Four Buffs earn All-American, men earn No. 3 at national championship

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (April 9, 2021) – Led by All-American efforts by Aaron Jones, Nathan Baker, Eli Cramer and Tim Thacker, the No. 9 Milligan University men's cross country team earned a podium finish in third at the NAIA national championships.

The 65th annual men's race took place Friday at Seminole Valley Cross Country Course, with Mount Mercy University serving as host.

Milligan even had a chance at winning the national title, unofficially crossing mile marker No. 2 with a 21-point lead in the 8k race.

"Obviously this was a banner day for our programs," Head Coach Chris Layne said. "Tough conditions for everyone racing due to the rain and mud, but I really thought both squads battled through both championship races. You can nitpick here and there, but it is really hard to ask anything more from these kids. Week after week they fight through all of this craziness, and they represent us so well at an extremely high level every time they compete."

This marked the highest ever national championship finish for Milligan's men and matched the highest ever national championship finish for any Milligan athletics program. It also marked the highest combined finish for men's and women's points as the two teams combined for a third-place finish.

Buffs place six in top 60

Jones (eighth in 24:48), Baker (11th in 24:51), Cramer (27th in 25:12) and Thacker (37th in 25:22) brought Milligan's All-American tally for men's cross country to 12, and this marked the highest volume of All-Americans during in one season in Milligan history. Additionally, Jones claimed the highest ever individual finish for the men, topping Austin Ellis' previous high of ninth at the 2011 national championship.

Baker secured his second straight All-American effort after securing 22nd at last year's national championship.

The Buffs placed six runners in the top 60 as Jake Crow followed in 53rd in 25:42 and Alex Mortimer followed in 57th in 25:45. Pablo Rivas took 145th in 26:45.

"Any time you have four All-Americans and put five inside the top 60, you have a shot and we thought we might," Layne said. "Every single guy ran well today, and it is hard not to look ahead and get excited because we get the lion's share of this group back next year, but for now, we are going to celebrate a big performance from these men."