Liberty Track to Compete from Coast to Coast
3/31/2022 4:01:58 PM | Track and Field
VertKlasse Meeting Meet Information
VertKlasse Meeting Friday Live Video (ESPN+)
VertKlasse Meeting Saturday Live Video (ESPN+)
VertKlasse Meeting Live Results
Stanford Invitational Meet Information
Stanford Invitational Live Video (FloTrack)
Stanford Invitational Live Results
Liberty track & field athletes will compete in both the Eastern and Pacific time zones this week. Most of the Flames and Lady Flames will head to High Point, N.C., for the VertKlasse Meeting (Friday and Saturday). Meanwhile, a group of 11 distance runners will race at the Stanford Invitational in Stanford, Calif., Friday.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Live video will be available for both meets. ESPN+ will broadcast the VertKlasse Meeting on Friday and Saturday afternoon, while FloTrack will cover the Stanford Invitational in its entirety.
Live results will also be provided for both the VertKlasse Meeting and Stanford Invitational.
Weather Report
Friday in High Point is forecasted to be sunny and breezy, with a high in the low 60s. Saturday’s forecast calls for diminished wind, a mixture of sun and clouds and a high near 65.
In Stanford, Friday’s high is expected to approach 70 degrees under sunny skies. As the evening goes on, the temperature will drop into the low 50s.
VertKlasse Meeting Preview
Liberty will compete at High Point twice in three weeks, beginning with this weekend’s VertKlasse Meeting. The Flames will take part in the VertKlasse for the second straight year and the fourth time in meet history.
The Flames own the No. 1 seed in eight different events, including the women’s 100 (Isis Brooks), women’s 200 (Abby Pantlitz), women’s 4 x 100 relay, women’s high jump (Meredith Engle), men’s 100 (Diamantae Griffin), men’s 200 (Diamantae Griffin), men’s 4 x 100 relay and men’s shot put (Kyle Mitchell).
Brooks (100) and the men’s 4 x 100 relay squad of Brandon Letts, Griffin, Christian Lyon and Donald McClinton will both compete in those events for the first time since setting program records. Brooks’ 11.48 effort in the Virginia Open 100 broke a school record which had stood for nine years. The Flames’ 39.65 4 x 100 clocking at the Texas Relays took down the program record that had been on the books for 26 years.
Stanford Invitational Preview
Friday will mark the Flames’ first visit to Stanford since an appearance at the 2014 Stanford Invitational. Liberty’s events include the men’s 1,500 (Kyle Harkabus), men’s steeplechase (Felix Kandie and Landon Miller), men’s 5K (Ryan Drew and Will Jefferson), men’s 10K (Caleb Olson) and women’s 5K (Adelyn Ackley, Grace Dwyer, Anna Hostetler, Marie Hostetler and Priscillah Kiplagat).
A trio of Liberty and/or ASUN Conference record holders will race at the facility where Sam Chelanga set his still-standing NCAA all-time men’s 10K record of 27:08.39 on May 1, 2010.
Two-time All-American Kandie owns the Liberty and ASUN steeplechase records of 8:32.95. He will race in that event’s invitational section on Friday.
Drew is coming off a Liberty record-setting 3:41.87 1,500 at the Raleigh Relays. On Friday, he will compete in the 5K, where Drew owns the ASUN all-time record of 13:53.30.
Similarly, Ackley set the ASUN all-time women’s 5K record of 16:10.19 a year ago and will race in that event on Friday.
ASUN Leaders
Through two weekends of competition, Liberty ranks No. 1 in the ASUN Conference in the following events:
Men’s 100 – Christian Lyon – 10.39
Men’s 200 – Donald McClinton – 21.03
Men’s 110 Hurdles – Felix Lawrence – 14.21
Men’s 4 x 100 Relay – 39.65
Men’s Long Jump – Quinten Clay – 24-7.25
Men’s Hammer – John Hicks – 206-5
Women’s 100 – Isis Brooks – 11.48
Women’s 400 – Janai Scott – 55.48
Women’s 4 x 100 Relay – 46.37
Women’s Pole Vault – Taylen Langin – 12-11.5
Women’s Shot Put – Naomi Mojica – 50-2.5
Women’s Discus – Megan Mann – 153-7
Women’s Hammer – Grace Artis – 186-2
Women’s Javelin – Mackenzie Hainley – 151-2
Bound for Bloomington
The NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet is scheduled for May 25-28 in Bloomington, Ind. The following Flames are likely to qualify for the meet, based upon their marks thus far in the 2022 outdoor season.
Quinten Clay – Men’s Long Jump
Ryan Drew – Men’s 1,500
Diamantae Griffin – Men’s 4 x 100 Relay
John Hicks – Men’s Hammer
Brandon Letts – Men’s 4 x 100 Relay
Christian Lyon – Men’s 100, 4 x 100 Relay
Donald McClinton – Men’s 4 x 100 Relay
Kyle Mitchell – Men’s Shot Put
Kevin Nedrick – Men’s Shot Put, Men’s Discus
Isis Brooks – Women’s 100
Mackenzie Hainley – Women’s Javelin
Up Next
Liberty will divide up its athletes for the third consecutive weekend. Most of the team will compete in the Aggie Invitational, April 8-9 in Greensboro, N.C. A small group of hurdlers and jumpers will head to San Diego for the Triton Invitational (April 9).
