Woodall Wins, Breaks School Record in 8k in Milligan Triumph at NAIA Appalachian Challenge

Beyond winning the NAIA Appalachian Challenge as an individual, Bryn Woodall set the Milligan men’s cross country program record in the 8k with a time of 23:20.7
Beyond winning the NAIA Appalachian Challenge as an individual, Bryn Woodall set the Milligan men’s cross country program record in the 8k with a time of 23:20.7
October 25, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On Friday morning, the Milligan University men's cross country squad took to the course at Sequoyah Park in Knoxville for the NAIA Appalachian Challenge, an annual event that continues to pick up steam. Only NAIA institutions were a part of the race, and 20 men's programs were in attendance. It was a tight finish for the men, but they were able to pick up the overall meet title with 74 points, defeating the No. 13, No. 16 teams in the nation, as well as two NAIA teams that were receiving votes.

Bryn Woodall led the way for the Buffaloes, winning the race with a time of 23:20.7, which was more than 20 seconds faster than any other harrier. It was also his personal-best time by a wide margin. His previous best mark was a 23:49.4 at last year's NAIA Appalachian Challenge, as the standout runner continues to improve, even as one of the best in the nation. Additionally, Woodall became the Milligan men's cross country program record holder in the 8k with his time, being etched in atop the great list of names that have come before him.

A huge performance from Zimri Kuhn, to finish ninth overall with a 24:45.1 clip, made him the second finisher of the morning for the Milligan men. He is running at a great pace of late. Coming off his personal best three weeks ago, he posted a time just four seconds and change shy of that mark in this race.

Josh Hale clocked in at 25:06.6 to finish in 17th out of 207 competing runners. He also managed a personal-best time, beating his previous mark of 25:11.5 that was set at last season's Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Cross Country Championships.

Blake Hipkiss posted a 22nd-place finish with a time of 25:14.6 to become the fourth Milligan men's finisher. He was followed closely by Sylas Chambers, who posted his best ever time in the 8k with a 25:16.0 to finish 25th. It was just Chambers' second race of the 2024 season and he beat his time at the Brevard XC Classic by over two minutes.

Joseph Abbott and Alex Brittain finished 28th and 29th, respectively. The freshman, Abbott, posted his personal-best mark of 25:21.2 at the event. They were the two final runners to tally points toward the Milligan team score.

Douglas Cornfield (33rd, 25:25.0), Bryson Lewis (34th, 25:25.1), Ashton Sheesley (36th, 25:30.2, PB), Joshua Starr (42nd, 25:40.6, PB), Mitchell McCown (46th, 25:44.9, PB), Daniel Martin (52nd, 25:57.6), Connor Vanderkolk (67th, 26:19.1), Josh Osorio (82nd, 26:42.3, PB), Ethan Bennett (86th, 26:51.1), Jaiden Carmichael (115th, 27:29.9, PB), Andrew Whaley (134th, 28:05.7, PB), Evan Spaulding (194th, 32:14.6) and Ben Cox (199th, 34:24.8) rounded out the remaining Milligan competitors.

"The margins are so small at the top of this sport," said head coach Chris Layne, "and like some of these other programs, we were missing a few key folks today, so I am really proud of how we competed and finished off both of these races. It came down to the straightaway for the men. You can't do this without the effort from our folks up front, but this team also relies heavily on its depth and so many different folks stepped up today."

Two weeks from today, the AAC Cross Country Championships will be held in Knoxville at this same course at Sequoyah Park. The Buffaloes men will be competing for their sixth straight AAC title on Nov. 8.