JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.— The Montreat men's track and field team claimed its second consecutive Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Outdoor Men's Track and Field Championship, running away with the title at the 14-team meet. Overall, the Cavs notched six individual conference champions and 20 all-conference results en route to the team achievement.
 
On day one, the Cavaliers held a sizable advantage over their opposition in the team category as four conference champions and nine all-conference performances vaulted the squad to 91 total points. Montreat, who raked in honors all season long, led Truett McConnell by 26.5 points through one day of competition.
 
A quartet of conference championships immediately granted the Cavs 40 points, which was more than seven schools had amassed through all events on Friday. Dustin Blevins leapt to new heights following already impressive jumping marks this year. Facing a second-place result, the King, N.C. native launched himself an NAIA-leading 7.56m in his final attempt to capture the conference crown in the long jump. Not only did Blevins' mark set the school record for the event, but it also broke the AAC meet record and ranks as the farthest leap in the country during 2022.
 
Hank Yelton used his prowess in the hurdles to give Montreat another 10 points in the standings. Yelton claimed the conference title in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.17 seconds to add to his conference championships. In another track event, Dylan Branch overcame his teammate in the last meters for the 1,500m championship. The sophomore edged Ruchen Blaauw, who also earned all-conference honors with a second-place result (4:00.16), by just one tenth of a second (4:00.06) to win the race.
 
The final conference championship on Friday came from Micah Matheson. Matheson vaulted 4.50m in the pole vault to earn his AAC title and grab the team another 10 points. Joining Matheson in the event was Yelton, who cleared 3.75m to finish third and be named all-conference.
 
Six additional Cavaliers placed inside the top three with all-conference showings on the first day of the meet. Nathan Stamey, Kane McMahon, Jacob Inman and Caleb Silver combined to cross second in the 4x800m relay with a time of 8:02.18, while Nathan Richards ended the night with a third-place effort in the 10,000m (32:23.36). Davian Willis-Howard rounded out the all-conference results with a time of 15.61 in the 110m hurdles to conclude third.
 
On Saturday, the Cavs extended their advantage over the field with another two individual titles and 11 all-conference results.
 
Wyatt Wilson kicked things off in a big way for Montreat as he captured the conference championship in the 5,000m racewalk. Wilson completed the event in 29:22.15 to claim the win and the Cavaliers' fifth championship. Aden Greene, who came in second with a time of 34:25.28, earned all-conference honors as well.
 
The Cavs then swept the podium and all-conference awards in the 800m race with a trio of notable performances. Blaauw and Branch combined for another 1-2 finish as the former clocked in at 1:50.89 to take the title, while the latter ended in 1:51.23 for second. Caleb Silver ran 1:51.40 to complete the clean sweep in the event. All three times bested the previous school-record time and met the NAIA "A" standard to qualify for nationals, while Blaauw's time now holds as the AAC record.
 
Blevins followed his long jump championship with a second-place result in the triple jump on Saturday to tally another all-conference recognition. The sophomore jumped 14.69m to earn his accolade. In another field event, JaJa Davis also recorded a second-place showing, this time in the shot put. Davis launched his implement 16.12m to end in the runner-up position.
 
On the track, the 4x100m relay team ran to all-conference honors as the team crossed in the third-fastest time of the event (42.10). Yelton collected another all-AAC result with a quick mark in the 400m hurdles. The junior finished in 54.60 to earn second, while Willis-Howard ended third with an all-conference achievement (57.35).
 
Davis Nicol rounded out the all-conference accolades with a third-place effort in the decathlon. Competing in 10 events over the two days, Nicol concluded the multi-event marathon with 4,599 points.
 
The Cavaliers finished with 209 team points for the meet, besting the runner-up, Truett McConnell, by 48.5 points. Due to the team's success, the Montreat coaching staff was named the AAC Outdoor Men's Track and Field Staff of the Year.
 
"I'm proud that we can continue the legacy that has been established, and our student-athletes did a great job of that. The standard has been set by our seniors, and we continue to raise the bar each year," began head coach Chester Hightower. He added, "This was our first good-weather meet, but we did a great job and nobody complained. We got the job done this weekend after some adversity with some injuries."
 
For the full results from this year's AAC Outdoor Championships, click here.
 
Men's track and field now prepares for the final home meet of the year, Last One Best One, which is scheduled to take place on May 6 at Pulliam Stadium in Black Mountain, N.C.