Thacker, DeWolf lead Buffs to AAC runners-up

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 19, 2021) – Seven more Appalachian Athletic Conference indoor champions on Friday brought the total to 12 and led the Milligan University track & field No. 25 men and No. 13 women to runner-up team finishes at the 2021 AAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Tim Thacker and Avery DeWolf led their respective sides with four titles apiece, both winning AAC Athlete of the Year.

"Avery and Tim were magnificent and they carried a heavy load, playing a role in 80 points between the two of them, but our effort involved everyone," Head Coach Chris Layne said. "Skylan Stephens scored in all three sprints, Halie had a big upset to win the vault, and if they were not scoring points, we were seeing PB's from the rest of them."

Milligan finished as a close second in both team tallies. The men overcame two spots from day one to day two to finish only 27 points off Montreat (176-149). The women closed the gap against No. 19 Columbia but came up short by 10 points (195-185).

"I have said this the last few years, but this conference is exploding in track and field," Layne said. "For example, in the women's 3k you had five of the top 10 women in the NAIA. The competition is there across the board, and it is exciting this championship now has the credibility it does."

Friday's great start sets tone for successful final day

The day started in a positive way for both Milligan teams. Kaelyn Slaughter, Gracie Allen, Valentina Kenjeres and Caitlin Dominy won the 4x800 meter relay by over 70 seconds with the 10th-fastest NAIA time of the season (9:50.05). Matt Huff, Ethan Pfister, Luke Avery and Austin Walker completed the sweep by taking one second off the old AAC championship record in winning the men's 4x800 meter relay (8:11.15).

DeWolf then picked up where she left off after winning two AAC titles on Thursday, winning the 3000 meters in a deep field that featured five of the top 10 ranked women in the NAIA. She ran 10:06, with Bekah Owen, Alyssa Bearzi, Gabrielle Mardis and Ali Burns taking spots two, five, seven and eight, respectively.

Nathan Baker led the men's 3000 meters with a runner-up finish in what proved to be a dominant effort from the Buffs. Eli Cramer, Jake Crow, Pablo Rivas, Alex Mortimer and Andrew Burton followed in 3-4-6-7-8 to collect big points. Cramer, Rivas and Burton all recorded personal bests.

Thacker, DeWolf finish in style

Like DeWolf, Thacker also picked up where he left off, winning the 800 meters in 1:54.53, and he was hardly done after that as he continued the day with the AAC title in the mile. Thacker's mile victory marked his fourth of the meet and came with a photo finish as he narrowly defeated Baker by 0.17 seconds. The two ran 4:19.30 and 4:19.47, respectively.

DeWolf rounded out her successful meet with her fourth victory in the mile as well, defeating Owen in a 1-2 finish where they both ran personal bests, 5:05.33 and 5:09.54. Mardis and Dominy also picked up points in the event, as they took fourth and seventh.

Halie Hawkins highlighted the field events portion for Milligan in winning the pole vault with a school record 3.20-meter mark. She was successful at 3.20 meters on her first try to help claim the AAC title.

"We always want to have teams in the mix at the conference level," Layne concluded, "but we will never deviate from high-end development and being ready on the biggest stage."

Up next

Milligan will compete at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, set for Wednesday-Saturday, March 3-6, in Yankton, South Dakota. After that, the Buffs will turn their attention to outdoor season.

Milligan's AAC Champions

Thursday

Avery DeWolf – 1000 Meters | 3:07.44
Tim Thacker – 1000 Meters | 2:29.21 *
Bekah Owen – 5000 Meters | 18:19.01
Avery DeWolf, Gabrielle Mardis, Gracie Allen, Kiley Wood – Distance Medley Relay | 12:22.65 *
Sam Wehner, Austin Walker, Ethan Pfister, Tim Thacker – Distance Medley Relay | 10:20.47 *

Friday

Caitlin Dominy, Valentina Kenjeres, Gracie Allen, Kaelyn Slaughter – 4x800 Meter Relay | 9:50.05
Ethan Pfister, Austin Walker, Luke Avery, Matt Huff – 4x800 Meter Relay | 8:11.15 *
Avery DeWolf – 3000 Meters | 10:06.12
Tim Thacker – 800 Meters | 1:54.53
Avery DeWolf – Mile | 5:05.33
Tim Thacker – Mile | 4:19.30
Halie Hawkins – Pole Vault | 3.20m #

* - AAC Championship Record
# - Milligan Record