WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.— The Montreat men's track & field team spent Monday and Tuesday at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C. for the annual Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships. Competing head-to-head against the league's best, the Cavaliers utilized 20 scoring performances, eight all-conference efforts and two event wins to total 105 points, good for runner-up in the AAC.
 
Milligan University won the meet with 260 points. Montreat finished ahead of Reinhardt University, who registered 101 points across the 20 total events.
 
Friday featured one individual championship and five scoring performances for the Cavs. Through seven events, Montreat sat in third place on the team leaderboard. Those five scoring efforts added up to 27 total points, 15 of which came in the 5000m.
 
Ethan Stamey stole the show in the men's 5k, winning the event to claim the title and an all-conference nod. Stamey's time of 14:49.97 met the NAIA 'B' standard when converted from a flat track to a banked/oversized track time.
 
"Going into the race, I knew I was going to have to work hard to win—there's some great runners in this conference," Stamey noted. "I just tried to do my best and went for the win. To finally win my senior year, it feels great."
 
Saturday proved to be quite promising for Montreat. The Cavaliers notched 15 scoring performances, seven of which were all-conference efforts, during the latter day of competition.
 
Raymond English started things off on Saturday with a runner-up showing in the 60m hurdles. The Greensboro, N.C. native bagged an All-AAC nod with his personal-best time of 8.57 seconds.
 
Wyatt Wilson also recorded an all-conference time during the morning hours of day two. Participating in the 3000m race walk, Wilson ended third with a 15:24.85. The senior's time comfortably met the 'B' standard.
 
Picking up where he left off on Friday, Stamey secured a pair of All-AAC placements during Saturday's afternoon session on the track. In the 3000m, Stamey's personal-best and 'B' standard time of 8:27.93 earned second place. The Franklin, N.C. native notched a runner-up performance in the mile as well, finishing second with a 4:19.65.
 
Following Stamey's lead, Drew Bryant captured second place and an all-conference nod in the long jump. Bryant's mark of 6.80m was a personal best. Meanwhile, Jackson Mace-Maynard concluded third with a career-best time of 1:23.28 in the 600m.
 
Fighting for positioning on the team leaderboard, the Cavs trailed Reinhardt by a point going into the meet's final event: the 4x400m relay. If Montreat could beat the Eagles, it would guarantee itself at least a tie for second; however, Cameron Rice, Jordan Pippin, Kaleel Stevenson and Mace-Maynard wanted to leave no doubt. Those four Cavs combined for a time of 3:27.09, which not only beat Reinhardt, but also beat every other relay unit in the field. With Montreat's second event title of the meet, it seized sole possession of second place on the team leaderboard.
 
For a look at full results from the AAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, click here.
 
The Montreat men's track & field team turns its attention toward preparing for the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The national meet is slated for Feb. 27 through March 1 in Gainesville, Fla.