Three National Champs Crowned for Buffs Indoor Track on Final Day of NAIA Championships
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The final day of the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships is now in the books, and it was a dandy of a Saturday for the Buffaloes squads. Three individual national champions were crowned for the programs to add onto the already impressive men's 4x800m Relay performance from Friday night. Additionally, the men placed fifth overall as a team with 30 points, which is their highest finish in program history. The women tied for 23rd with 12 points as a squad.
Bryn Woodall started Milligan's day off with a bang, breaking the NAIA record with a 4:01.74 time in the men's Mile. That mark earned him his second individual national title in his career at Milligan. He was also part of the 4x800m Relay squad that won on Friday night. He is also now an 11-time All-American at the NAIA level.
Luis Peralta earned his first individual national title at Milligan with his 1:49.44 mark in the men's 800m, adding 10 points to the Milligan men's tally.
Next up was Ellen-Mary Kearney in the women's 3000m, as she was also able to notch a national title level mark at 9:38.57, which becomes her third national title as an individual or team runner during her time with the Buffaloes. She is now an eight-time NAIA All-American.
Alyssa Bearzi's seventh-place showing in the women's 5000m final with a clip of 17:16.91 was good for All-American status, which makes her a five-time NAIA All-American.
Overall, the weekend was one of the best that the storied program has ever seen, as the men posted their top finish of all time, finishing one point shy of a podium finish in fifth place. The men and women both finished in the top 25, making it the 49th and 50th times that they finished a cross country, indoor or outdoor season in the top 25. The program now has 209 All-Americans, 21 National Champions, four national records, and have won an individual national title in every year for the last decade. The outdoor season is just around the bend, and we cannot wait to see what is yet to come.