Milligan College, Tenn. (Feb. 12, 2011) --- The Milligan College track and field program saw four members of the team hit the NAIA national “A” standard on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn. It was the half-marathon debut for all members of the Milligan squad.

Austin Ellis (Charlottesville, Va.) captured the men’s division with a time of 1:11.33. In addition to qualifying for the NAIA National Championships, Ellis also set the school record with his time.

Seth Grindstaff (Elizabethton, Tenn.) also recorded a notable performance on the men’s side with a time of 1:21.41.

On the women’s side, Danielle Mitchell (Johnson City, Tenn.) led a trio of Buffaloes to the NAIA National “A” Standard. Mitchell captured the women’s division with a time of 1:30.33.

Amanda Loughlin (Kingsport, Tenn.) finished in second with a time of 1:31.21, while Janey Robinson (Elizabethton, Tenn.) came in third with a time of 1:32.46.

“Austin has been on track to make this move, but these three women came from very modest running backgrounds so it’s really special to see them accomplish what they did today,” Head Coach Chris Layne said. “I know this group put a tremendous amount of pressure on themselves to get the standard out of the way, and I couldn't be happier with how the race turned out.”

The qualifying participants will participate in the 2011 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in Marion, Ind., on May 26-28.

Geneva, Ohio (Mar. 5, 2011) --- Milligan College sophomore Lauren Hubbard (Kingsport, Tenn.) grabbed a top ten finish at the 2011 NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 5K on Saturday afternoon in Geneva, Ohio.

The former Dobyns-Bennett standout, who was seeded 33rd out of 36 runners entering the event, ran to a time of 17:53.21. The time was Hubbard’s second fastest time of the season, with her fastest time of 17:40.29 coming during Thursday’s qualifying round.

"For a girl that never broke 18:19 before Thursday’s prelim, I'd say she handled herself like a professional this weekend,” Head Coach Chris Layne said. “She went after it in the final going through the mile in 5:21, so we know she's ready to raise the bar. I'm extremely proud of what she accomplished this weekend."

The Buffaloes saw three athletes compete over the course of three days at the event. Yolando Migoyo (Kissimee, Fla.) missed the finals in the 400-meter sprint by a spot, while Chelsea Leavell (Springfield, Tenn.) competed in the weight throw competition. Tanner Payne (Georgetown, Tenn.) and Gillian Giffen (Knoxville, Tenn.) qualified for nations, but were forced to withdraw due to injury.

Milligan College, Tenn. (Feb. 1, 2011) --- The Milligan College Lady Buffs track and field and cross country programs have added David Crockett senior Cassie St. John to the 2011-12 signing class. Head Coach Chris Layne made the announcement. St. John will participate in both track and field and cross country for Milligan.

St. John finished 46th at the 2010 TSSAA State Cross Country Championships and ninth at the Region I Cross Country Championships. She also grabbed top ten finishes at both the Trailblazer Invitational and the Bristol Cross Country Invitational. She also recorded an impressive 17th place finish at the Furman Invitational.

On the track, St. John earned top ten finishes at the Times-News Relays, The Big 8 Meet, the Dan Crowe Relays, and the Frank Carver Invitational. She boasts a mile personal best of 5:34.

"Cassie is a student of the sport, she's talented, and she takes care of business in the classroom,” Layne said. “She is a very good fit for our system."

St. John, who owns a 5k best of 20:44, joins an already solid recruiting class that includes Mackenzie Patten from Sullivan South, New Jersey standout Christine McMahon, Indiana's Paxton Stephenson, and newly committed junior college transfer Ashley Hansen from Florida. They join a Lady Buffs squad that has won eight straight AAC titles and finished in the nation’s top 25 the last eight seasons.

Milligan College, Tenn. (Jan. 18, 2011) --- Milligan College has teamed up with Science Hill High School to host the inaugural Johnson City Invitational track and field event on April 15-16. The event will be hosted at Science Hill’s Kermit Tipton Stadium.

“We are pleased to be teaming up with Science Hill to bring such an excellent event to our area,” Milligan Vice President of Student Development Mark Fox said. “The event will feature some of the top local athletes, and we hope we can continue to grow it into one of the premier track events in the area.”

The event will feature many of the area’s top high school and collegiate teams. Both groups will compete in a full slate of traditional outdoor events.

In addition, Kermit Tipton Stadium will also host the Appalachian Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships this season. The state of the art facility is in its first year of use.

“These types of events are exactly what we envisioned when we were pushing for the facility,” Science Hill Athletic Director Keith Turner said. “We feel that with such a wonderful facility and the city's reputation for hosting athletic events that this particular event will continue to grow in the future and help attract other track events for our city.”

Johnson City has a storied history in hosting track and field events. The MSHA/Athletic Center is home to the Niswonger Invitational, which has featured many Olympians and world class athletes over the course of its 33 year history. Milligan also hosted the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Nationals for 10 consecutive years inside the venue.

