As the fall semester approaches its end, it also ends another great semester of Milligan sports. We’ve conference champions, national qualifiers, players of the week and the list continues. Here’s a summary of what has happened in Milligan athletics this semester as they look to continue this momentum into the spring semester.
Milligan Men’s Soccer team capped off their regular season by achieving the double in their conference. They were the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champions. They achieved a berth to the NAIA national tournament and finished No. 19 in the nation. Santiago Corral was named tournament MVP while Inaki Moreno and Simen Hasterfiled were named to the AAC All-Tournament team. Moreno won the regular season AAC Player of the Year award and the Buffs had eight players make the All-AAC team. Moreno, Corral, Hasterfield, Greg Anderson, Elies Simo, Jett Carter, Boikaego Mbaakanyi, and Adria Alles were spread throughout the first and second teams. Milligan’s AAC Tournament title is the Buffs’ first since 2006 and second all-time. They finished the regular season with a 16-2-3 record. Head Coach Patrick Sweeny won AAC Co-Coach of the Year.
Milligan’s women’s soccer finished their season with a 10-9-1 record. Their season ended in the AAC tournament quarterfinal with a 5-0 loss to Tennessee Wesleyan. Natalie Roper and Angeleena Waaland represented the Buffs on the All-AAC first and second teams respectively. Roper also won AAC Freshman of the Year. The Buffs conclude the season with a winning record for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
The women’s volleyball team concluded its record-breaking 2023 campaign with a four-set defeat to Bryan in the AAC Tournament semifinals. The Buffs concluded their season with a 26-7 record, a game shy of earning a spot at the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. Milligan’s 26 victories marked the program’s winningest season since 2018. The Buffs set single-season team records in AAC winning percentage (.905) and sweeps in AAC play (13). The team closed the regular season on a 14-game winning streak and set the program record with their 15th straight victory in the AAC Tournament quarterfinals. KolbIe Greene won AAC Setter of the Year. Greene along with Ella Maiden, Zoie Larkins, and Shelby Miller made the All-AAC teams, while Avery Maiden made the All-Freshman Team. Doneva Bays won Coach of the Year for the Conference.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country swept the Conference Championships for the fourth straight year. Ellen-Mary Kearney and Bryn Woodal won the individual titles in the 5k and 8K races respectively while also winning the USTFCCA South Region Athletes of the Year. Chris Layne won the USTFCCCA South Region Coach of the Year for the fourth straight year. Both teams finished No. 2 in the country in the NAIA. The men’s and women’s teams are currently gearing up for the NAIA Championship on Nov. 17.
Other sports that got their season underway are men’s and women’s basketball, golf, bowling, and swimming. Milligan Athletics is in a good spot right across the board and has more sports set to begin in the spring. Milligan has a tradition of excellence in athletics and looks to continue that in the second half of this year.
For more information, visit www.milliganbuffs.com