GAINESVILLE, Fla. - On Thursday, the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships got under way in Gainesville, Fla., as a trio of track events that included Milligan men's and women's athletes had their preliminaries. Alyssa Bearzi posted the second-best women's 5000m time in prelims, while Milligan also qualified their men's 4x800m Relay squad for the finals with a new NAIA, Facility and Milligan record time.

The Buffaloes' saw Bearzi start off the day with a blistering 17:18.59 to place second of 18 in the preliminary round. She will return to the track on Saturday afternoon for the final in the event, looking to earn an individual national title.

Sylas Chambers, Luis Peralta, Carter Windham and Bryn Woodall concocted the most incredible 4x800m Relay in NAIA history, clocking in at 7:31.53 to set a new NAIA, facility and school record. The record at the national level has stood since 1999, when now-NCAA Division I member California Baptist University posted a 7:31.55 mark. 

Milligan's women's Distance Medley Relay closed out the first day of competition for the Buffaloes, as Karly Wiljhelm, Isabelle Johnson, McKenzie Fitzgerald and Ashlyn Haas combined to post a 12:57.27 to finish 18th.

Friday's action includes Woodall in the men's Mile preliminaries, which are slated to begin at 12:05 p.m. Then, Peralta and Chambers will run in the men's 800m at 3:30 p.m, and Ellen-Mary Kearney and Haas will compete in the women's 3000m prelims at 4:15 p.m. Following that, Winston Telford will take part in the men's 3000m prelims at 4:40 p.m. Lastly, the primetime slot for the last event of the day is the final of the men's 4x800m Relay, which is projected to start at 6:25 p.m.