Track & field ready to roll at national championships

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (March 4, 2020) – With a pair of national champions and 10 Buffs seeded inside the top 13, the Milligan College track & field team is set for the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. The 55th annual men's and 40th annual women's championships are set for Thursday-Saturday, March 5-7, at South Dakota State University's Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex.

Milligan's roster includes eight male qualifiers and six female qualifiers. Among them, two-time national champion Rasheem Brown, a sophomore, headlines the No. 14 men's squad as the No. 1 seed and reigning national champion in the 60-meter hurdles. Junior Tim Thacker, last year's national runner-up in the mile, comes in as the No. 2 seed with the No. 2-ranked mile time this season.

Senior Katlyn Haas, the No. 4 seed in the 3000 meters, and senior Erica Stone and sophomore Gabrielle Mardis, 2019 indoor All-Americans, top the women's roster.

Experience, momentum keys for Buffs heading into national championships

Brown and Thacker, along with 2018 indoor 3k national champion Nathan Baker, provide the Buffs with plenty of experience on the men's side, and Head Coach Chris Layne says they have plenty of momentum, too. "The group as a whole has a lot of momentum. I think (the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships) gave them a lot of confidence so they know they're fit. We just have to manage the environment the right way by staying focused on competing and nothing else."

For Brown, Layne says it will come down to focusing on his own performance.

"I'd like to think (Rasheem) is healthier and obviously faster this year, coming off a big run in the 60 meters at the conference meet," Layne says. "He just has to do what he does best, and that's hurdle. He can't overthink the race or press in pursuit of a fast time - just let it come."

Layne expects the mile race to be tactical, and Thacker will need to take down Seth Farmer of Shawnee State, last year's mile champion, and Wesley Meyer of Olivet Nazarene, the only man to run the mile faster than Thacker this season. "It's going to come down to race tactics," Layne says of Thacker, "making the right moves at the right time and staying out of trouble early in the race."

It is a similar story for the women as Layne says experience should play a key role in how the Buffs perform on the national stage. Stone (1k) and Mardis (3k) are coming off finishes of fifth and sixth nationally at last year's indoor championships, helping them secure All-American in their events. The two are seeded No. 11 and No. 13 this season in the same events, and the Buffs also feature Bekah Owen and Avery DeWolf, Milligan's leaders at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships last fall, competing in the 5000 meters.

"This entire group has plenty of national championship experience so I'm excited to see how they handle themselves," Layne says about the women's squad. "I feel like we've had a really good last week and a half."

Milligan's national championship qualifiers this season

Baker headlines a group of three men competing in the 3000 meters this weekend and enters the meet as the No. 7 seed. Sam Wehner and Jake Crow follow, seeded at No. 16 and No. 17, respectively. Junior Ronan Philippot and freshman Alex Windham look to represent a portion of the men's distance medley relay, which qualified with Baker and Thacker early this season at the Finn Pincus Invitational. Senior Tons Ferguson represents the Buffs in the field events as he will compete in the triple jump, seeded No. 10.

Senior Hannah Bell rounds up the women's qualifiers, seeded No. 22 in the 3000 meters after picking up her national qualifying mark to help Milligan capture the AAC Championship two weeks ago.

In all, the Milligan women are set to compete in the 1k, 3k and 5k, of which they rank No. 5, No. 4 and No. 2, respectively, in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Event Squad Rankings. The men currently rank No. 5 in the mile and No. 2 in the 3k.

Milligan's Schedule of Events

(All times Eastern Time)

Thursday, March 5

3 p.m. – Bekah Owen, Avery DeWolf | Women's 5000 Meters Semifinal

7 p.m. – Men's Distance Medley Relay Semifinal

Friday, March 6

1:20 p.m. – Tim Thacker | Men's Mile Semifinal

1:50 p.m. – Rasheem Brown | Men's 60 Meter Hurdles Semifinal

4:15 p.m. – Erica Stone | Women's 1000 Meters Semifinal

4:55 p.m. – Katlyn Haas, Gabrielle Mardis, Hannah Bell | Women's 3000 Meters Semifinal

5:15 p.m. – Nathan Baker, Sam Wehner, Jake Crow | Men's 3000 Meters Semifinal

Saturday, March 7

1:35 p.m. – Men's Mile FINAL

1:55 p.m. – Men's 60 Meter Hurdles FINAL

2:30 p.m. – Tons Ferguson | Men's Triple Jump Prelim and FINAL

3:25 p.m. – Women's 1000 Meters FINAL

3:45 p.m. – Women's 3000 Meters FINAL

4 p.m. – Men's 3000 Meters FINAL

4:35 p.m. – Women's 5000 Meters FINAL

5:40 p.m. – Men's Distance Medley Relay FINAL