Milligan University

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. (Oct. 22, 2016) â€" Milligan College cross-country All-American Hannah Segrave broke the course record and won her third race of the season to lead the No. 8 Buffs to a team win in one of the biggest races of the season, the 10th annual ASICS Sand Shark Invitational hosted by USC Beaufort, Saturday morning. Taylor Tafelsky led Milligan's men to third as a team.
 
The race was one of the biggest of the season in terms of both numbers and significance. It featured more than 500 runners and approximately 30 teams competing from all across the southeast, and it served as the final tune-up for the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships and NAIA Cross Country National Championships. Segrave broke her own course record and won it by four seconds. Tafelsky placed fourth, less than a minute off the lead.
 
"We knew this was going to be close," Head Coach Chris Layne said. "Our conference has gone from getting very little exposure to arguably having two of the top 10 teams in the country. The women know we can tighten things up even more over the next 2-3 weeks. We'll enjoy this today but then it's important to get right back to work tomorrow."
 
Segrave's time of 17:14 was her best of the season and just over one second faster than USCB's course record, which she set at last year's Sand Shark Invitational. JJ Robinson followed next on the women's side with a ninth-place finish in a time of 18:12.
 
"Hannah really enjoys this meet so it was special for her to come back, run well and stay undefeated on the season," Layne said. "I think it's also important to note Sarah Kate Gartman's run today, as she took a huge step to fill our no. 3 spot."

Gartman (18:30), Amber Grello (18:58) and Erica Stone (19:14) all finished in the top 30, taking 13th, 19th and 28th respectively.
 
On the men's side, Milligan put five in the top 40 with Tafelsky (25:18) up top in fourth, Brandon Ellis (25:56) in 14th, Mitch Bronstetter (26:06) in 16th, Sam Wehner (26:18) in 21st, and Peter Mermilliod (26:40) in 40th.
 
For Tafelsky, the Sand Shark race marked his fourth race of the season and fourth time he has finished inside the top four.
 
Milligan's men were the top finishing team among AAC schools as nonconference opponents SCAD Savannah and Berea took the top two spots in front of the Buffs.
 
"SCAD Savannah is ranked 14th so I really feel like the men took a step toward being ranked inside the top 25," Layne said. "This is one of the most complete races we've had and I was extremely pleased with the way our young guys stepped up today."
 
Next up, Milligan will race in the AAC Championships, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5, in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Milligan swept both the men's and women's championships last season, with the women winning it for the 13th straight time.