Kearney nabs AAC honor after third NAIA-leading mark

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (March 29, 2021) – After achieving her third No. 1 national mark this past weekend at the Montreat College Invitational, Emily Kearney of the Milligan University track & field team has been named Appalachian Athletic Conference track athlete of the week. The AAC made the announcement for the week of March 22-28.

This is Kearney's second time in as many weeks winning the AAC weekly award as she entered into her final season of eligibility one week ago. She is a four-time NAIA national champion, four-time national runner-up, 10-time All-American and 15-time AAC champion in cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field prior to arriving at Milligan.

Kearney's scorching 10k time of 33:09.65 helped her land the weekly honor this week. The time is No. 1 in the NAIA by a long shot and also saw her grab the Milligan record and a personal best. Kearney won the race by over four minutes and now has the fastest NAIA time by over three minutes. At 33:09, it also ranks No. 2 among all collegians this season and is No. 5 in her home country of Great Britain.

Kearney's other NAIA-leading times this season are in the 1500 meters – by over two seconds- and in the 5k – by over 25 seconds.

Next up for Kearney and the Buffs will be the AAC Championships, set for Friday-Saturday, April 23-24.