Liberty University
Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational
Nedrick, Coleman, Langin Set Records on Saturday
3/25/2023 8:38:12 PM | Track and Field
Liberty’s Kevin Nedrick (ASUN all-time record 193-7 men’s discus), Desmond Coleman (Liberty freshman record 193-7 men’s discus) and Taylen Langin (facility record 13-3.75 women’s pole vault) all set records on a Saturday at the Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational which saw the Flames win eight events.
In addition to Nedrick and Langin, Liberty’s first-place finishers included John Hicks (men’s hammer – 204-2), Joshua Smith (men’s triple jump championship section – 47-10), Dawn Hilton (women’s 400 – 57.24), Megan Mann (women’s shot put – 44-10.75), Sofia Mojica (women’s discus – 150-4) and Makenzy Mizera (women’s triple jump – 40-0).
Men’s Day 2 Recap
One of the final events to wrap up Saturday afternoon, the men’s discus provided some final round fireworks. Heading into round six, Coleman led Nedrick, 191-3 to 184-0.
Nedrick then unleashed a 193-7 bomb on his final attempt, breaking the ASUN all-time record of 193-1 which was set by Kennesaw State’s Anthony Harrison last season.
Coleman had one final opportunity to respond, but fell one centimeter shy of Nedrick’s mark (59.01m to 59.00m). That effort, which also converts to 193-7, took down John Talbert’s Liberty freshman standard of 191-9 set in 2009.
Nedrick and Coleman now rank No. 6 and 7, respectively, in the NCAA this season. They also climb to No. 2 and 3 on Liberty’s all-time men’s discus list, trailing only Clendon Henderson’s record of 204-3 from the 2008 Texas Relays.
Hicks used a season-best mark of 204-2 to win the men’s hammer competition, giving the Liberty men’s throwers first place in three of four events, also including Ethan Mylin’s javelin triumph on Friday.
The lone exception was the men’s shot put, where Coleman reached 52-2.75.
Smith won the championship section of the men’s triple jump by more than three feet with his round-six leap of 47-10 into a slight headwind. He became the second Liberty freshman to take home a men’s triple jump title in two weeks to open the outdoor campaign, following classmate Shane Wang’s triumph at last weekend’s Bob Davidson Memorial Invitational.
Christopher Burge was another impressive freshman for the Flames on Saturday, clocking personal bests in both the 100 (10.74 for second place) and 200 (22.28 for ninth).
Competing unattached, the Flames’ Felix Lawrence swept the men’s 110 (14.53) and 400 hurdles (52.18) titles, remaining unbeaten on the young season.
Women’s Day 2 Recap
Despite some varying wind conditions, Langin took top honors in the women’s pole vault with a first-attempt clearance at a season-best 13-3.75. That broke the facility record of 12-11.75 set by Liberty Athletics Hall of Famer Andrea Wildrick in 2002 and should send Langin to the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet for the fourth time in her career.
Like their male counterparts, the Liberty women’s throws crew won three of four events over the course of the two-day meet. The Lady Flames went two-for-two on Saturday, with Mann (44-10.75 shot put) and Mojica (150-4 discus) doing the honors.
Liberty swept the top three places in the women’s discus, as Mojica (150-4), Annika Hantho (150-2) and Mann (149-8) were separated by only eight inches atop the standings.
Mizera’s very first triple jump attempt measured 40-0, and no other competitor got with a foot and a half of her the rest of the afternoon.
Hilton was Liberty’s lone first-place finisher on the track this weekend, lowering her 400 personal best from 58.88 to 57.24 to do so.
Meredith Engle was one of the Lady Flames’ busiest and most successful athletes on the day, notching a pair of runner-up finishes in personal-best fashion (200 – 25.55 and long jump – 18-8.75) and taking fourth in the 100 hurdles (14.80).
Unattached Lady Flames won three events, including Indea Cartwright’s triumph in the 100 hurdles (13.96) and Katelyn Locker’s sweep of the 800 (2:13.25) and 1,500 (4:34.16).
In both of Locker’s races, she pulled teammate Catherine Farrell to runner-up placements and new personal-best clockings (2:14.32 800 and 4:34.70 1,500). Farrell’s 1,500 time slashed 12 seconds off her previous best.
Men’s Day 2 Event Winners
John Hicks – Hammer – 204-2
Kevin Nedrick – Discus – 193-7
Joshua Smith – Triple Jump Championship – 47-10
Women’s Day 2 Event Winners
Dawn Hilton – 400 – 57.24
Taylen Langin – Pole Vault – 13-3.75
Megan Mann – Shot Put – 44-10.75
Sofia Mojica – Discus – 150-4
Makenzy Mizera – Triple Jump – 40-0
Men’s Day 2 Record Breakers
ASUN All-Time Record – Discus – Kevin Nedrick – 193-7
Previous Record: 193-1 by Kennesaw State’s Anthony Harrison on April 23, 2022 at the Crimson Tide Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Liberty Freshman Record – Discus – Desmond Coleman – 193-7
Previous Record: 191-9 by John Talbert at the Liberty Collegiate Invitational on April 4, 2009
Women’s Day 2 Record Breakers
Facility Record – Pole Vault – Taylen Langin – 13-3.75
Previous Record: 12-11.75 by Liberty’s Andrea Wildrick in 2002
New Women’s NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round Qualifiers
Taylen Langin – Pole Vault – 13-3.75
Day 2 Updates to Liberty’s All-Time Men’s Top 10 List
Discus – No. 2 – Kevin Nedrick – 193-7
Discus – No. 3 – Desmond Coleman – 193-7
Up Next
Liberty will send athletes to three different meets next weekend, including the VertKlasse Meeting (March 31 & April 1 in High Point, N.C.), Stanford Invitational (March 31 in Stanford, Calif.) and Virginia Quadrangular (April 1 in Charlottesville, Va.)
Featured in Main Photo: Kevin Nedrick
