Buffaloes Outdoor Track & Field Squads Conclude Stellar Opening Weekend at Lee University Invitational

Luis Peralta posted another event triumph with his 1500m mark which was a national standard mark and helped Milligan’s men take wins in 800m, 1500m, 5k and 10k races at the Lee University Invitational
Luis Peralta posted another event triumph with his 1500m mark which was a national standard mark and helped Milligan’s men take wins in 800m, 1500m, 5k and 10k races at the Lee University Invitational
March 22, 2025

CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Day two of the Lee University Invitational in Cleveland, Tenn. for the Milligan men's and women's outdoor track & field squads brought forth four additional national qualifying times, as well as two more event triumphs on the men's side.

Romario Taylor got things off to a great start in the men's 400m, running a 47.60 to place second by 0.004 seconds. It was the fastest ever opener to a season for him, and he reached the NAIA qualifying standard with the performance.

Bryn Woodall's 5k mark of 14:06.31 earned him the event title, as well as a new meet record. He also qualified for nationals with the mark.

In the women's 5k, Ellen-Mary Kearney placed fifth in 17:12.13, which was good enough for a national standard. Karly Wilhjelm placed ninth with an 18:30.90 in her collegiate debut on the outdoor track.

Brayden Simpson posted a 14.97-second clip in the 110m hurdles to place fifth overall.

Hunter Crook came in 13th with a mark of 10.99 seconds in the 100m dash.

Simpson then ran his 400m hurdles race and posted a new Milligan record mark of 55.61 in his collegiate debut in the event. On the women's side, Mary Custodio posted her own PB in the 400m hurdles.

Alex Brittain's runner-up finish was also his new personal best.

Luis Peralta won the men's 1500m with a national standard mark of 3:50.87. Carter Windham and Aaron Gottlied also posted personal-best times in the race.

The men's discus throw saw Corey Greeson notch a sixth-place showing with a 43.75m hurl. Zion Reddick came in 10th with a 38.61m toss. Annika Hoefler placed ninth on the women's side of the discus throw, reaching a 32.28m distance.

Reese Pesterfield concluded his decathlon in sixth place, posting a school-record total of 5147 points. Brendon Gibson placed ninth, in his debut with 4122 points to his name.

It was an immaculate start to the outdoor campaign for both squads, as they had five national qualifiers, four event wins, 21 top-five finishes and 26 personal-best marks on the weekend. They now boast 11 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) leaders, as they look ahead to the Raleigh Relays on Mar. 27-29 and the King University Invitational on Mar. 28.