Woodall, Bearzi and Jones win NAIA national titles as Indoor Track teams finish top-10 at NAIA National Championships

BROOKINGS, S.D. (March 4, 2023) – Sophomore Bryn Woodall, junior Alyssa Bearzi and junior Aaron Jones won NAIA national titles and the Milligan University indoor track & field teams had eight top-five All-American finishes on championship Saturday at the NAIA National Championships at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in South Dakota.

"What an incredible meet all the way around," said head coach Chris Layne. "Hats off to the NAIA coaches who do so much with so little...such a competitive environment."

Milligan's women achieved a fifth-place national team finish, the highest in school history, with four top-five All-American showings. The Buffs were eighth in the final men's standings with two national titles and four total All-American finishes.

"Definitely a big breakthrough weekend for our program," said Layne. "A bunch of firsts for us from national titles to the women being fifth, our highest-ever finish."

Woodall claimed his first national title in the 3k as he took gold in 8:19.09. He repeated as an All-American in the event after finishing third last year and joined former Buffs Nathan Baker, Rasheem Brown and Tim Thacker as a men's track national champions.

Bearzi, who became Milligan's first-ever NAIA national champion in cross country in 2021, claimed the indoor 5k title in 17:11.36. She won the title by over seven seconds and defeated William Carey's Lina May, the 2022 NAIA cross country national champion. Bearzi joins Milligan greats Hannah Segrave and Emily Kearney as the only track/cross country student-athletes in school history with multiple national championships.

Jones entered the national championships as a three-time cross country All-American and an indoor and outdoor 5k All-American last year. He won his first national championship in the 5k with a time of 14:26.68, setting Milligan's indoor 5k record and besting Dordt's Peter Shippy by nearly two seconds.

Caitlin Dominy became a track All-American for the first time in her collegiate career as she finished third in the 3k in 9:51.15, a hundredth of a second behind her own school record in the event.

Will Stockley repeated as an All-American in the mile with a fourth-place finish in a personal best time of 4:08.85.

Ellen Mary Kearney secured All-American status in her NAIA National Indoor Track & Field Championships debut. She placed fourth in the mile with a school record time of 4:52.46.

Milligan's women's distance medley relay raced to a national runner-up showing with a school record time of 11:51.33. Dominy, Megan Christian, Rebecca Glover and Kearney secured Milligan's third-straight All-American honors in the DMR.

Stockley, Ja'Quan Williams, Sylas Chambers and Woodall combined to finish sixth and collect All-America honors in the DMR with a time of 10:10.71.

"We're going to talk about these nationals champions a bunch more," said Layne. "They're an incredibly special bunch with a lot of running ahead of them but I don't want the breakthroughs from folks like JaQuan and Rebecca on those DMR's to get lost this weekend."

With three national titles on Saturday, Milligan has produced a national champion in cross country track for eight consecutive academic and athletic years. The Buffs set four program records at the national championships with both DMRs, Kearney's mile and Jones' 5k surpassing the previous time.

NAIA All-Americans

Alyssa Bearzi – 5000m – 1st, 17:11.36
Caitlin Dominy – 3000m – 3rd, 9:51.15
Ellen Mary Kearney – Mile – 4th, 4:52.46*
Caitlin Dominy, Megan Christian, Rebecca Glover, Ellen Mary Kearney – DMR – 2nd, 11:51.33*

Aaron Jones – 5000m – 1st, 14:26.68*
Will Stockley – Mile – 4th, 4:08.85
Bryn Woodall – 3000m – 1st, 8:19.09
Will Stockley, Ja'Quan Williams, Sylas Chambers, Bryn Woodall – DMR – 6th, 10:10.71

* - Milligan Record