Lady Buffs signs Knoxville's Giffen

Milligan College, Tenn. (Apr. 4, 2008) --- Knox Karns senior Gillian Giffen (Knoxville, Tenn.) announced this week she'll compete for Milligan College in both cross country and track and field starting this Fall.

Giffen, who finished in the top 20 at the 2007 Tennessee State Cross Country Champs, was a two-time All-Metro, three-time all K.I.L., and four-time All-Region performer in cross country for coach Erin Chady.  She owns a 5k personal best of 19:42 from the 2007 Foot Locker South Regional. On the track, she owns a two-mile best of 11:57 set this past indoor season at the University of Kentucky.

The daughter of Neil and Irene Giffen, she's a member of the National Honor Society and the German Honor Society. Giffen, a member of the Cokesbury United Methodist Church, plans to major in Exercise Science while at Milligan.

"Gillian solidifies perhaps our best women's recruiting class to date, and she'll bring so much to this team as a student-athlete," said head coach Chris Layne.

Giffen credits much of her success to her junior high coach Tim Kelly, and during her AAU career she was coached by former University of Tennessee great Marty Sonnenfeldt.