Milligan Cross Country 2023 Visual Preview

2022 AT A GLANCE

Men: NAIA National Runner-up, AAC Champions

The Milligan men's cross country team posted its third-straight top-three national finish in 2022.
Milligan won its fourth-straight and ninth overall AAC Championship.

Top Men's times at NAIA National Championships (8k)

Aaron Jones: 24:05, 4th*
Will Stockley: 24:19, 9th*
Bryn Woodall: 24:38, 19th*
Jake Crow: 24:54, 38th*
Dawson Reed: 25:12, 66th
Zimri Kuhn: 25:14, 70th
Alex Brittain: 25:24, 86th

Top Men's times at AAC Championships (8k)

Bryn Woodall: 24:26, 1st
Will Stockley: 24:39, 2nd
Aaron Jones: 24:51, 3rd
Alex Brittain: 25:13, 6th
Zimri Kuhn: 25:29, 8th
Dawson Reed: 25:30, 9th
Jake Crow: 25:33, 10th
Alex Haggard: 25:55, 15th
Pablo Rivas: 25:58, 16th
Arran Kearney: 26:04, 17th
Sylas Chambers: 26:04, 18th

BOLD indicates returner

* indicates All-American

Women: NAIA National Runner-up, AAC Champions

The Buffs made their 20th-straight NAIA National Championships appearance after winning their 17th AAC championship.

Top Women's times at NAIA National Championships (5k)

Ellen Mary Kearney: 17:33, 8th*
Caitlin Dominy: 17:43, 14th*
Alyssa Bearzi: 17:48, 18th
Lizzy Lucason: 18:41, 77th
Olivia Doran: 18:46, 91st
Gracie Allen: 18:58, 110th
Natalie Fellers: 20:03, 243rd

Top Women's times at AAC Championships (5k)

Ellen Mary Kearney: 17:28, 1st
Caitlin Dominy: 17:59, 2nd
Alyssa Bearzi: 18:08, 3rd
Lizzy Lucason: 19:28, 7th
Olivia Doran: 18:41, 8th
Gracie Allen: 18:56, 10th
Sophia Jeffers: 19:36, 22nd
Natalie Fellers: 19:37, 23rd
Anna Jones: 19:37, 24th
Ashlyn Haas: 19:40, 25th

BOLD indicates returner

* indicates All-American

HEAD COACH CHRIS LAYNE

Coach Chris Layne (Middle Tennessee State '95) enters his 25th season as the head cross country and track & field coach at Milligan.

Layne led the Buffs to NAIA national championships in men's and women's cross country in 2021 and a pair of national runner-up finishes last year.

Milligan has claimed the combined team championship at the last two NAIA National Championships.

2023 STORYLINES

Last shot - Both teams return core members of the 2021 NAIA national championship teams in their final year of cross country at Milligan.
Fort Vancouver - The NAIA National Championships return to Vancouver, Wash. where Milligan swept the 2021 NAIA national titles.
Distance Change - The NAIA women's cross country national championship distance his been increased from 5k to 6k for the 2023 season.

KEY RETURNERS

AARON JONES

Senior Aaron Jones is a three-time cross country All-American and two-time AAC Champion and AAC Runner of the Year.

Jones has run as the Buffs' No. 1 runner at each of the last three NAIA National Championships. Last fall, he finished fourth at the national championship meet.

ELLEN MARY KEARNEY

Sophomore Ellen Mary Kearney earned All-America honors with a ninth-place finish in her NAIA National Championships debut last fall.

Kearney was the AAC champion, Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year in cross country in 2021.

WILL STOCKLEY

Graduate Will Stockley is a two-time cross country All-American.

Stockley is a two-time AAC cross country runner-up and has earned All-America honors in all six of his national championship appearances in cross country and track.

ALYSSA BEARZI

Graduate Alyssa Bearzi became Milligan's first-ever NAIA national champion in cross country in 2021.

Bearzi added another national title in the indoor 5k last winter. She earned All-America honors with a top-20 finish at last year's NAIA Cross Country National Championships.

2023 SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE NOTES

The NAIA National Championships will be held at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course on Nov. 17.
The Buffs have five regular season meet dates ahead of the AAC Championships on Nov. 5.
Milligan will host the Eli Cramer Invitational on Sept. 22.

Appreciate

Credits:

Natalia Rivas-Foster Andy Stanko Dakota Hamilton