Liberty University
Texas Relays
Igberaese Breaks ASUN Hammer Record on Texas Relays Day 1
3/25/2021 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
The first Liberty athlete to compete at the 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Chelsea Igberaese set the stage for a successful Thursday at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Her hammer mark of 193-8 set the all-time ASUN Conference record.
The Flames' other top performances included a Liberty freshman-record 200-2 effort by John Hicks in the men's hammer and a 20.99 clocking which punched Diamantae Griffin's ticket to Saturday's men's 200 dash final.
At her last Texas Relays appearance in 2019, Igberaese set the program record in the women's discus (179-6). This time around, her 193-8 hammer throw eclipsed the ASUN standard of 189-2 which had been set by Jacksonville's Samantha Turner at the 2017 ASUN meet. The defending ASUN women's hammer champion, Igberaese added seven feet to her previous personal best and placed 10th overall in the event.
Thursday marked the third consecutive meet where Hicks has broken the Liberty freshman record for the men's hammer. His 200-2 measurement bettered his previous mark by four inches and made him just the second Flame ever to eclipse 200 feet in the event. Hicks placed 11th in the event (first among freshmen).
Running his first outdoor 200 in a Liberty uniform, Griffin blazed a time of 20.99 to win his preliminary heat and place sixth of 69 competitors. The fourth-fastest performer in program history, Griffin will compete in the final Saturday at approximately 5 p.m. Eastern on the Longhorn Network.
Both of Liberty's javelin throwers fared well on Thursday. Mackenzie Hainley placed fourth in Section B of the women's javelin with a personal-best 154-5 effort which moves the sophomore up to third all-time for the Lady Flames. Meanwhile, Samuel Arter added a fourth-place finish in Section B of the men's event, reaching a season-best 216-6.
Freshmen Felix Lawrence and Michael Rose were each able to battle swirling wind conditions to post strong efforts in full-lap events. Lawrence's ASUN-leading men's 400 hurdles time of 52.82 placed 13th of 43 in the prelims. Rose powered his way to a lifetime-best 400 clocking of 48.42.
Women's Record Breakers
ASUN All-Time Record – Hammer – Chelsea Igberaese – 193-8
Previous Record: 189-2 by Jacksonville's Samantha Turner at the 2017 ASUN Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Men's Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Hammer – John Hicks – 200-2
Previous Record: 199-10 by Hicks at last week's Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Javelin – No. 3 – Mackenzie Hainley – 154-5
Hammer – No. 4 – Chelsea Igberaese – 193-8
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Hammer – No. 2 – John Hicks – 200-2
200 – No. 4 – Diamantae Griffin – 20.99
Up Next
The 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays will resume on Friday. Igberaese and Naomi Mojica will be Liberty's first athletes in action, competing in Section B of the women's shot put at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.
Meanwhile, the Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational will get started on Friday. Liberty's lone event on day one of the hometown meet will be the women's javelin, set for a 6 p.m. start.
