No. 2 Men’s Cross Country wins fifth-straight AAC title

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (November 3, 2023) – The No. 2 Milligan University men's cross country team ran to its fifth-straight Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) championship with junior Bryn Woodall capturing the individual conference crown for the second-straight year at the AAC Championships on Friday morning.

The Buffs finished with a team score of 25 with three of the top five finishers, six of the top-10 individuals and each member of the team's top seven finishing in the top 14. The Buffs won the meet by 19 points over No. 9 Montreat with a team score of 25. Milligan's women also captured the conference title, marking the fourth-straight conference sweep for Milligan cross country.

"A really good day to be a Buff," said head coach Chris Layne. "I thought both squads had a complete effort and it was really encouraging to see us close our 1-5 gaps like we did on both sides."

Woodall topped the 113-man field at Sequoyah Park with an 8k effort of 24:03 to repeat as the AAC champion and Runner of the Year.

"Bryn has really turned the corner, embracing cross country at a different level this year so really not surprised with this streak he has been on," said Layne.

Will Stockley finished as the conference runner-up for the third-consecutive season in 24:11. Aaron Jones finished fifth in 24:28.

Zimri Kuhn, Bryson Lewis and Alex Brittain all ran personal-best times as the trio finishes eighth, ninth and 10th respectively. Kuhn crossed the finish line in 24:53, Lewis followed in 25:01 and Brittain in 25:05. Kuhn's effort ranks 10th on the team's all-time 8k leaderboard.

Josh Hale (14th, 25:11) and Connor Vanderkolk (16th, 25:20) both recorded PBs with top-16 finishes.

Arran Kearney (19th, 25:23), Sylas Chambers (20th, 25:24) and Keaton Hincher (21st, 25:30) made it 11 Buffs inside the top 21 finishers with Chambers and Hincher notching PRs.

Woodall, Stockley and Jones earned All-AAC First Team status. Kuhn, Lewis, Brittain and Hale were named All-AAC Second Team. Lewis and Vanderkolk collected AAC All-Freshman Team honors. Layne was honored as the AAC Men's Coach of the Year for the ninth time.

The 2023 AAC cross country title is the 10th in Milligan men's cross country history. With the win, the Buffs clinch a spot for at the NAIA National Championships for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. The 2023 NAIA National Championships are Nov. 17 at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course in Vancouver, Wash.