In addition to the success of hosting track and field events, Johnson City is also home to several other popular running events. The city, which was named the number one running city in America during the 1980s, and the surrounding region is host to the world-renowned Crazy 8’s road race, Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot and has been host to the AAC Cross Country Conference Championships. The Tri-Cities area is also home to two nationally known collegiate programs in East Tennessee State University and Milligan College.

Steven Wilson with Genworth Financial has joined the event as a major sponsor. Other sponsors for the event include FootRX, Johnson City Power Board, Courtyard by Marriott and Doubletree.

For more information on Milligan athletics, visit www.milliganbuffs.com.

For more information on Science Hill High School, visit www.jcschools.org/shhs.

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Mark Fox (mpfox@milligan.edu) or Keith Turner (turnerk@jcschools.org)

Boone, N.C. (Jan. 22, 2011) --- Austin Ellis (Charlottesville, Va.) captured a victory in the 5000-meter run to lead the Milligan track and field program during this weekend’s Appalachian Open hosted by Appalachian State in Boone, N.C.

“We were competing on very tired legs so it was good to see some solid performances across the board,” Head Coach Chris Layne said.

Ellis ran a solid time of 15:45.70 in the 5000-meters on Friday night to take the victory. Ellis finished nearly 30 seconds ahead of a solid NCAA Division I field.

In the 800-meters, Brendan Hawkins (Limestone, Tenn.) recorded a personal best time of 2:01.61 to nab a 12th place finish. Kevin Mowatt (Montego Bay, Jamaica) narrowly missed the finals of the 55-meter dash as he finished 12th with a 6.56, while Matt Murphy (Greeneville, Tenn.) finished seventh in the mile run.

Tanner Payne (Georgetown, Tenn.) recorded a top five finish in the weight throw with his toss of 16.18-meters.

The Lady Buffs recorded two top ten finishes in the weight throw competition as Chelsea Leavell (Springfield, Tenn.) finished fifth with a throw of 14.92-meters and Elise King (Midlothian, Va.) finished ninth with a throw of 13.75-meters.

Danielle Mitchell (Johnson City, Tenn.) recorded a personal best time in the 5000-meter run as she finished sixth with a time of 19:20.19. Gillian Giffen (Knoxville, Tenn.) finished fifth in the 3000-meter run in her first indoor race since her freshman year with a time of 10:42.

Yolanda Migoyo (Kissimmee, Fla.) barely missed the school record time of 26.16 in the 200-meter sprint with a time of 26.18. Migoyo finished eighth in the event.

Milligan returns to action on Feb. 4, when they travel across town to the Niswonger Invitational hosted by East Tennessee State University.

Boone, N.C. (Jan. 15, 2011) --- Yolanda Migoyo (Kissimmee, Fla.) led the Milligan College track and field program as they opened 2011 portion of their schedule with an impressive showing at the Mountaineer Open hosted by Appalachian State on Saturday in Boone, N.C. In all, Milligan notched nine top-tens.

“I really thought we did a good job today considering classes started three days ago,” Head Coach Chris Layne said. “We were rusty in spots, but we’ll take this and move on.”

Migoyo qualified for the 2011 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championship in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.60. That time placed her second in the event. Migoyo also recorded a personal best and a school record time of 7.52 in the 55-meter dash.

Catie McMahon (Lanoka Harbor, N.J.) participated in the mile run, and came away with a seventh place finish with a time of 5:28.69. Former Daniel Boone standout Danielle Mitchell (Johnson City, Tenn.) notched an eighth place finish with a personal best time of 11:03.64 in the 3K.

Chelsea Leavell (Springfield, Tenn.) drew a pair of top ten finishes in the weight throw and the shot put. In the weight throw, Leavell finished fourth with a distance of 14.94 meters, while she finished the shot put in eighth with a throw of 11.33 meters.

Elsie King (Midloathian, Va.) also participated in the weight throws and shot put and finished in the top ten in both events. King finished ninth in the weight throw with a throw of 11.33-meters and 10th in the shot put with a throw of 11.25-meters.

On the men’s side, Kevin Mowatt (Jamaica) finished eighth in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.53 in his second race as a Buff. Tanner Payne (Georgetown, Tenn.) recorded a throw of 16.04-meters in the weight throw event.

Milligan will return to Boone on Saturday, Jan. 22, when they participate in the Appalachian Open.

Milligan College, Tenn. (Jan. 6, 2010) --- The Milligan College track and field program has added Fitzroy Harris and Eurenna “Slick” Semper to their sprint lineup for the current season. Head Coach Chris Layne made the announcement.

"Fitzroy comes from a rich tradition at Herbert Morrison Tech and Slick has an incredible story, so we're extremely excited to add these young men to our roster,” Layne said. “I don't think either have even scratched the surface when it comes to their potential."

