Milligan women No. 1, men No. 3 in USTFCCCA Program of the Year mid-year update

NEW ORLEANS (March 21, 2023) – The Milligan University men's and women's cross country/track & field programs both collected top-three national ranks in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NAIA Program of the Year mid-year update on Tuesday. Milligan's women took the No. 1 spot while the men checked in at No. 3 nationally.

To be considered for the NAIA Program of the Year, teams must qualify for each NAIA national championship (cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field) and scoring is based on the team's finish at each championship. The mid-year updates includes results from the 2022 NAIA Cross Country National Championships and the 2022-23 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships.

Both Milligan University cross country teams finished as national runners-up at the NAIA National Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee Fla. in November. At the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Brookings, S.D. earlier this month, the Buffs finished fifth on the women's side and eighth in the men's team standings.

Aaron Jones (4th), Will Stockley (9th), Bryn Woodall (19th) and Jake Crow (38th) earned All-American honors in cross country as the Buffs matched their 2021 national championship team score of 115. Milligan's women also matched its All-American count from its 2021 national title team as Ellen Mary Kearney (8th), Caitlin Dominy (14th) and Alyssa Bearzi (18th) each earned All-America cross country honors with top-20 finishes.

At the indoor track national championship meet, Milligan notched its fourth-straight top-10 men's finish and its highest women's team finish in program history. The Buffs claimed NAIA national championships and collected eight All-American honors. Woodall was the national champion in the men's 3k, Bearzi won her second career national title in the 5k and Jones claimed the men's 5k with an indoor program record time (14:26.68).

Both distance medley relays squads earned All-American honors at the indoor championships with the Buffs' women's unit of Dominy, Megan Christian, Rebecca Glover and Kearney finishing as the national runner-up. Milligan's men's DMR unit of Stockley, Ja'Quan Williams, Sylas Chambers and Woodall earned All-American honors as well. Dominy (3k), Kearney (mile) and Stockley (mile) each collected individual All-America laurels as well.

Milligan begins its outdoor track & field campaign this weekend at the Raleigh Relays and the Montreat College Open.