Men’s and women’s track take the ASUN indoor track championships

Liberty men’s and women’s track and field continued their dominance, claiming the 2019 ASUN Indoor Track and Field Championship in their inaugural season in the conference Feb. 23. 

The conference changed but the results remained the same for Liberty’s men’s and women’s squads at the 2019 ASUN Indoor Track & Field Championships, which wrapped up Saturday at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. In their ASUN meet debut, the Flames and Lady Flames claimed Liberty’s first two ASUN Conference team titles in any sport.

The men’s team defeated second-place Kennesaw State by a final team score of 190-139, while the Lady Flames held off the defending champion Jacksonville 187-149.

Liberty men’s track and field team entered its first ASUN conference meet having won 21 straight indoor championships in the Big South. Director of track and field Brant Tolsma was confident in his men’s team but was especially impressed with the effort of the women’s team to complete the conference sweep.

“I felt like our chances were good on the men’s side, but for the women it was us and Jacksonville,” Tolsma said. “I was giving (Jacksonville) the nod a little bit. I thought they might take (the women’s team) by five to 10 points, but we had a few key events where our girls really stepped up.”

The triple jump and the 60-meter hurdles were two key events for the Lady Flames. Jacksonville’s women, who won 12 of the 13 ASUN indoor meets in conference history, were the favorites in each, but Liberty placed ahead in both events.

“Those two events really changed the complexity of the meet,” Tolsma said. “It went from us being underdogs to thinking that now it is just a matter not breaking down and we can win this meet.”

Flames freshman Jada Thomas claimed the 60 hurdles final with a time of 8.62 seconds, while the preliminary-leading Dolphins runner finished in seventh.

In the triple jump, Makenzy Mizera and Adrianna Mitchel finished second and third, respectively, out-jumping the Jacksonville competitors, who placed fourth and fifth. 

“That was a huge swing when we went second and third (in the triple jump) and (Jacksonville) went four and five,” Tolsma said. 

Mizera also broke the longest standing school record of 34 years when she achieved a leap of 19-1 ½ to win the long jump competition.

Another Lady Flame who had a record-breaking weekend was sophomore Naomi Mojica. Mojica defended her 2018 Big South indoor and outdoor shotput title by finishing first with a record breaking  ASUN meet record 49-5 throw. 

On the men’s side, the Flames took an early lead when sophomore Branson Rolle won the long jump with a sixth-round jump of 23-4. The team won 15 of the weekend’s 34 total events to complete the dominating 51-point victory. 

One of the outstanding performers for Liberty was senior distance runner Azaria Kirwa. Kirwa has been one of the most successful runners for the Flames during his time in Lynchburg. Most recently he claimed the team’s first ASUN title when he won the conference cross country meet in the fall.

Kirwa lost the 3k race March 1, but rebounded to win the 5k March 2, in resounding fashion. His wire-to-wire winning time of 14:17.38 was a new meet and facility record. 

“The coaches told me I need to push the pace and do something about (Friday’s loss),” Kirwa said. “I was just trying to focus on pushing the pace.”

The Flames will look to continue their success in the ASUN during the outdoor track and field season, which begins March 16 when they travel to compete in the CSU Spring Break
Invitational.