The Liberty men's team tallied 42 points to take a 17-point lead after day one of the New Balance Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships Presented by UCS. On the women's side, the Lady Flames' 33 points has them in second place in the competition held at Liberty's Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex, Thursday afternoon.
 
Jon Hart (Jr., Wyomissing, Pa.) prevailed over a talented men's hammer field, setting a new school and Big South meet record with a throw of 211-8. His victory, one of two for the Liberty men's squad on the day, helped the Flames open up a double-digit advantage over Coastal Carolina and Radford in the team standings. 

Carol Jefferson (Jr., Schwenksville, Pa.) enjoyed a record-setting performance of her own. In the day's final event, the women's 10,000 meters, she broke her own school mark with a time of 35:08.35, also good enough for a Big South meet record. Her effort allowed Liberty to cut Coastal Carolina's team lead to seven points as the Lady Chanticleers ended day one with 40 points. 

Hart, one of five regional qualifiers competing in the hammer throw, held off runner-up Jeremiah Spence of Radford, who also exceeded the meet record with a mark of 202-1. Clendon Henderson (Jr., Meadow, Texas) came in fourth, earning valuable points for the Flames with a personal-best heave of 186-6. 

Josh McDougal (Jr., Peru, N.Y.) and brother Jordan McDougal (So., Peru, N.Y.) crossed the line almost simultaneously, sweeping the top two spots in the only men's running event final of the day, the 10,000 meters. Josh nipped Jordan at the line, 30:44.91 to 30:44.95. Both performers broke the facility record of 31:22.00, which had been set by Campbell's David Pitaro in 2004. 

In fact, six runners came in under the previous facility mark, including Liberty freshman Joshua Edmonds (Cooperstown, N.Y.), whose time of 30:57.88 placed him fourth and earned him a berth in the IC4A Championships. 

Matt Parker (So., Rome, N.Y.) long jumped 22-0.75 and Oronde Vassell (So., New York, N.Y.) leaped 21-10.25, taking sixth and eighth, respectively, in the event. Coastal Carolina's Jerome Simpson was the event winner, coming from behind with a mark of 24-6.25 on his final attempt. 

The Liberty men got off to a good start in the decathlon and own four of the top five positions through five events. Brandon Hoskins (Jr., Garden City, Texas), making his season debut in the event, tallied 3,549 points, which is good for a 114-point lead over teammate Daniel Newell (So., Roanoke, Va.). Matt Tarr (So., Madison Township, Pa.) sits in fourth place with 3,048 points and Clarence Murray (Jr., Birdsboro, Pa.) is fifth, with a score of 2,534. 

Jefferson ran by herself, 2:29 ahead of second place, defended her event title from 2006 and broke the meet record of Radford's Meghan McLaughlin by 1:40. Ashley Osborne (So., Bristol, Va.) made a decisive surge on the backstretch of the final lap of the 10K to pass Coastal Carolina's Diana Jepchirchir for the runner-up spot. Osborne is now the No. 5 performer in Liberty history after clocking a 37:37.39. 

The Lady Flames also racked up significant points in the long jump, as Arlene Zelinskas (Sr., Dayton, Ohio) and Charlene Hibbert (Jr., Mississauga, Ontario) went 2-3. Zelinskas jumped 18-8 and Hibbert came in at 18-7. Both Liberty athletes chased Coastal Carolina senior Chasity Johnson, who will graduate as a four-time Big South champion in the event after going for a 19-4. 

Caitlyn Sutterfield (Sr., Murfreesboro, Tenn.) came in eighth in the women's hammer throw, reaching 144-2 with her best effort. Tiffany Evans of Radford took the event title for the third consecutive year, hitting a top mark of 189-6.
 
Marie Williams (Jr., Tampa, Fla.), the reigning Big South indoor pentathlon champion, is the day one leader in the heptathlon. She tallied 2,762 points through the first four events and owns a 219-point edge over second-place Amami Antia-Obong of Winthrop, who accumulated 2,543 points. The Lady Flames' Jennifer Ward (Jr., Martinsville, Va.) is third, with 2,435 tallies and Sheronica Henton (Fr., Raeford, N.C.) is currently fourth, with a score of 2,336. 

Day two of the 2007 New Balance Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships Presented by UCS will begin with the heptathlon long jump, Friday at 9:30 a.m.

Men's Decathlon Scores (Through 5 Events)
1) Brandon Hoskins, Liberty – 3,549
2) Daniel Newell, Liberty – 3,435
3) Jack Hutchison, Coastal Carolina – 3,150
4) Matt Tarr, Liberty – 3,048
5) Clarence Murray, Liberty – 2,534
6) Tyler Tucker, VMI – 2,521

Women's Heptathlon Scores (Through 4 Events)
1) Marie Williams, Liberty – 2,762
2) Amami Antia-Obong, Winthrop – 2,543
3) Jennifer Ward, Liberty – 2,435
4) Sheronica Henton, Liberty – 2,336
5) Lauren Watts, Coastal Carolina – 2,302
6) Morgan Weeks, UNC Asheville – 2,255
7) Elisha Tegeder, Coastal Carolina – 2,252
8) Aleece Vossmer, Winthrop – 2,129