Emily Kearney named Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year; five Buffs collect Academic All-America Cross Country/Track & Field honors

AUSTIN, Texas (August 9, 2021) – Milligan University graduate student Emily Kearny was named the Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year and five total Buffs were named NAIA Cross Country/Track & Field Academic All-Americans by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Monday.

CoSIDA Release | Emily Kearney Team Member of the Year Interview

Kearney headlined the 2020-21 Academic All-America NAIA Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Women's teams. Avery DeWolf and Bekah Owen joined Kearney on the Academic All-America First Team and Gabrielle Mardis earned a nod on the Second Team. On the men's side, Tim Thacker claimed First Team Academic All-America honors.

Milligan's women led the NAIA with three First Team Academic All-Americans and tied with Concordia University (Neb.) with four total women's honorees.

Kearney, a United Kingdom native, adds Academic All-America Team Member of the Year honors to one of the most decorated single-season track campaigns in NAIA history.

In the classroom, she maintained a 4.0 grade point average during the 2020-21 academic year while pursuing a Master of Arts in Humanities.

On the track, Kearney captured NAIA national championships in the 5k and 10k, setting championship records in both events. She NAIA all-time records in the 5k (15:39.65) and 10k (33:09.65) and went undefeated in 10 individual races.

She was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2021 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, USTFCCCA NAIA Women's Track Athlete of the Year, USTFCCCA NAIA Women's Outdoor National Track Scholar Athlete of the Year, CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team and AAC Runner of the Year.

DeWolf claims Academic All-America status after earning three NAIA All-American awards during the 2020-21 year. The rising senior from Manhattan, Kansas maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average while studying communications at Milligan.

During the cross country season, DeWolf was the AAC Runner of the Year, AAC Champion and finished sixth at the NAIA Championships to earn All-American status.

DeWolf collected two All-American honors during the indoor track season as the national runner up in the 3000m (10:01.01) and was part of Milligan's second place Distance Medley Relay (12:17.95). At AAC indoors, she won individual titles in the 1000m, mile and 3000m and was named the AAC's Most Outstanding Track Athlete. She finished second to Kearney in the 1500m and 5k at the AAC outdoor championships and was 12th in the 5k at the NAIA National Championship.

Mardis, a rising senior from Johnson City, also boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in Child and Youth Development.

An All-AAC First Team cross country runner, Mardis finished third at the AAC Championships and was Milligan's third finisher at the NAIA Cross Country Championship. During the indoor track season, Mardis collected All-America status in the DMR and took 11th at NAIAs in the 3k. She won her second-straight 3000m steeplechase AAC championship during the outdoor season and finished 12th in the event at the NAIA National Championship.

Owen is also a rising senior from Johnson City. A Graphic Design major, she carries a 3.97 cumulative GPA and is a five-time NAIA All-American.

Owen captured All-American status in cross country with an 18th-place finish at the NAIA National Championship meet. She was All-AAC First Team after finishing as the AAC runner-up to DeWolf at the conference championship meet.

She was a two-time All-American at the 2020-21 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships by finishing as the national runner-up in the 5000m and DMR. She added All-America honors during the outdoor season with an eighth place showing in the 5k.

A national champion and eight-time All-American, Thacker graduated from Milligan University as one of the most decorated runners in program history. He earned a degree in electrical engineering with a 3.79 cumulative GPA.

Thacker became Milligan's 15th individual national champion at the 2021 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, winning the mile (4:12.25) after finishing as the national runner-up each of the last two seasons. For the second-straight year, he was named USTFCCCA NAIA South Regional Male Track Athlete of the Year and AAC's Most Valuable Track Athlete.

During the outdoor season, Thacker earned All-America status in the 800 with a third place showing at NAIAs. In his final event for the Buffs, Thacker set the program's outdoor mile record (4:01.78) at the Music City Track Carnival.

Thacker helped the Buffs' cross country to its highest ever finish at the NAIA national championship meet. He earned All-America status as Milligan's fourth runner across the finish line after being named All-AAC First Team for finishing third at AACs.

The quintet of Buffs are the programs' first five cross country/track & field CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and bring Milligan's Academic All-American total to seven. Standout swimmer Maggie Blazo collected First Team Academic All-America honors for the 2020-21 year last week.