CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Union College used a team effort to capture the 2009 Appalachian Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field championship Friday, the first AAC title in program history and the first conference championship since 1965.

Union collected 142 points which edged King (Tenn.) College by 13 points. Milligan (Tenn.) College finished third with 67 points.

The last conference championship for the Union track and field team came as a member of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 44 years ago. It was one of five KIAC titles in a 10-year span.

Johnnie Nabors (Lawrenceville, Ga.) finished third in the conference's 100-meter dash thanks to a 10.64 second run. Marekus Smith (Lithonia, Ga.) and Scotty Barnes (Ewing, Va.) finished fourth and fifth in the conference standings as well.

Andre Thornton (Loganville, Ga.) won the 400 meters thanks after running the lap in 47.97 seconds. Johnny Barnes (Stone Mountain, Ga.) added four points for Union's cause in the event.

Nabors also added a third-place run in the 200 behind a school-record 21.21 time. The performance is also a NAIA "A" standard. Thornton and Barnes also scored points in the event.

DeMorrio Leggett (Bardstown, Ky.) cleared the 110 hurdles in 16.29 seconds which won the AAC title. Scotty Barnes, Corey Niebel (Gray, Ky.) and Brennan O'Quinn (Meadowview, Va.) also finished high enough to add points.

Leggett and Niebel tied for the high jump title with identical jumps of 5 feet and 10 inches which is a school record. Leggett added the long jump crown thanks to a jump of 21 feet and 11.5 inches to extend his school record by six inches. He also triple jumped 44 feet and 4.25 inches to add another conference title.

The 400-relay team added five points while the 1,600-relay team won with a three minute and 17.77 second performance.

Smith and Niebel finished fourth and fifth in the long jump. Smith added another fourth place triple jump finish while Scotty Barnes was fifth in the event.

Niebel, Scotty Barnes and Cody Miller (Middlesboro, Ky.) secured 15 points in the pole vault.

Jared Ford (Frankfort, Ky.) tossed the shot put 43 feet and 7 inches to break the program record. He finished second in the conference standings. Scotty Barnes was right behind him in third while James Mills (Manchester, Ky.) was sixth.

Scotty Barnes extended his Union discus record by six feet thanks to a throw of 117 feet 7 inches. He picked up four points. Barnes also picked up four points in the hammer while Ford scored two more. Niebel and Ford accounted for four points as well.

Miller and Niebel recorded five points in the javelin.

When stretched out to the 400 hurdles O'Quinn, Nieble and Leggett totaled nine points towards Union's cause.

Colin McEachran (Blenheim, Canada) needed 11:48.13 seconds to complete the 3,000 steeplechase to score two points. Daniel Kual (Stone Mountain, Ga.) picked up a point in the 10,000.

"Every person scored at least one point and that helped us get this championship," Union head coach Jamie Jimison said. "Everyone played a factor today."

Union travels to the Western Kentucky Invitational next weekend.

To view the complete results, click here.