Layne tabbed as USTFCCCA South Region Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year

NEW ORLEANS, La. (February 25, 2022) – Milligan University longtime track and field head coach Chris Layne was honored as the South Region Men's Indoor Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Thursday evening.

Layne, who is in his 23rd season at the helm of Milligan's cross country and track programs, previously was named South Region Women's Indoor Coach of the Year in 2017. This past fall, he was honored as the USTFCCCA National Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading the Buffs to NAIA national championships in men's and women's cross country. 

Milligan men's indoor track and field captured its first-ever Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) championship with 187 points and seven conference titles. Over the course of the season, the Buffs logged 14 NAIA "A" standards and 20 total national qualifying marks.

At the AAC Indoor Championships, Milligan's men and women swept the 1k, mile, 3k, 5k and distance medley relay titles. The Buffs added championships in the men's 400 and 800. Layne and his staff were honored as the honored as AAC Men's Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year, Will Stockley was named the AAC Men's Track Athlete of the Year and Bryn Woodall earned AAC Men's Freshman of the Year honors.

Coming off the AAC Championships, the Buffs jumped back into the USTFCCCA's NAIA Men's Indoor Track & Field Rating Index at No. 17. Milligan rose 14 spots, the largest leap in the latest poll for any team in the national top 25. In the Regional Track & Field Ratings Index, Milligan holds the top spot in the South Region. The Buffs are ranked inside the top-11 nationally in five different events in the #EventSquad Rankings and have three top-10 national marks.

Milligan track and field heads to Brookings, S.D. to compete at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Nationals Championships next week.