BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. – Senior Liz Maller won Saturday’s discus throw in addition to Friday’s hammer throw and shot put on the way to being named Appalachian Athletic Conference field athlete of the meet to highlight the Milligan College track & field team’s success at this weekend’s AAC Championships.

Maller recorded a mark of 38.96 meters in the discus throw to finish as a three-time AAC champion and three-time All-Conference honoree. Milligan recorded 11 AAC champions and 22 All-Conference performers.

“There’s so much to say about Liz, but what I think it comes down to is she’s just a gamer,” Head Coach Chris Layne said. “She’s developed a lot of maturity these last few years and has stepped up in many ways this season.”

Titles, All-Conference and podium finishes

Maller accounted for two of Milligan’s six AAC titles Friday before accounting for one of the two on Saturday. Freshman Gabrielle Mardis earned Saturday’s other title, winning the AAC crown in the 3000 meter steeplechase.

Mardis, already a national qualifier in the event, ran 11:36.14 which smoked the rest of the field by nearly 17 seconds.

Several other national caliber Buffs posted All-Conference results. Junior Erica Stone ran 2:19.13 in the 800 meters for a podium spot; freshman Bekah Owen finished in 2:21.84 for a three-four Milligan finish. Sophomore Nathan Baker, a national qualifier in the 5k, took third in 15:58.56, less than three seconds behind Mitch Bronstetter (15:56.32) who was All-Conference with a runner-up finish. Tim Thacker earned the runner-up in the 800 meters with a time of 1:55.67.

“Thacker had three runner-up finishes this weekend,” Layne said. “I know he would have liked to have won, but in that 1500 race, he had a national champion (Baker) in front of him. It was a good moment for the two of them, and they both bounced back to run well today.”

Baker and Thacker highlighted the men’s side as two-time All-Conference honorees.

Brianna Buck and Hannah Bell rounded out Milligan’s All-Conference results with third-place finishes in the high jump and 5k, respectively. Buck leaped 1.55 meters; Bell ran 18:52 to lead a pack of three Buffs at third, fourth (Amy Ferguson) and fifth (Avery DeWolf) in a tactical 5k race.

Team results

Milligan took fourth place overall on both sides in a field of 11 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams. Reinhardt won the men’s with 175.50 points while Brenau won the women’s with 228 points. Layne said it was encouraging to see the Buffs do well in an AAC field loaded with competition.

“Our fourth-place finish on both sides can be deceiving because we’re now competing in a conference that has exploded with talent,” Layne said. “We didn’t have an expectation to be in the top four. I sat down last week and scored the event how I thought we would finish. I had the men at 110 points and women at 82. We finished with 118 and 88.”

Layne noted his team’s youth, but considered that an advantage, too.

“We’re just so young,” he said, “but we still had plenty of young Buffs scoring a lot of points. Gabby, Rasheem (Brown), Tim, Nathan, Noah Bise winning the long jump, the list goes on. I wasn’t sure that was going to be good enough to be in the top four because of the depth of the conference.”

Layne’s nationals crew getting important reps

The Buffaloes have qualified seven for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, and Layne said this served as a good precursor for the NAIA event.

“What we wanted out of this meet for our national caliber kids was to set them up well for nationals,” Layne said. “For example, we were able to simulate rounds for Gabby in running two races (1500 meters, 3k steeplechase), and I think it helps Liz mentally to get in all three throws.”

Mardis and fellow freshman Rasheem Brown worked in multiple races to mimic what the national championships will require. Brown, Friday’s AAC champion who set the AAC record in the 110 meter hurdles, also ran the anchor leg of the 4×100 meter relay, and he helped the Buffs finish fourth, one spot off the podium and one spot higher than their seed.

Event details

The AAC Championships were hosted by Montreat College at Pulliam Stadium/Howard Fisher Memorial Field in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Friday’s events, mostly in the evening, were freckled with rain. Saturday’s events, mostly in the morning/early afternoon, were marked by scorching heat.

“I think it is important to note that weather was a factor this weekend,” Layne said. “It was extremely windy both days with cold and rain on day one then high temperatures on day two. That certainly impacted performances, no question.”

This marked the third straight year Montreat hosted the outdoor championships at Pulliam Stadium.

Milligan’s AAC Champions

Liz Maller (3x) – Hammer Throw, Shot Put, Discus Throw

Nathan Baker – 1500 Meters

Noah Bise – Long Jump

Rasheem Brown – 110 Meter Hurdles

Gabrielle Mardis – 3k Steeplechase

Avery DeWolf, Bekah Owen, Valentina Kenjeres, Erica Stone – 4×800 meter relay

Milligan’s All-Conference Honorees

Women

Liz Maller (3x) – Hammer Throw, Shot Put, Discus Throw

Hannah Bell – 5000 Meters

Brianna Buck – High Jump

Gabrielle Mardis – 3k Steeplechase

Erica Stone – 800 Meters

Avery DeWolf, Bekah Owen, Valentina Kenjeres, Erica Stone – 4×800 meter relay

Men

Nathan Baker (2x) – 1500 Meters, 5000 Meters

Tim Thacker (2x) – 800 Meters, 1500 Meters

Noah Bise – Long Jump

Mitch Bronstetter – 5000 Meters

Rasheem Brown – 110 Meter Hurdles

Mitch Bronstetter, Nathan Baker, Tim Thacker, Ethan Pfister – 4×800 meter relay

Up next

Milligan has three more events on the schedule prior to the national championships. First up will be the Tennessee Challenge Saturday, May 4, in Knoxville, Tennessee.