Women’s distance class, Ellen Mary Kearney and Lizzy Lucason headline 2022-23 Milligan XC/track signees

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (July 20, 2022) – After capturing the 2021 NAIA national championships in men's and women's cross country, Milligan University welcomes 34 newcomers to its cross country and track & field programs for 2022-23.

In addition to the two team national titles, Alyssa Bearzi was crowned the NAIA individual national champion in women's cross country and the Buffs collected 16 All-America honors in cross country, indoor and outdoor track in 2021-22.

Women's Distance

The 2022-23 women's distance class looks to be one of the finest in program history as the Buffs add immediate high-end talent and depth to a roster that returns the defending NAIA national champion and two other top-five finishers at the 2021 NAIA National Championships.

Incoming freshman Ellen Mary Kearney hails from Wales in the United Kingdom where she competed with the Wirral Athletics Club. In the national U20 UK ranks, Kearney checks in at No. 6 in the 5k (16:40) and No. 12 in the 1500 (4:27). Kearney's older sister Emily graduated from Milligan with a Master of Arts in Humanities this past spring after winning NAIA national championships and setting national championship records in the 5k and 10k in spring 2021.

Lizzy Lucason of Camden, N.Y. also made her way onto the national leaderboards during her prep career. Lucason ranked inside the top 20 in the United States in the 2k steeplechase (7:07) and top 50 in the indoor 3k (10:00).

Kara McDaniel of Franklin County, Tenn. was a six-time Tennessee State qualifier with personal bests of 1:01 in the 400 and 2:19 in the 800. Former Dobyns-Bennett basketball standout Olivia Doran brings personal bests of 2:25 and 5:28 in the 400 and 1500, respectively.

The women's distance class also includes Patricia Barrera (Manchester, TN/Coffee County HS), Sophia Jeffers (Rosepine, LA/Rosepine HS), Ashlyn Haas (Morristown, TN/Morristown West), Jayci Brauman (Montverde, FL/Montverde Academy) and Isabelle Johnson (Johnson City, TN/University School). Haas is the younger sister of 2020 graduate and former indoor 3k All-American Katlyn Haas.

"When you have two women like Ellen Mary and Lizzy highlighting your class, it instantly becomes the top recruiting class in program history," said head coach Chris Layne. "But when you look closely at the rest of our women's class and the upside they have, this also becomes the deepest class in program history."

Men's Distance

Milligan's men's cross country is set to return four of its top seven from the NAIA National Championships last fall. The Buffs look to bolster their returners will a mix of transfers and incoming freshmen for fall 2022.

Graduate transfer Dawson Reed makes his way to eastern Tennessee after graduating from Lee University. He set collegiate personal bests of 24:59 in the 8k and 14:37 in the 5k with the Flames.

Milligan also welcomes graduate transfer Alex Haggard from Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) member SCAD Atlanta. As a Bee, Haggard ran in two NAIA Cross Country National Championships and competed in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in the 3k and 5k. He recorded collegiate bests of 25:10 in the 8k and 15:12 in the 5k.

In terms of freshmen, Jacob Rutledge owns personal bests of 15:55 in the 5k and a two-mile time of 9:55. Josh Hale continues the Buffs' tradition of runners from the United Kingdom. He recorded a 25:45 five-mile time and a 16:05 5k in 2021. Mitchell McCown of Hardin Valley Academy has personal bests of 16:15 in the 5k and 9:34 in the two-mile.

Arran Kearney, brother of Emily and Ellen Mary, transfers in after spending two seasons with Bethel College in Kansas. Other transfers include Kyle McDermott of Louisburg College and graduate transfer Carter Chavira from the University of San Diego. Other incoming freshmen include Dillon Craig (Christiansburg, VA/Christiansburg HS), Ben Cox (Mooresville, IN/Mooresville HS) and Cater Windham (Acworth, GA/Allatoona HS). Windham's brother Alex is a rising senior and a two-time All-American in the distance medley relay.

"I've said this before, but this is another sneaky good recruiting class," said Layne. "We've got a few immediate impact guys in the transfers/grad-transfers and then a host of young guys we know will develop and really impact this program in years to come."

Track & Field

Milligan's men's and women's track & field programs added over a dozen newcomers to bolster the Buffs' sprints, jumps, hurdles and throws for 2022-23 and beyond.

