Liberty Wins 5 Events, Sets 2 ASUN Meet Records on Friday

Liberty racked up five more event victories, setting meet records in two of them, headlining the Flames’ Friday at the 2022 ASUN Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Liberty men’s team owns a commanding lead while the Lady Flames sit in second place heading to the final day of competition at Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.

Naomi Mojica (season-best 51-11) dominated the women’s shot put for her ninth career conference shot put title and the Lady Flames’ lone triumph of the day.

On the men’s side, Anthony Bryan (decathlon – personal-best 6,956), Quinten Clay (long jump – 24-0.75), Felix Kandie (steeplechase – 8:37.96) and Kevin Nedrick (discus – 191-5) took top honors in their respective events with Kandie and Nedrick establishing new meet records.

Through eight of 21 women’s events, the Lady Flames trail first-place Kennesaw State by 17 points (96-79).

With eight of 21 men’s events in the books, Liberty has nearly doubled up second-place Kennesaw State, 137-70.

Women’s Day 2 Recap

Any of Mojica’s six throws would have won Friday’s women’s shot put competition, and her top mark (51-11) was 3.5 feet longer than that of the runner-up (Jacksonville’s Alyssia Richard). Mojica’s third consecutive shot put title at this meet makes her the first Liberty athlete ever to claim nine conference championships in a single event. That includes seven ASUN titles, two Big South titles, five indoor championships and four indoor crowns for her incredible career.

The native of Queretaro, Mexico previously won Thursday’s women’s hammer competition in meet-record fashion. On Friday, Mojica became the first ASUN women’s shot putter to win three titles in a row since UCF’s Katara Beard claimed four in succession between 1998 and 2001.

Mojica’s triumph made it seven consecutive seasons that Liberty has won its conference’s outdoor women’s shot put competition, dating back to Mychelle Cumings’ Big South crown in 2015. The Lady Flames scored 15 points in the event, also including Megan Mann’s fourth-place showing (44-8.75).

On the heels of her school-record 20-8 effort at last week’s Liberty Twilight Qualifier, Ayanna Johnson battled some wet weather and unfavorable wind conditions to claim women’s long jump runner-up honors (19-8.75).

Myiah Scott finished sixth in the heptathlon with a score of 4,428 that added 210 points to her previous personal best. She closed things out with personal bests in the javelin (87-7) and 800 (2:36.74) for her second and third PRs of the two-day competition.

Isis Brooks clocked the fastest time among Friday’s trio of women’s 100 dash prelims (11.70 into a 0.3 headwind), while Janai Scott won her heat of the 400 in 55.27.

Men’s Day 2 Recap

Nedrick outdueled Kennesaw State’s Anthony Harrison in the men’s discus, arguably the day’s most competitive and entertaining event. Harrison unleashed a meet-record 189-10 bomb on his opening throw and held the lead until round five.

Nedrick then overtook Harrison with a 190-1 effort before extending his own meet record to 191-5 in round six to secure the victory. Nedrick moved into the nation’s top 25 in the process.

Liberty boasted five of the ASUN’s top seven discus throwers, reeling in 26 big points in the event. The Flames’ other point scorers included last year’s champion Jose Ballivian (third, 178-0), Beau Backes (fourth, 176-8), Warren Barrett (sixth, 165-9) and Kyle Mitchell (seventh, 160-7).

The steeplechase, the final men’s event of the evening, also produced some record-breaking fireworks with four runners dipping under Kandie’s meet record of 9:04.76 from 2019.

Kandie led the way in 8:37.96, claiming his third straight ASUN title in this event. He joins fellow Eldoret, Kenya native Evans Kigen (2008, 2010 and 2011 – Big South) as the Flames’ only three-time men’s steeplechase conference champions.

Landon Miller joined the two-time All-American on the steeplechase awards podium, coming in third in 8:59.68.

Clay passed teammate Donald McClinton by two inches in round four (24-0.75 to 23-10.75) to defend his ASUN men’s long jump title and produce a 1-2 finish for the Flames. Clay is the Flames’ first back-to-back outdoor men’s long jump conference champion in 20 years, since Nick Anderson’s Big South victories in 2001 and 2002. Meanwhile, McClinton’s second long jump competition as a Flame resulted in a runner-up finish.

Jeremy Davis reached a season-best 23-2.75 for fourth place in the final long jump standings, giving the Liberty men’s squad its third 20-point event thus far at the meet.

Bryan scored a personal-best 6,956 points to defeat reigning ASUN indoor heptathlon champion Timon Dresselhaus of Central Arkansas by 441 tallies for his first decathlon title. Bryan’s second day was headlined by a victory in the 110 hurdles (14.41) and a javelin personal best (155-1). Bryan, who posted the fifth-highest score in meet history, becomes the 11^th different Liberty decathlete to win a conference title all-time.

The Flames’ quartet of Brandon Letts (10.39), Donald McClinton (10.39), Diamantae Griffin (10.61) and Christian Lyon (10.63) posted four of the five fastest times in men’s 100 qualifying, while Ally Kipchirchir won his 800 heat in 1:50.55.

Women’s Team Scores (Through 8 of 21 Events)

1) Kennesaw State – 96

2) Liberty – 79

3) Lipscomb – 43

4) Eastern Kentucky – 37

5) Jacksonville – 36

6) North Florida – 11

7) Central Arkansas – 5

8) Jacksonville State – 4

9) Bellarmine – 1

Men’s Team Scores (Through 8 of 21 Events)

1) Liberty – 137

2) Kennesaw State – 70

3) Central Arkansas – 40

4) Eastern Kentucky – 26

5) North Florida – 16

6) Lipscomb – 5

7) Bellarmine – 3

Women’s Day 2 ASUN Champions

Naomi Mojica – Shot Put – 51-11

Men’s Day 2 ASUN Champions

Anthony Bryan – Decathlon – 6,956

Quinten Clay – Long Jump – 24-0.75

Felix Kandie – Steeplechase – 8:37.96

Kevin Nedrick – Discus – 191-5

Other Women’s Day 2 Top 3 Finishers

2^nd – Ayanna Johnson – Long Jump – 19-8.75

Other Men’s Day 2 Top 3 Finishers

2^nd – Donald McClinton – Long Jump – 23-10.75

3^rd – Jose Ballivian – Discus – 178-0

3^rd – Landon Miller – Steeplechase – 8:59.68

Men’s Day 2 Record Breakers

Meet Record – Discus – Kevin Nedrick – 191-5

Previous Record: 186-3 by Kennesaw State’s Daniel Haugh in 2019

Meet Record – Steeplechase – Felix Kandie – 8:37.96

Previous Record: 9:04.76 by Kandie in 2019

Day 2 Updates to Liberty’s All-Time Women’s Top 10 List

Steeplechase – No. 9 – Kyley Sorg – 11:12.53

Day 2 Updates to Liberty’s All-Time Men’s Top 10 List

Discus – No. 3 – Kevin Nedrick – 191-5

Up Next

The meet will conclude on Saturday, with the day’s first events (women’s discus and men’s pole vault) slated to begin at 11 a.m.