Liberty University
CSU Buccaneer Invitational
Liberty Women's XC Posts Perfect Score in Season Opener
1/23/2021 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
The Liberty women's cross country team could not have asked for any better of a start to the 2021 spring season at Saturday afternoon's CSU Buccaneer Invitational. The Lady Flames swept the top five places in the women's 5K, giving Liberty the team title with a perfect score of 15. Meanwhile, the Liberty men's squad placed third in the team standings, paced by Ryan Drew's third-place individual finish.
The Lady Flames defeated ASUN foe North Florida by 43 points (15-58) for their first team title since the FGCU Invitational on Sept. 7, 2019. Individually, Calli Doan (17:18.1) and Priscillah Kiplagat (17:18.8) crossed the finish line nearly side-by-side for first and second place, respectively. Newcomers Grace Dwyer (third place, 17:38.1), Anna Hostetler (fourth, 17:44.0) and Marie Hostetler (fifth, 17:47.5) completed Liberty's 1-5 sweep.
On the men's side, North Florida took top team honors with 22 points. Host Charleston Southern edged the Flames for second place, 47-56. Drew (24:23.1) and Caleb Olson (eighth place, 24:46.5) were each top-10 finishers in the men's 8K.
Women's Team Results:
1) Liberty – 15
2) North Florida – 58
3) College of Charleston – 65
4) Gardner-Webb – 115
Men's Team Results:
1) North Florida – 22
2) Charleston Southern – 47
3) Liberty – 56
4) Gardner-Webb – 120
Women's 5K Individual Results (41 Total Finishers):
1) Calli Doan, Liberty – 17:18.1
2) Priscillah Kiplagat, Liberty – 17:18.8
3) Grace Dwyer, Liberty – 17:38.1
4) Anna Hostetler, Liberty – 17:44.0
5) Marie Hostetler, Liberty – 17:47.5
7) Emma Bower, Liberty – 18:13.0
12) Brittany Carnathan, Liberty – 18:37.1
19) Chelsea Stocki, Liberty – 19:13.8
20) Jessica Rogers, Liberty – 19:13.9
21) Lauren Hirneisen, Liberty – 19:15.4
22) Madison MacPherson, Liberty – 19:21.1
24) Kyley Sorg, Liberty – 19:25.5
27) Katie MacDougall, Liberty – 19:42.1
Men's 8K Individual Results (40 Total Finishers):
1) Nathan Jubran, North Florida – 24:15.5
2) Jake Turner, North Florida – 24:19.9
3) Ryan Drew, Liberty – 24:23.1
4) Aidan O'Gorman, North Florida – 24:23.8
5) Alan Deogracias, Charleston Southern – 24:30.0
8) Caleb Olson, Liberty – 24:46.5
14) Joe Spitzer, Liberty – 25:19.0
15) Felix Kandie, Liberty – 25:29.6
16) Kyle Harkabus, Liberty – 25:29.9
24) Stephen Carvalho, Liberty – 26:07.6
25) Jeremiah Mussmon, Liberty – 26:09.5
32) Jacob Underwood, Liberty – 26:42.2
Race Reactions
• Doan's individual victory was the first of her collegiate cross country career.
• Kiplagat enjoyed a big breakthrough, lopping 29 seconds off her cross country 5K personal best to become the sixth Lady Flame ever to crack the 17:30 barrier.
• Dwyer (Furman) and Anna Hostetler (Iowa) were making their Liberty cross country debuts after transferring. Hostetler's younger sister Marie is the lone freshman on this year's team.
• Liberty's No. 8 women's runner on the day, Chelsea Stocki also set a cross country 5K PR of 19:13.8.
• Drew and Olson both clocked 8K personal bests on Saturday, with Olson dipping under 25 minutes for the first time.
• The Flames' No. 5, 6 and 7 finishers (Kyle Harkabus, Stephen Carvalho and Jeremiah Mussmon) were all true freshmen making their collegiate debuts.
• Liberty's first race in 435 days was contested on the Charleston Southern University campus.  Â
Up Next
Liberty will face its stiffest competition of the regular season at the FSU Winter Cross Country Classic, slated for Feb. 5 in Tallahassee, Fla. The day's opening race is set for 9 a.m. at Apalachee Regional Park, which will also play host to the 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in November.
Players Mentioned