Incoming freshmen Kacey Webb (throws) of Morristown West, Scarlett Zeoli (sprints/jumps) from Happy Valley and Autumn Stanley (sprints/jumps) of Sullivan East all were Tennessee state qualifiers in their respective top events as high school competitors. Molly Hicks, a Riverdale grad, also joins Milligan's women's throws group.

The Buffs welcome a pair of west Tennessee sprint standouts in Evan Hayes and Tunmise Alowolo. Hayes follows in the footsteps of 2022 outdoor 400 meter national qualifier Skylan Stephens from Memphis Middle College high school, where he ran 11.04 in the 100 and 22.60 in the 200. Alowolo graduated from Collierville high school and posted times of 11.17 and 22.71 in the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

Dobyns-Bennett grad Aaron Vaughn joins the mix in the 400 and Carson Conaster of Cumberland County looks to make an impact in the high jump. The incoming men's freshman class is rounded out by jumper Jamison Hunt (Newport, TN/Cocke County), jumper and hurdler Nasir McDonald (Cumberland, VA/Cumberland HS), jumper Conner Mowell (Rogersville, TN/Cherokee HS) and thrower Konnor Kilgore (Abingdon, VA/Abingdon HS). Transfer Jeremy Evans from Louisburg and grad transfer Kevin Gordon from Warner complete the additions for 2022-23.

"I'm really proud of the class both Coach O'Neill and Coach Rivas-Foster have generated on the sprints, jumps, hurdles and throws side," said Layne. "This was an area of focus and they've done a great job of assembling a group of women and men that are going to make us better across the board, and sooner rather than later"

Milligan cross country begins its 2022 campaign at the Covered Bridge Open at Appalachian State on Sept. 2.

For the current list of men's and women's recruits, see below:

Women:
Patricia Barrera (Distances), Manchester, TN/Coffee County HS
Jayci Brauman (Distances), Montverde, FL/Montverde Academy
Olivia Doran (Distances), Kingsport, TN/Dobyns-Bennett HS
Ashlyn Haas (Distances), Morristown, TN/Morristown West HS
Molly Hicks (Throws), Bell Buckle, TN/Riverdale HS
Sophia Jeffers (Distances), Rosepine, LA/Rosepine HS
Isabelle Johnson (Distances), Johnson City, TN/University School
Ellen Mary Kearney (Distances), Wirral, UK/Wirral AC
Lizzy Lucason (Distances), Camden, NY/Camden HS
Kara McDaniel (Distances), Winchester, TN/Franklin County HS
Autumn Stanley (Sprints/Jumps), Bluff City, TN/Sullivan East HS
Kacey Webb (Throws), Morristown, TN/Morristown West HS
Scarlett Zeoli (Sprints/Jumps), Elizabethton, TN/Happy Valley HS

Men:
Tunmise Alowolo (Sprints), Collierville, TN/Collierville HS
Carter Chavira (Distances), Bowling Green, KY/University of San Diego
Carson Conaster (Jumps), Crossville, TN/Cumberland County HS
Ben Cox (Distances), Mooresville, IN/Mooresville HS
Dillon Craig (Distances), Christiansburg, VA/Christiansburg HS
Jeremy Evans (Sprints/Jumps), Fayetteville, NC/Louisburg College
Kevin Gordon (Sprints), Saint Petersburg, FL/Warner University
Alex Haggard (Distances), Suwanee, GA/SCAD Atlanta
Josh Hale (Distances), Burwardsley/Chester, UK/Wirral AC
Evan Hayes (Sprints), Memphis, TN/Memphis Middle College HS
Jamison Hunt (Jumps), Newport, TN/Cocke County HS
Arran Kearney (Distances), Wirral, UK/Wirral AC
Konnor Kilgore (Throws), Abingdon, VA/Abingdon HS
Mitchell McCown (Distances), Knoxville, TN/Hardin Valley Academy
Kyle McDermott (Distances), Jacksonville, NC/Louisburg College
Nasir McDonald (Jumps/Hurdles), Cumberland, VA/Cumberland HS
Conner Mowell (Jumps), Rogersville, TN/Cherokee HS
Dawson Reed (Distances), Murfreesboro, TN/Lee University
Jacob Rutledge (Distances), Manchester, TN/Coffee County HS
Aaron Vaughn (Sprints), Kingsport, TN/Dobyns-Bennett HS
Carter Windham (Distances), Acworth, GA/Allatoona HS