JOHNSON CITY, TN (January 26, 2007) --- Milligan College junior Kortney Goulds (Johnson City, Tenn.) led the Milligan track teams on day one of the Niswonger Invitational held in ETSU's Memorial Center.

Goulds shaved more than five seconds off her previous 800 meter indoor best to earn a NAIA national qualifying mark with her time of 2:19.5. In the same race, sophomore Jacklyn Talbert (Mt. Carmel, Tenn.) lowered her indoor best time and also secured a national berth with her time of 2:20.6. 

Junior Brittany Bales (Kingsport, Tenn.) fell just shy of the national mark, missing the standard by .07. She did set a new personal best with her time of 2:22.07. Other action saw freshman Shanna Raines (Johnson City, Tenn.) win her heat of the 400 meters, while junior Kristen Bartlett (Simserpol, Ukraine) set a new indoor best in the 200 meters.

For Milligan's men, junior Josh Ferry (Bloomington, Ind.) failed to crack the time needed for a national qualifier in the men's 800 meters. He crossed the line in 1:59.82 to finish 21st overall. 

"Our 800 meter women ran well tonight, and some of our younger athletes gained valuable experience - day one was a positive," said head coach Chris Layne.

Both the men's and women's squads will be back in action during day two of the event starting with the women's 5,000 meter run at 8:00 a.m. For complete results visit www.cfpitiming.com.