Semper enters Milligan with a 100-meter sprint personal best of 11.2 and a 200-meter sprint best of 22.9. He captured the 100-meter crown and finished second in the prestigious Frank Carver Invitational in 2010. Semper, originally from Manchester, England, graduated from Tri-Cities Christian School, and attended Virginia Highlands during the fall semester.

Harris comes to Milligan from Jamaica powerhouse Herbert Morrison Technical High School. In the 200-meter sprint, he has recorded a personal best of 22.3, while recording a best of 48.5 in the 400-meter sprint.

Both Semper and Harris will be available for the current indoor season.

Boone, N.C. (Dec. 4, 2010) --- The Milligan College track and field opened the 2010-11 indoor season with seven top 10 finishes at the Appalachian Collegiate Invitational in Boone, N.C., on Saturday.

“This meet was a great opportunity to switch gears, and kick off the indoor season for our crew,” Head Coach Chris Layne said. “I know Coach Derek Nave saw some positive in the throws, and overall we competed pretty hard today.”

Milligan was led Chelsea Leavell (Springfield, Tenn.), who finished third in the weight throw event. Leavell’s throw of 15.80 meters qualified her for the 2011 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships.

Leavell also competed in the shot put where she placed eighth in the field of 38. Her throw of 12.25 meters was Leavell’s farthest throw since her sophomore year.

In the women’s mile, Lauren Hubbard (Kingsport, Tenn.) finished second with a time of 5:20.63, while Catie McMahon (Lanoka Harbor, N.J.) ended the event in fifth with a time of 5:33.38. Yolanda Migoyo (Kissimmee, Fla.) competed in two events as she finished the 200-meter sprint in 13th with a time of 26.22, and finished the 60-meter sprint with a time of 7.57 for a 23rd finish.

The Buffs were led by Matt Murphy (Greeneville, Tenn.), who set a new personal best in the mile run with a time of 4:34.01. Murphy finished the event in sixth place. Tanner Payne (Georgetown, Tenn.) finished the men’s weight throw in seventh plce with a throw of 16.04 meters. In the men’s 400-meters, Dwayne Jordan (Kissimmee, Fla.) finished 10th with a time of 51.25.

Kevin Mowatt (Jamaica) had an impressive showing in his first race as a Buff as he finished just outside the top ten in the men’s 60-meter sprint as his time of 6.52 placed him 11th in the field of 35.

The Milligan track and field program returns to action on Jan. 15, 2011, when they return to Boone, N.C., for the Mountaineer Open in the Holmes Center.

Milligan College has teamed up with Science Hill High School to host the inaugural Johnson City Invitational on April 15-16. The event will be hosted at Science Hill’s Kermit Tipton Stadium.

The event will feature the area’s top high school and collegiate teams will compete in a full slate of traditional events. Organizers expect the event to grow into one of the premier outdoor events in the southeast.

Kermit Tipton Stadium will also host the Appalachian Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships this season.

Elizabethton, Tenn. (Sept. 3, 2010) --- The Milligan College cross country teams opened the 2010 season in style as both the 13th ranked women and men came out on top at “The Stampede” at the Shoals on Friday afternoon at Sycamore Shoals State Park.

The Lady Buffs were led by individual winner Gillian Giffen (Knoxville, Tenn.). The two-time AAC runner of the year recorded a time of 14:56.54 to set a new course record, previously held by Milligan’s Lili Zaldana (Bristol, Tenn.) with a time of 15:35. Lauren Hubbard (Kingsport, Tenn.) and Catie McMahon (Lanoka Harbor, N.J.) rounded out the top three with times of 15:17.03 and 15:32.76, respectively.

Milligan sophomore Leah Nelson (Johnson City, Tenn.) and freshman Ashley Ellenburg (Afton, Tenn.) closed out the top five. Overall, Milligan had 11 women in the top 12.

The Lady Buffs took the title with 15 points, while the Milligan “B” team came in second with 60 points. Lees-McRae College came in third with 66 points.

On the men’s side, Milligan was paced by two-time All-American Austin Ellis (Charlottesville, Va.). Ellis came in under the previous course record of 19:05 set by former Milligan All-American Philip Rotich with his second place time of 19:01.41. Matt Murphy (Greeneville, Tenn.) came in fourth place with a time of 19:33.19, while freshman Nathan Meeuwenberg (Hudsonville, Mich.) came in sixth place in his first race as a Buff.

The Milligan men avenged last season’s Stampede loss to NCAA D-II Lees-McRae. The Buffs finished the event with 27 points, while the Bobcats came in second with 43 points. The Milligan “B” team finished third with 92 points.

“It’s always a good feeling to perform well in the first meet of the season, especially on our home course,” Head Coach Chris Layne said. “Our top three women had exceptional runs, and I’m pleased with the depth developing on the men’s side.

Milligan Cross Country returns to action on Sept. 18, when they travel to Morristown, Tenn., for the Carson Newman Cross Country Challenge.