Thacker named region track athlete of the year

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Feb. 28, 2020) – Milligan College junior Tim Thacker has been named South Region Male Track Athlete of the Year for the 2020 NAIA Indoor Track & Field season, announced the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Friday.

Thacker is coming off a successful indoor track campaign that saw him earn Appalachian Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year following the AAC championships last week. He scored 30 points for the Buffs in their runner-up finish with wins in the 800, 1k and mile.

Nationally, Thacker ranks No. 1 in the 800, No. 4 in the 1k and No. 2 in the mile. He spent one week as the No. 1-ranked miler, faster than everyone else in the NAIA by over three seconds. His season-best marks are 1:53.47, 2:28.43 and 4:11.32, respectively.

"Tim is incredibly deserving of this award," Head Coach Chris Layne says. "He has grown so much this season and we are all extremely proud of him."

Layne adds that Thacker's accomplishments come on a team and against a region that continues to develop. "You don't have to go any further than our team with Rasheem Brown and Nathan Baker, but I think his performances at our conference championships were the difference because he had to compete against three or four of the top tier middle distance/distance runners in the NAIA in Dirane, Lawrence and Baker to do what he did in winning the triple crown."

Thacker is one of nine Buffs on the men's side who will make the trip next week to the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. The event is set for Thursday-Saturday, March 5-7, in Brookings, South Dakota.