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BB

vs Sam Houston

Thursday, March 28,

4:00 PM ET

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SB

vs Louisiana Tech

Thursday, March 28,

6:00 PM ET

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TRACK

at Raleigh Relays

Thursday, March 28,

8:09 PM ET

at

TRACK

at Florida Relays

Friday, March 29

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MTEN

at Florida Atlantic

March 27,

Final

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3

at

WLAX

at No. 11 Florida

March 27,

Final

3

23

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SB

vs Virginia

March 26,

Final

1

3

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BB

vs No. 12 Wake Forest

March 26,

Final

6

7

Full Schedule
Saturday, April 16
High Point, N.C.
10:00 AM

Liberty University

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Meet of Champions

Liberty Men’s, Women’s Squads Place Close 2nd at Meet of Champions Image

Liberty Men’s, Women’s Squads Place Close 2nd at Meet of Champions

4/16/2022 8:24:37 PM | Track and Field

The Liberty men’s and women’s track & field squads both finished a close second in the final team standings at the inaugural Meet of Champions, Saturday at Vert Stadium. The Flames won nine events on the day and got new school records in the women’s 100 (Isis Brooks – 11.41) and men’s 200 (Diamantae Griffin – 20.58).

Naomi Mojica was part of a successful day for the Liberty throws squad, sweeping the women’s shot put and hammer titles. However, the Lady Flames lost by a single point (138 to 137) to No. 16 Duke in the six-team women’s meet.

On the men’s side, Griffin won his record-setting 200 and was part of another impressive victory by the 4 x 100 relay squad. He teamed up with Brandon Letts, Christian Lyon and Donald McClinton to win in 39.49. Liberty finished with 161 points for second place of five men’s teams. Host High Point edged the Flames for the team trophy with 166 tallies.

Women’s Meet Recap

The Lady Flames led nearly from start to finish, building a nine-point lead (137-128) heading to the final event after freshman Hope Carr delivered a huge 5K personal-best time of 18:12.01 for third place.

However, Duke clocked a facility-record 3:36.94 to win the 4 x 400 relay and capture the women’s team crown by a single point.

Mojica set the tone for the day with a personal-best 186-8 effort to win the morning’s opening event, the women’s hammer. She later won the shot put in convincing fashion as well with a 50-4.5 mark at the site of her first career outdoor conference title (2018 Big South).

The Lady Flames’ other two event victories both came in dramatic fashion. Chelsea Stocki won the women’s steeplechase (personal-best 11:10.89) in the final straightaway and Lizbeth Joseph pulled out victory in the women’s triple jump with a season-best 40-0 leap on her sixth and final attempt.

Brooks was a close second in the women’s 100 with an 11.41 clocking. That took down her own program record of 11.48 from the Virginia Open on March 19. The first-year Lady Flame later placed third in the 200 in 23.60, the second fastest time in program history.

It was a good afternoon for pole vaulting, and Taylen Langin (tied for second, 13-1.75) and Emory Pafford (tied for eighth, 12-4) both set new personal bests. Pafford joined Liberty’s all-time top 10 list at No. 6.

The Lady Flames also put two new names into the all-time top 10 in the mid-distance events on Saturday. Annamarie McKenzie’s 2:10.79 800 was good for fourth in the event and No. 9 all-time at Liberty. In her first race since setting the ASUN 5K record (15:54.98), Adelyn Ackley stepped down in distance to place second in the 1,500 in 4:27.10 (No. 7 all-time at Liberty).

Men’s Meet Recap

Liberty entered the week with the nation’s No. 4 ranked men’s discus squad. They did nothing to harm that ranking on Saturday, finishing 2-3-4-5-6-8 for 21 big team points near the end of the meet. Jose Ballivian (second, 182-6), Kevin Nedrick (third, 181-10), Beau Backes (fourth, 177-5), Kyle Mitchell (fifth, personal-best 172-7), Warren Barrett (sixth, 162-5) and Sam Mastro (eighth, 156-10) did the honors. Mitchell grabbed the No. 9 spot in program history, meaning that four of the top nine men’s discus throwers all-time at Liberty reside on this year’s team.

Like the Lady Flames, the men’s squad lost its bid for a team title late. High Point notched 26 points in the 5K and then came in second in the 4 x 400 relay to nip the Flames by five points in the final standings.

Griffin’s 20.58 effort came in his third and final race of a successful afternoon. Aided by a big +4.5 tailwind, it eclipsed his own program standard of 20.63 originally set at the 2021 ASUN Championship and matched at this same track two weeks ago during the VertKlasse Meeting.

McClinton utilized that same tailwind for a fourth-place 200 finish in 20.79, the No. 3 mark in program history.

Griffin and McClinton ran the two straightaway legs of the 4 x 100 relay squad, where they were joined by Letts and Lyon on the curves. Two weeks ago, they had blazed a Liberty and ASUN all-time record 39.44 at Vert Stadium. They just missed that time in their return visit, posting 39.49 to win by more than a second.

