Liberty sweeps CUSA Outdoor Track & Field team titles
May 17, 2026 : By Liberty Athletics
Liberty closed out a spectacular Saturday at the 2026 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships by hoisting both the men’s and women’s team championship trophies.
A year after Kennesaw State snapped Liberty’s 17-year streak of winning outdoor team championships, the Flames returned the favor in emphatic fashion. The Flames’ 97-point margin of victory over the runner-up Owls (244-147) marked the largest in this meet’s 30-year history, topping Houston’s 96-point win from 2005.
Meanwhile, the Lady Flames also gained a measure of revenge against Kennesaw State after the Owls had defeated Liberty at the CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships in February. Liberty outdistanced the Owls by 40 points (161-121) to claim their third straight title at this meet. The Lady Flames are the first women’s team to do so since UCF notched four straight CUSA women’s outdoor crowns between 2010-13.
Liberty won nine events on the meet’s third and final day, finishing with 12 total gold medals. Saturday’s victors included Tahj Brown (men’s 110 hurdles – 13.58), Christian Hicks (men’s discus – 187-6), Michael Long (men’s 800 – 1:47.88), Gilles Ouedraogo (men’s triple jump – 52-4.5), Ben Shughart (men’s javelin – 242-3), Ava Gordon (women’s 5K – 16:28.52), Alivia Rivera-Norman (women’s 100 hurdles – 13.32) and Allie Zealand (women’s 800 – 2:05.26 and women’s 1,500 – 4:14.63).
Three of Saturday’s triumphs came in record-breaking fashion, including Brown’s 13.58 in the men’s 110 hurdles (program record and Liberty freshman record), Rivera-Norman’s 13.32 in the women’s 100 hurdles (Liberty freshman record) and Ouedraogo’s 52-4.5 in the men’s triple jump (tied his own program record).
The Flames also made history in the men’s discus, becoming the first team ever to go 1-2-3 in the event at the CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
>> Read the complete report and follow the Liberty Track & Field team on LibertyFlames.com.
