JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — The Milligan University's men's and women's outdoor track & field squads began their quests for the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday with a total of three conference titles won on the day.
Conner Mowell was the first athlete to score for the Buffs on Thursday, as he reached a 1.82m height in the high jump to place seventh, earning two points.
The women's 4x800m Relay squad, consisting of Sophia Jeffers, Hope Krell, Morgan Wilson and Isabelle Johnson, posted a 9:37.08 to win the Buffaloes' first AAC title of the event.
Adding on to the relay dominance, Milligan's men's 4x800m Relay team notched the best NAIA time of the season to this point in the year, running a 7:32.36 to grab the 'A' standard mark. Sylas Chambers, Luis Peralta, Carter Windham and Bryn Woodall combined to achieve the stellar time, which is also an MU outdoor record.
The women's 400m Hurdles saw Mary Custodio run to a sixth-place finish in 1:10.11 to earn four points for the MU women.
Brayden Simpson then rattled off his best ever 400m Hurdles performance on the men's side, running a 53.88 mark that was just 0.08 seconds off the national 'B' standard. With the time, he became the AAC Champion.
The women's 10000m race saw Anna Jones take home podium honors in third with a 38:41.80, while Alyssa Bearzi came across just behind her in fourth at 39:08.76. Ashlyn Haas placed fifth at 39:13.75, while Annie Kate McDermott ran a 39:54.07 to place seventh and Natalie Fellers came on eighth at 39:55.08.
Milligan received a massive run from Winston Telford in the men's 10000m, as he finished as the conference runner-up at 30:44.06 to earn the NAIA 'B' standard. He was followed by Zimri Kuhn in third, as he ran a 31:36.06 to reach the podium.
The men currently sit in first by two points at 36 total points, while the Milligan women are one point back of Montreat at 32 points entering day two. Action begins at 9 a.m. on Friday as the Heptathlon and Decathlon competitions get under way, with more individual events to follow.
