Track team successful at ETSU competition


Renee Reed

Reporter

February 11, 2005

 



The Milligan College track team aimed high and succeeded at East Tennessee State University’s track meet last weekend.


“Out of our nine (competitors), we had one win and four top 10 finishes,” coach Chris Layne said.
Junior All-American Megan Lease won the 3,000 meters and earned her second national qualifier for the season.


“The track meet went well this past weekend. Everyone seemed to run well, and the competition was right at our level,” Lease said.


Milligan’s women’s distance medley relay team of Marta Zimon, Katie McCarty, Brittany Bales and Lease finished third.


Junior Marta Zimon, also an All-American, finished sixth in the women’s mile race with a time of 5:25.60.


Bales also was victorious in her heat of 800 meters with a personal best time of 2:26.07.
Milligan’s men were just as impressive. Junior All-American Chris Wright finished seventh in the mile run. Freshman Nathan Bowers ran a new personal best of 9:03.35. in the 3,000 meters while sophomore Jair Collie finished sixth overall.


“The track at ETSU is the same place we race for nationals, so it’s a good tune-up,” said Layne. “We’re inexperienced when it comes to indoor track, but I was encouraged with the way we competed.”


Milligan’s runners competed against athletes from six other colleges. The other colleges included ETSU, Winthrop, Western Carolina, Davidson, UNC-Asheville and Appalachian State.
Milligan’s track team is preparing for its next meet this weekend at the Virginia Tech. Invitational in Blacksburg, Va.