Bingham, Ackley, Engle Earn VaSID Indoor Track Major Honors
4/29/2021 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Liberty captured a trio of major Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) University Division Women's Indoor Track & Field honors on Thursday. Lance Bingham was named State Coach of the Year, Adelyn Ackley was voted State Track Rookie of the Year and Meredith Engle was tabbed State Field Rookie of the Year.
Ackley was one of Liberty's two first team all-state honorees, along with Chelsea Igberaese. The Lady Flames were well represented on the second team all-state squad, where Engle was joined by Abby Pantlitz, Calli Doan, Priscillah Kiplagat, Ayanna Johnson, Rachel Milnes, Naomi Mojica and the distance medley relay quartet of Naomi Armstrong, Megan Hinzman, Itzel Santos and Doan.
Lance Bingham – State Coach of the Year
During his first season as Liberty's head coach, Bingham guided the Lady Flames to a close second-place finish at the ASUN Indoor Track & Field Championships. Liberty won eight events and finished just five points behind Kennesaw State.
Adelyn Ackley – State Track Rookie of the Year, 1st Team All-State (Distance)
A native of Mears, Mich., Ackley's first collegiate indoor track & field season culminated with a victory in the ASUN women's 5K final. Her time of 16:25.24 set meet and Liberty freshman records while ranking No. 41 nationally. Ackley was also named ASUN Women's Freshman of the Week on Feb. 17.
Meredith Engle – State Field Rookie of the Year, 2nd Team All-State (Multis)
A native of Dillsburg, Pa., Engle was the ASUN pentathlon runner-up. Her score of 3,559 points was just three points out of first place and broke Liberty Athletic Hall of Famer Danielle McNaney's program freshman record.
Chelsea Igberaese – 1st Team All-State (Throws)
A redshirt junior from Dacula, Ga., Igberaese was voted ASUN Women's Most Outstanding Field Performer. At the conference meet, she captured the women's weight throw title (personal-best 65-8.75) and was the shot put runner-up. Igberaese's weight throw mark from the ASUN meet ranked No. 35 nationally at season's end. She was also a three-time ASUN Women's Field Athlete of the Week (Feb. 10, Feb. 17 and Feb. 24).
Abby Pantlitz – 2nd Team All-State (Sprints)
A sophomore from Navarre, Fla., Pantlitz scored a meet-high 21.5 points at the ASUN meet to earn ASUN Most Valuable Female Performer honors and Co-ASUN Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer distinction. She swept the ASUN women's 60 (7.55) and 200 (24.53) titles in personal-best times, while leading off for the third-place 4 x 400 relay quartet. Pantlitz was additionally the ASUN Women's Track Athlete of the Week on Feb. 10.
Calli Doan – 2nd Team All-State (Mid-Distance)
A junior from Apex, N.C., Doan won all three of her races during the indoor season, including the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational mile and the ASUN mile and distance medley relay. Doan's ASUN-winning mile time of 4:45.84 ranked No. 72 nationally for the season. In the DMR, she split 4:47.06 on the anchor leg to fashion a come-from-behind victory for the Lady Flames.
Priscillah Kiplagat – 2nd Team All-State (Distance)
A sophomore from Eldoret, Kenya, Kiplagat earned all-conference honors in both of her events at the ASUN meet. She was the 3K runner-up (personal-best 9:40.42) and placed third in the 5K (personal-best 17:05.30).
Ayanna Johnson – 2nd Team All-State (Jumps)
A redshirt senior from New Oxford, Pa., Johnson captured the ASUN women's long jump title with a leap of 19-4.75 that matched the program record. She also clocked a personal-best time of 7.66 for second place in the 60 dash final.
Rachel Milnes – 2nd Team All-State (Jumps)
A senior from Jonesboro, Ark., Milnes pole vaulted an ASUN all-time record 13-1.5 at the Liberty Elite Invitational. The clearance ranked No. 64 nationally and garnered ASUN Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors on Jan. 27.
Naomi Mojica – 2nd Team All-State (Throws)
A senior from Queretaro, Mexico, Mojica won her third consecutive ASUN women's shot put title with a meet and ASUN all-time record mark of 51-5 which ranked No. 54 nationally. She also placed third in the ASUN weight throw with a personal-best 61-0.75 effort.
Naomi Armstrong, Megan Hinzman, Itzel Santos, Calli Doan – 2nd Team All-State (DMR)
The quartet won their third straight ASUN women's distance medley relay title with a program-record 11:41.12 clocking. Armstrong and Doan have been a part of each of the Lady Flames' three victorious DMR squads. A junior from Hartly, Del., Armstrong led off in 3:34.62. A redshirt sophomore from Columbus, Ohio, Hinzman clocked 57.02 for the 400-meter leg. A junior from Veracruz, Mexico, Santos ran a 2:22.42 800. A junior from Apex, N.C., Doan anchored the team to victory in 4:47.06.
