Milligan woman to cross the finish line. Junior Erika Fox (Gambrills, Md.) ran 18:55, good for 11th place, while Ashley Pearce (Kissimmee, Fla.) ran 18:57 to finish 15th overall. Sophomore Rebecca McDowell (Mechanicsville, Va.) rounded out the Lady Buffs top five with a time of 19:01.
Also performing well for Milligan were junior Nicole Moore (Boise, Idaho.), who finished 40th overall in 19:26 and junior Emily Schmitt (Avon, Ind.) who finished 47th in 19:37. Freshman Lilli Zaldana (Bristol, Va.) (19:41), senior Lindsey Davis (Johnson City, Tenn.) (20:12), and sophomore Shanna Raines (Johnson City, Tenn.) (20:18) also recorded new lifetime bests on the afternoon.
Milligan's men also had a strong showing with a 12th place team finish in the 20 team field which included the no. 11 ranked University of Texas, Duke University, Appalachian State, and North Carolina. Freshman Ben Ronoh (Mogogoseik, Kenya) led Milligan's men for the fifth week in a row with a 13th place overall finish on the 8k course. His time of 25:01 is a new lifetime best and also lowers the Milligan school record for the second week in a row. Junior Wegene Degefa (Rochester, N.Y.) had a solid performance with a season best time of 25:45, while sophomore Aaron Wood (Aurora, Colo.) lowered his lifetime best to 27:01. Junior Will Frye (Pulaski, Va.) and freshman Michael Kaal (Gilbert, Ariz.) rounded out the Buffs top five.
"We had great conditions today, and I'm really pleased with how both squads reacted after a short week, said head coach Chris Layne.
Both squads will travel to Nashville next Saturday, Oct. 20, for the Southeastern Classic before a week off in preparation for the AAC/Region XII Championships.
For complete results from the State Farm Open visit www.goasu.com |
