Bryan College Takes NAIA Region XII Title

Elizabethton, Tenn. - Bryan College captured the NAIA Region XII and Appalachian Athletic Conference Men's Cross Country championships in convincing fashion Nov. 3, by placing five athletes in the top nine positions.

At the same time, Coach Rodney Stoker was named conference Coach of the Year.

Bryan totaled 29 points as the host Milligan finished second with 54. King College took the third team slot with 129 points. Individually for the Lions, Daniel Goetz led the way with a second-place finish and time of 25:50.80 over the eight-kilometer course. Milligan's Ben Ronoh took the individual crown in 25:27.10.

The championship, hosted by Milligan College at Sycamore Shoals State Park, is the first for Bryan since the cross country program was reinstated in 2005. That year the team finished sixth in the conference, and moved up to second a year ago.

Bryan took the five through seven spots, as Josh Bradley, Zach Buffington and Bryson Harper ran 26:51.80, 26:53.70, and 26:57.70 respectively. Zach Mobley rounded out the scoring for the Lions with a ninth-place finish and time of 27:04.70.

Andrew Dorn and Hunter Hall also ran well to finish 16th and 18th overall. Goetz, Bradley, Buffington, Harper and Mobley were all named to the All-Region and All-Conference teams.  Harper, Mobley and Matt Albin were selected to the All-Freshmen team. 

"Our men came in as the favorites and performed well," Coach Rodney Stoker said. "Milligan was aggressive in the early going, but our guys did a good job of keeping their composure and continuing to race late.

"It's exciting to see these young guys run so well. I feel that Goetz's experience is what allows him to run patiently and do what I ask of him. Bradley was as sharp as I've ever seen him in cross country and while Buffington wasn't at a hundred percent, he kept it together and did a good job for us. Harper and Mobley continue to close the gap on our top three, which makes us a much more solid program," the coach added.

"This is the time of year to be at your best and we are looking forward to competing at the National Championship in two weeks."

With its victory, Bryan qualified for the NAIA National Championship and will travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin to compete on Nov. 17.

 2007 Region XII Championship Results