WALESKA, Ga. – The Milligan (Tenn.) Buffaloes are the preseason favorite to repeat as women's cross country champions in the Appalachian Athletics Conference.
 
This is the result of this year's preseason coaches poll, where the Buffs picked up 12 of the 13 first-place votes and 194 ratings points.
 
Meanwhile, the University of Pikeville was selected 13^th out of the 15 teams in the league.
 
The Bears will be under the leadership of first-year coach Anthony Kowalczyk, who was hired as director of cross country and track and field earlier this month. He replaced the only coach the program has ever known, John Biery, who moved to another position within the department.
 
Kowalczyk came to Pikeville from his alma mater, Saint Xavier University in Chicago, where he has coached since 2018. He joined the staff as a student coach and graduate assistant of both football and track and field. In June 2020, he was promoted to his current position as the assistant cross country/track and field coach and recruiting coordinator.

Milligan was followed by Montreat (N.C.) University, who was second with the final first-place vote and 183 ratings points. SCAD Atlanta, Reinhardt (Ga.) and Brenau (Ga.) rounded out the Top 5.
 
The poll, in its entirety, is as follows:
 
School (First-Place Votes) - Total Voting Points
1. Milligan (12) - 194
2. Montreat (1) - 183
3. SCAD Atlanta - 169
4. Reinhardt - 152
5. Brenau - 140
6. Truett McConnell - 123
7. Columbia - 115
8. Bryan - 112
9. Tennessee Wesleyan - 90
10. Columbia International - 73
11. Spartanburg Methodist - 58
12. Union Commonwealth - 53
13. UPike - 44
14. Johnson - 34
15. Bluefield - 20