In between those two races, Griffin was the 100 dash runner-up in a season-best 10.35 with Letts matching his season best of 10.46 for third.

John Hicks got the men’s meet started with his third men’s hammer victory of the season. His 216-4 effort set a new personal best for the third meet in a row and brought him within six feet of Jon Hart’s school record which has stood for 14 years. Hicks was joined on the hammer podium by third-place Sam Mastro (182-4).

Prior to his personal-best discus effort, Mitchell heaved the shot put 59-8.5 to go 1-2 with teammate Nedrick (58-8.5).

Liberty also swept the top two spots in the men’s 110 hurdles, thanks to Felix Lawrence (14.48) and Luke Anderson (14.85). Lawrence followed up that performance with a season-best 52.79 clocking for the 400 hurdles runner-up spot.

The Flames’ Kyle Harkabus (3:50.10), Will Jefferson (3:50.49), Isaiah Schulties (3:51.54) and Landon Miller (3:52.68) came up with a 2-3-4-5 finish in the 1,500.

Women’s Team Scores

1) Duke – 138

2) Liberty – 137

3) High Point – 123

4) Charlotte – 69

5) North Carolina A&T – 60

6) Elon – 38

Men’s Team Scores

1) High Point – 166

2) Liberty – 161

3) Duke – 154

4) Charlotte – 79

5) North Carolina A&T – 15

Women’s Event Winners

Lizbeth Joseph – Triple Jump – 40-0

Naomi Mojica – Shot Put – 50-4.5

Naomi Mojica – Hammer – 186-8

Chelsea Stocki – Steeplechase – 11:10.89

Men’s Event Winners

Diamantae Griffin – 200 – 20.58

John Hicks – Hammer – 216-4

Felix Lawrence – 110 Hurdles – 14.48

Kyle Mitchell – Shot Put – 59-8.5

Brandon Letts, Diamantae Griffin, Christian Lyon, Donald McClinton – 4 x 100 Relay – 39.49

Other Women’s Top 3 Finishers

2nd – Adelyn Ackley – 1,500 – 4:27.10

2nd – Isis Brooks – 100 – 11.41

2nd – Mackenzie Hainley – Javelin – 141-7

2nd – Sofia Mojica – Discus – 154-2

Tie for 2nd – Taylen Langin – Pole Vault – 13-1.75

3rd – Isis Brooks – 200 – 23.60

3rd – Hope Carr – 5K – 18:12.01

3rd – Megan Mann – Discus – 152-10

3rd – Kristiana Young – Steeplechase – 11:39.49

Other Men’s Top 3 Finishers

2nd – Luke Anderson – 110 Hurdles – 14.85

2nd – Jose Ballivian – Discus – 182-6

2nd – Diamantae Griffin – 100 – 10.35

2nd – Kyle Harkabus – 1,500 – 3:50.10

2nd – Felix Lawrence – 400 Hurdles – 52.79

2nd – Kevin Nedrick – Shot Put – 58-8.5

3rd – Will Jefferson – 1,500 – 3:50.49

3rd – Brandon Letts – 100 – 10.46

3rd – Sam Mastro – Hammer – 182-4

3rd – Kevin Nedrick – Discus – 181-10

Women’s Record Breakers

Liberty Record – 100 – Isis Brooks – 11.41

Previous Record: 11.48 by Brooks at the Virginia Open on March 19

Men’s Record Breakers

Liberty Record – 200 – Diamantae Griffin – 20.58

Previous Record: 20.63 by Griffin at the ASUN Championship on May 15, 2021 and the VertKlasse Meeting on April 2, 2022

New Women’s NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round Qualifiers

Isis Brooks – 200 – 23.60

New Men’s NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round Qualifiers

Diamantae Griffin – 100 – 10.35

Updates to Liberty’s All-Time Women’s Top 10 List

100 – No. 1 – Isis Brooks – 11.41

200 – No. 2 – Isis Brooks – 23.60

Pole Vault – No. 6 – Emory Pafford – 12-4

Hammer – No. 6 – Naomi Mojica – 186-8

1,500 – No. 7 – Adelyn Ackley – 4:27.10

Steeplechase – No. 7 – Chelsea Stocki – 11:10.89

800 – No. 9 – Annamarie McKenzie – 2:10.79

Updates to Liberty’s All-Time Men’s Top 10 List

200 – No. 1 – Diamantae Griffin – 20.58

Hammer – No. 2 – John Hicks – 216-4

200 – No. 3 – Donald McClinton – 20.79

Discus – No. 9 – Kyle Mitchell – 172-7

Up Next

Liberty will compete at Lannigan Field in Charlottesville, Va., for the second time this season. The Virginia Challenge is slated for April 22-23.