Buffs improve high national marks

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Feb. 12, 2020) – After a successful weekend at the Camel City Invitational, the Milligan College track & field team made some moves in the national rankings, according to Wednesday's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's indoor track & field polls. The men moved up one spot to No. 13 while the women moved up seven spots to No. 19.

"We saw a ton of really great performances across the country so it's good to see both squads with a presence in the top 25," Head Coach Chris Layne said.

Additionally, Milligan remains one of the top NAIA programs in the nation in several events, including No. 1 in the men's 1k, women's 3k and women's 5k.

This week's marks

Milligan's list of national qualifiers grew substantially after a successful weekend at Camel City. Tim Thacker and Rasheem Brown ran the top times nationally in the 1k and 60 meter hurdles, respectively, representing a list of 10 Buffs who notched their first, or made improvements to, their national qualifying marks. Seven individual marks and one relay on the men's side, plus 11 individual marks on the women's side, make up the list of national qualifiers so far.

"Camel City was a really good meet for us but we have to stay dialed in and stay healthy as the next few weeks are going to be crucial in being ready for nationals in early March," Layne said.

These marks helped Milligan move up in the national polls and in the event squad ratings. On the men's side, the No. 1 1k rating is one of four inside the top five. The Buffs also rank No. 3 in the 3k and No. 4 in the mile and 5k. For the women, the No. 1 squads in the 3k and 5k are also among four inside the top five, as the Buffs also are No. 2 over 1000 meters and No. 5 in the mile.

Top performers

Among Milligan's list of top individuals and joining Thacker and Brown who are No. 1 in the NAIA, the Buffs have eight marks in the national top 10. Thacker also owns the No. 3 time in the 1k; Katlyn Haas and Bekah Owen rank No. 7 in the 3k and 5k, respectively; Tons Ferguson is No. 9 in the triple jump; and Avery DeWolf is No. 10 in the 5k.

Additionally, the men's distance medley relay squad of Nathan Baker, Ronan Philippot, Alex Windham and Thacker ranks No. 7. Baker is a hair outside the top 10 in a pair of individual events, ranking No. 11 in both the 1k and 3k.

Up next

Milligan travels this weekend to Virginia Military Institute for the final event on the indoor schedule prior to the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships (Feb. 20-21) and NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships (March 5-7).