One for the Thumb: Milligan Wins Fifth Consecutive Men's Indoor Championship

Milligan men's track & field
February 20, 2026

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – It was a record-setting meet as Milligan won the 2026 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Indoor Track & Field Championship.

The two-day event was held at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Thursday and Friday.

This is the fifth year in a row Milligan has won the men's team title. Milligan amassed 178.5 points, while Montreat took second with 110. Reinhardt (101 points), Tennessee Wesleyan (79 points), and Columbia International (67 points) round out the top five. Making up the rest of the field are Columbia (65.5), Pikeville (58), Spartanburg Methodist (53.5), SCAD Atlanta (24), Union Commonwealth (19.5), and Bryan (8).

It was an electrifying meet as 10 records were set with two also being facility and college records. Luis Peralta of Milligan set all three marks in the 600 with a time of 1:17.52, while Nathan Cremin of Montreat did in the 1000 as he crossed the line in 2:21.36.

Here are the rest of the meet records:

  • 200 – Romeo Brown (Spartanburg Methodist), 21.59
  • 400 – Alex Smith (Columbia), 48.86
  • 800 – Peralta (Milligan), 1:51.06
  • Mile – Ryan Stade (Montreat), 4:13.91
  • 5000 – Stade (Montreat), 14:39.73
  • 4x400 relay – Columbia (Meshach Guadeloupe, Ashton Pouncie, Kamron Holman, Alex Smith), 3:18.37
  • 4x800 relay – SCAD Atlanta (Booker Lahue, William Karim, Ryan Holmes, Trent Wells), 7:58.72
  • Shot put – Cameron Montgomery (Columbia International), 16.22 meters

Here are the other individual champions:

  • 60 dash – Romeo Brown (Spartanburg Methodist), 6.83
  • 3000 – Stade (Montreat), 8:22.55
  • 60 hurdles – Kamryn Penny (Reinhardt), 8.39
  • 3000 race walk – Dakota Caldwell (Tennessee Wesleyan), 14:16.21
  • Distance medley relay – Milligan (Bryson Lewis, Brayden Simpson, Carter Windham, Aaron Gottlied), 10:16.94
  • High jump – Zachary Mason (Pikeville), 1.95 meters
  • Pole vault – Jacob Miller (Milligan), 4.00 meters
  • Long jump – Drew Bryant (Montreat), 6.60 meters
  • Triple jump – Matt Murphy (Tennessee Wesleyan), 14.54 meters
  • Weight throw – Zeke Hagley (Pikeville), 17.71 meters

Earning individual accolades were Matt Murphy of Tennessee Wesleyan as the Freshman of the Year, Cremin as the Newcomer of the Year, Peralta as the Track Athlete of the Year, Zeke Hagley of Pikeville as the Field Athlete of the Year, and Ryan Stade of Montreat as the Most Outstanding Athlete. The Milligan coaches were named the Staff of the Year.

For the complete results, click here.