Milligan Indoor T&F Season off to Supersonic Start at VT Invitational and Mondo Collegiate Invitational
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Milligan University men's and women's indoor track & field programs sent athletes to a pair of different events over the course of Friday and Saturday. They went to the Virginia Tech Invitational on Friday and Saturday and to the Mondo Collegiate Classic in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Saturday. Across the events, a new school record was set, and the team had several top-tier times at the national level.
"This is obviously a really competitive early season meet," said head coach Chris Layne, "and our crew didn't flinch. Virginia Tech has a great facility, and this gives us another rep on a banked track against great athletes."
Bryn Woodall began the festivities in Blacksburg, Va. with a headlining performance in the men's Mile. He posted a new Milligan program record time of 4:05.12, which is currently the top time in the NAIA to this point in the year. He won his heat and finished seventh overall out of 34 entries.
"What a great solo run for Bryn," said head coach Chris Layne. "Sure, it would've been nice to see him in that fast section, but I'm sure he learned a lot about himself today taking that race on the way he did and that should give him even more confidence."
Alyssa Bearzi had an impressive 10:04.26 in the 3k, which is the second-fastest mark of her career in that race. It is also a top-five mark in the NAIA as of now. She placed 18th out of 35 competitors.
Then, Sylas Chambers posted a 2:29.03 in the 1000m, which was his fastest run in the event since 2023. He only narrowly missed the NAIA 'B' qualifying standard and placed 12th of 19 on the banked track.
Ellen-Mary Kearney had a strong run in the women's Mile, achieving a 4:54.10, which is second in the NAIA at this point in the season. She placed sixth of 39 harriers, as well.
"Sylas did a nice job of putting himself in the race, as did Ellen-Mary," Layne opined. "For both of our women, they've had a quick turnaround from international travel so this tells me a lot about where they are."
Finally, Brayden Simpson ran the 60m Hurdles for the Milligan men and finished fifth in his heat. He placed 18th of 26.
"We are excited to get this type of rep for Brayden," Layne stated. "He's a student of the sport and he's a gamer and he's going to learn so much from lining up in a race like this as a freshman."
On Saturday in Blacksburg, Woodall continued his stellar weekend with a second-place finish in the 800m, posting a 1:51.69 in the process. That time is good for second overall this season in the NAIA. Chambers' eighth-place showing in the 800m of 1:54.21 places him 10th in the nation to this point.
Woodall now has the top national times in the NAIA in the Mile, 3k and 5k, while sporting the second-fastest 800m time.
Kearney's Saturday concluded with a third-place finish in the 800m. With that, she ran her second-fastest ever 800m at the college level. She now has the number two time in the NAIA so far this year. Additionally, she is second in the NAIA in the 3k and fifth in the 5k.
"Our squad at Virginia Tech had a great weekend," said Layne, "and a lot of that was just how they took full advantage of a really competitive early-season meet - really impressed how everyone lined up and competed across the board."
Out in North Carolina on Saturday, the women's 4x800m Relay squad that included Rachel Dulaney, Hope Krell, Anna Jones and Ashlyn Haas placed third at the meet and are now the Appalachian Athletic Conference's (AAC) No. 1 time in the event this season.
The men's 4x800m Relay was next, as the squad took the title at the Mondo Collegiate Invitational. Beyond winning the event, they also reached a NAIA qualifying standard and became the AAC's top time this year. Jaiden Carmichael, Luis Peralta, Aaron Gottlied and Carter Windham were part of the strong run.
In the field, Zion Reddick posted a personal-best 13.71m toss and won the men's Shot Put, while Dillon Handshey came in 11th with a distance of 12.09m, which was also a personal best.
Back on the track, the men's 60m dash had Hunter Crook post a personal best 7.05, narrowly missing the final by just one spot.
In the women's 3k, Hannah Brown came in with a third-place finish, with Natalie Fellers crossing the line in fifth. Then, McKenzie Fitzgerald clocked a sixth-place finish with a personal-best mark that was 32 seconds better than her previous top mark. Patricia Barrera placed eighth for the Buffs, as well.
The men's 3k would follow and see Bryson Lewis place fifth, Alex Brittain come in seventh and Zimri Kuhn place eighth.
Handshey returned for the men's Weight Throw, in which he came away with a sixth-place result and another personal-best of 13.45m.
Peralta had a standout run in the men's 600m, winning the event in 1:21.79, which is the sixth-best time in the NAIA to this point. With the performance, he became a national qualifier, as well as the top time in the AAC. C. Windham's second-place finish in the race is good for second in the conference. Aaron Vaughn also placed fifth for the Buffs.
In the women's Mile, Haas placed second, Jones came in eighth and Isabelle Johnson came away with a 10th-place showing.
The men's Mile included a victory by Winston Telford in 4:20.32 and an eighth-place run by Dillon Craig in 4:30.44.
Other top-10 finishes included H. Krell's third place in the women's 600m, Gottlied's fourth place in the men's 1k, Keri Belcher's sixth place in the women's Pole Vault, Maddie Bennett's sixth place in the women's 1k and Megan Haire's seventh place in the women's 1k.
"This is just a fun group to be around," Layne stated, "and I love how supportive they are of one another and how they embrace every opportunity they have. Our throws group really had a nice weekend in Winston-Salem - Coach Munson is quickly creating a culture and our student-athletes are buying in."
Overall, the two teams posted a total of 14 national standards, with nine in the top three nationally and three at the very top. Additionally, they had 108 AAC standards and had 15 of those at No. 1 in the conference.
Next up, the squads head to the VMI Invitational next weekend on Jan. 24-25 in Lexington, Va., looking to continue their massive momentum.