Indoor season opens with dominance

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Nov. 23, 2020) – Five national qualifiers, 11 personal bests and 19 top-eight finishes highlighted a successful opening day for Milligan University track & field as the Buffaloes opened the indoor season at Columbia International's Rams Winter Challenge on Saturday.

The Buffaloes made a smooth transition from a successful cross country season that saw them capture both individual and both team titles at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships one week prior.

"Traditionally, this was a little early to start indoors but this was a great opportunity to get our kids out of the gate, and I thought they responded well," said Head Coach Chris Layne. "We had a bunch of debuts and then I think we were still able to hit a number of personal bests, so that's really encouraging."

National marks in opening weekend

Avery DeWolf and Tim Thacker provided a couple of the biggest highlights in winning the 5000 meters with a couple of national qualifying times. DeWolf led a one-two finish in the race as Bekah Owen followed close behind, both running well under the national standard.

Similarly in the men's 5k, Thacker was the first of four in the top six, with AAC cross country runner of the year Aaron Jones, Eli Cramer and Nathan Baker following in spots four through six. All three men earned the national mark, including Thacker who also set the Milligan record.

Middle distances show strong opening

Milligan posted several noteworthy marks in the short distances, including several top runners in the mile and several high finishes in both the men's and women's 1000 meters.

Ethan Pfister and Matt Huff both finished in the top six in the mile, Pfister posting a 4:28.23 to claim a new personal best. Pfister also led three Buffs in the top eight in the 1k with a time of 2:36.02.

Among the debuts

Freshman Gracie Allen, fresh off a 14th-place and All-AAC finish in cross country season, opened her first track season with a win in the 1k. Valentina Kenjeres and Rebecca Glover followed closely in third and fourth in the same event.

JaQuan Williams provided another solid freshman debut for the Buffs, opening his first track season with a seventh place finish after reaching the final of the 60 meters.

Allen and Williams were among 12 Buffs to make a collegiate debut this weekend.

"Coming off cross country, we knew the 5k folks would be ready to go, but then the shorter the race, the tougher it is because we just haven't hit that type of work at this point," Layne said. "If things are managed properly, we'll benefit for sure. We're starting to add a little more depth in the sprints and I think they looked solid."

Up next

Milligan will compete at the Keydet Invitational in Lexington, Virginia, on Saturday, Jan. 16, to start a full slate of indoor events on the schedule for the spring semester. The NAIA Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field National Championships are currently set for March 3-6 in Brookings, South Dakota.