Liberty University
Coastal Carolina Invitational
Liberty Posts Seven IC4A/ECAC Qualifiers
3/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Saturday's final day of action at the Coastal Carolina Invitational was a successful one for the Liberty track & field team. The Flames posted five IC4A qualifying marks and two ECAC qualifiers while winning five events.
Men's Meet Recap
After finishing his indoor season by winning the Big South 400-meter dash and IC4A 500-meter run in consecutive weeks, Taylor Courtney fared well in his outdoor debut at the 400-meter distance. He clocked a time of 48.16 seconds to win the event and qualify for the IC4A meet. Teammate Andre Washington followed in fifth place, in 48.83 seconds.
Kolby Shepherd, who had redshirted the 2010 outdoor season and the 2011 indoor campaign, won the pole vault at 16-10.75, his best-ever clearance while representing Liberty. The IC4A-qualifying height moves him up to No. 5 in program history.
Ryan Smith won the shot put competition by more than four feet with an IC4A-qualifying 56-7.25 heave. It was the redshirt sophomore's second straight Coastal Carolina Invitational title in the event. Fellow Flame Jacob DeValve's outdoor shot put debut resulted in a 49-11 throw and a fourth-place showing.
Liberty performed well in both relays, winning the 4 x 100 in 41.53 seconds and taking second in the 4 x 400 at 3:17.72. The 4 x 100 relay quartet met the IC4A standard.
Elliot Galeone qualified for the IC4A meet in his second event of the weekend. After setting a school record in the javelin Friday, Galeone placed third in the discus at 159-10.
Tashan Duff was another high finisher for the Flames, high jumping 6-2.75 to claim runner-up honors.
Women's Meet Recap
Alyssa Pegues had a busy and profitable Saturday, including strong showings in the 100, 200 and 4 x 100 relay. She took second place in the 100, meeting the ECAC standard at 12.00 seconds. Pegues then tied her personal best in the 200, crossing the finish line in 25.04 for third place.
Pegues was also part of Liberty's 4 x 100 relay grouping, which recorded an ECAC qualifier with its 46.83 effort. The Lady Flames were second in the race.
Mia Aghaji was Liberty's lone event winner on the women's side, triple jumping 38-9.75 to edge Charleston Southern's Tamisha Foster.
The Lady Flames also got runner-up finishes from both Olivia Charnuski and Shelley Parker. Charnuski ran a 14.35 in the 100-meter hurdles for second place, while Parker pole vaulted a personal-best 11-11.75 on Saturday.
Liberty will remain in the Myrtle Beach, S.C. area to train this week, before competing at the Shamrock Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
