Milligan College SPORTS NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Kevin Brinn, (423) 461-8980
______________________________________________________________________ Zimon brings home national title

By Matt Hill
STAR STAFF

JOHNSON CITY- Not much usually happens in a tenth of a second, but on Saturday, being a tenth of a second faster during the women's 5,000 meter run at the NAIA National Indoor Championships let Marta Zimon make Milligan College history.

Zimon defeated Cedarville's Erin Nehus by the slimmest of margins at Memorial Center/Dave Walker Track to give Milligan its first ever national championship in any sport.

Zimon ran a time of 17:47.02, while Nehus came in with a 17:47.03 clip.

"That one did have to be the closest race of the day," An ecstatic Milligan head coach Chris Layne said after the race. "I didn't need that. I needed it to be about 10 meters at least, but that's what makes it exciting.

It didn't get much more exciting than the finish.

Zimon was comfortably ahead, but Nehus made a charge on the last lap and nearly passed the Lady Buff freshman.

It went to a photo finish. After officials looked at the photo for about five minutes, Zimon was awarded the win and history was made.

"It's very exciting," Layne said. "It was important to me because of Dean Fox and the administration at Milligan buying in and believing in our program, and allowing us to expand from cross country to a track program. It was important for me and that was a way of giving something back. It's priceless."

As far as the race goes, Zimon felt like the finish wasn't her best.

"I didn't have a good finish and she was fast," Zimon said.

Zimon stayed in second or third a good majority of the race, then made the move to first after the halfway mark.

Zimon raced out to a comfortable lead until the last lap.

"I knew it would be a smart race to try to do that," said the Polish runner.

Zimon, who arrived in the United States two months ago, came into the event with the fastest time in the country during the indoor season. She knew it was her race to win.

"All the time when they knew my time was the best, they told me 'you have to win, you have to win,'" Zimon said. "I just tried to do this."

Zimon will be back for three more years, which means she should win several more gold medals while at Milligan.

Zimon also runs cross country for the Buffs, and will be a major threat in that sport.

Layne not only hopes Zimon's success continues, but is also looking to get more runners like her into the Milligan track program.

"We're going to work hard and we're going to sure try," Layne said about winning national championships. "The goal is to get three or four more Marta Zimon's here at Milligan, and turn this into a program that becomes a powerhouse."

One Milligan runner was able to share the moment with Zimon. Megan Lease also raced in the women's 5,000, and was very happy for her teammate.

"It's exciting," Lease said. "I know she's excited. We both are."

Lease didn't do too bad herself, as she finished sixth. More importantly, her 18:16.09 clip was a personal best.

Coach Layne said before the meet that he was hoping Lease would crack the top eight, so Lease just keeps exceeding expectations.

"He's not surprised by the progress I keep making," Lease said. "He's the reason I'm running as fast as I am."

Milligan will now shift its focus outdoor track, but with Zimon and Lease leading the way, the Buffs should continue their success when that season starts.

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About Milligan College

Milligan College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Northeast Tennessee, nationally recognized for its commitment to excellence in academic, social and spiritual development. The college has consistently been named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit www.milligan.edu or call 423.461.8719.

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