Chris Layne named USTFCCCA NAIA Men’s XC National Coach of the Year

NEW ORLEANS (November 21, 2023) – Milligan University head cross country and track coach Chris Layne was named the NAIA Men's Cross Country National Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday after leading the Buffs to the 2023 national title.

Milligan captured its second NAIA national championship in men's cross country at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course on Friday. The Buffs had four All-American finishes and finished with a team score of 93, edging St. Mary (Kan.) by five points in the second-closest NAIA national championship meet in history.

Bryn Woodall, Aaron Jones and Will Stockley each collected All-America status with top-10 national finishes. Woodall was sixth in 24:56, Jones placed seventh in 24:58 and Stockley finished ninth in 25:03.

Freshman Bryson Lewis earned All-America honors as he finished 30th in 25:31. Zimri Kuhn clinched the Buffs' national title as he crossed the finish line in 25:50 in 52nd place.

The Buffs finished the 2023 season with a 126-5 head-to-head record, a 9-4 mark against NCAA Division I opponents and went unbeaten against NAIA competition. Milligan appeared in the top-three in every NAIA national poll and won its fifth-straight Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) championship. The Buffs were a trophy team at the NAIA National Championships for the fourth-straight year.

Layne wins USTFCCCA Coach of the Year honors for the third time in his career, after sweeping both national coach of the year awards in 2021. In 2023, he was also honored as the AAC, USTFCCCA South Region and NAIA Coach of the Year.