Not among the overlooked, Milligan’s 13th-ranked women’s golf team is destined for this year’s NAIA National Championship.
The Lady Buffs received an at-large bid for the event, which is slated for May 13-16 in Ypsilanti, Mich.
It will be Lady Buffs’ fifth consecutive trip to nationals. They’ve logged a pair of top-10 finishes in their previous four appearances, placing ninth in 2023 and 10th in 2021.
Under the direction of coach Tony Wallingford, golfers will tee off at hole number one between 9:10 and 9:50 a.m. on Tuesday. A 2:10 p.m. start on hole 10 awaits Milligan on Wednesday.
Following the first two rounds, the field of 30 teams will be cut in half.
The Lady Buffs are coming off a third-place finish in the AAC Spring Championship and NAIA Direct Qualifier.
Women’s flag football
RIVERSIDE, Mo. — One of four Pool A teams, Milligan was trimmed 20-19 by Florida’s Webber International on Monday in the NAIA Finals.
Back in action a day later, the Lady Buffs suffered a 40-0 setback to Ottawa (Kan.). However, coach Ryan Witten’s team regrouped to down Midland (Neb.) 27-20 in action from Wednesday.
With pool play complete, Milligan goes against William Woods (Mo.) in a Thursday contest scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
Track & Field
The Milligan thinclads will be in Hickory, N.C., Saturday and Sunday for the Lenoir-Rhyne Last Chance and Multi Meet.
The competition will serve as a final tune-up for the NAIA Outdoor Championships, scheduled for May 21-23 in Marion, Ind.
Softball
Spearheaded by All-Appalachian Athletic Conference performer Alana Parsons at .407, five Lady Buffs hit above .300 this season.
Maggie Johnson finished at .336 with Jordan Roulettwheeler posting a .333 mark. Mia Grasse’s .320 was next in line while Alexis Brown batted .316. Ashley Worley fell a little short of .300 (.293), but collected 19 walks, 19 runs and 10 stolen bases.
Parsons also achieved team highs in hits (46), RBIs (30), slugging percentage (.788) and on-base percentage (.433), adding 25 runs along the way.
Johnson produced a .516 slugging percentage plus Milligan highs in runs (28) and stolen bases (20). She and Brown accounted for 43 and 37 hits, respectively.
Worley (.420) sailed above .400 in on-base percentage, as did Rouettwheeler (.413). Collecting 23 runs and 14 stolen bases was Grasse.
From the circle, juniors Bree Presnell (6-5, 1 save) and Sadie Shoun (6-7, 1 save) each won a half-dozen games. While Shoun finished a shade below .500, she fashioned the only earned-run average under four (.359).
Milligan’s senior class includes Breanna Sandefur, Stephanie Steele, Marissa Casstevens, Hadley York, Johnson, Brown and Wheatley York.
The Lady Buffs finished with an 18-20 record, including AAC tournament play.
