Liberty University
ASUN Outdoor Track Championships
Liberty Sweeps Men’s, Women’s Team Titles at Final ASUN Appearance
5/13/2023 11:03:00 PM | Track and Field
The Liberty men's and women's squads closed out their time in the ASUN Conference by sweeping the team titles at the 2023 ASUN Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which wrapped up Saturday evening at Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.
The Lady Flames captured their third ASUN championship in four years, defeating defending champion Kennesaw State by 43.5 points (221.5 to 178). Isis Brooks picked up two of Liberty's three event victories on Saturday, winning the 100 (11.40) and 200 (school-record 23.09) in dominant fashion.
Meanwhile, the men's squad needed a late comeback to keep its championship streak alive. Liberty posted a 53-point win (278 to 225) over Kennesaw State after trailing the Owls by 51 tallies entering Saturday's action.
The Liberty men finish four-for-four in winning team titles at this meet, and the Flames have now claimed 16 consecutive outdoor track & field conference championships overall. The impressive run of titles, which began at the 2007 Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships, is the longest active streak in NCAA Division I men's outdoor track & field. Oregon can match the Flames if the Ducks win the Pac-12 title on Sunday.
The Flames won six of 13 men's events contested on Saturday, headlined by a meet-record 215-2 javelin effort by Ethan Mylin and punctuated by a dramatic 4 x 400 relay triumph by the quartet of Rayan Holmes, Felix Lawrence, Brendan Pitcher and Ally Kipchirchir (3:11.77) in the meet's final race.
Lance Bingham was duly honored as ASUN Men's and Women's Coach of the Year. The Flames' third-year head coach is now a 10-time ASUN Coach of the Year.
In the Flames' final chance to post qualifying marks for the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet, Mylin and Donald McClinton (men's 200 – 20.58) did just that, while Christian Hicks (men's discus – 176-4) put himself onto the bubble.
Women's Day 3 Recap
Taylen Langin got the Lady Flames started off on the right foot in the afternoon's first women's event (pole vault). She captured her third consecutive ASUN outdoor title with a 13-3.75 clearance, but it did not come easily. Langin needed a third-attempt clearance at 12-11.75 to stay alive in the competition.
Langin becomes the second three-time women's pole vault champion at this meet, joining Kennesaw State's Erica Sergeant (2017-19). Liberty Athletics Hall of Famer Andrea Wildrick (2000-02, Big South) is the only other Lady Flame ever to claim a trio of outdoor pole vault conference titles.
Brooks was dominant in both of her individual events, sweeping the women's 100 and 200 crowns with impressive times while battling headwinds. She repeated as 100 champion with a 11.40 into a 0.7 m/s headwind, outdistancing runner-up Quantasia Perry of EKU (11.75). Brooks is the first Lady Flame to claim consecutive 100 conference titles since Ardra Samuel raced to three Big South 100 championships in a row between 1995 and 1997.
Brooks' 200 title came by an even wider margin (23.09 to 24.36). Despite running into a 1.4 m/s headwind, she shattered her own program record of 23.25 from Thursday's preliminary round.
Earlier in the day, Brooks helped the Lady Flames finish second in the 4 x 100 relay in 45.67, the No. 3 time in program history. She was joined by Dawn Hilton, Nimeesha Coleman and Jezelle Shaw.
Jasmine Williams finished as the runner-up in both hurdles finals on the day, clocking personal-best times in both (13.69 100 hurdles and 59.72 400 hurdles). Both times rank No. 2 all-time for the Lady Flames, and her 100 hurdles clocking is the fastest wind-legal effort in program history, eclipsing the hand-timed 13.5 by current James Madison Head Coach Delethea Quarles at the 1989 Penn Relays.
Liberty saw its impressive streak of 15 straight conference shot put titles (indoors and outdoors) snapped on Saturday. But Megan Mann reached a personal-best 48-10.25 for second place, giving her 23 points for the meet. Mann previously won the discus and placed fourth in the hammer.
Adelyn Ackley-Fairley (third in the women's 5K, 16:57.08) and Makenzy Mizera (third in the women's triple jump, 40-0.5) each earned their 10th career All-ASUN medals on Saturday.
Men's Day 3 Recap
Liberty trailed Kennesaw State by 51 points (129 to 78) entering the day before scoring points in bunches. The Flames racked up 20+ points in four different events on Saturday, including the discus (23), javelin (26), 110 hurdles (25) and 400 hurdles (27). Liberty's impressive effort in the 400 hurdles enabled the Flames to take the lead for good heading to the final five events.
The dynamic duo of Holmes (51.03) and two-time defending champion Lawrence (season-best 51.83) led the way in the pivotal 400 hurdles final.
Lawrence had earlier claimed his second straight 110 hurdles title in 14.44 with teammate Prosper Ekporere roaring back for the runner-up spot in 14.56. Lawrence is the Flames' first back-to-back 110 hurdles conference champion since Micah Brinkley (Big South, 2002-04).
Mylin, who entered the day with a 198-10 javelin best, exploded to 215-2 on his final effort to overtake teammate Ben Shughart (207-4) for the win. The big mark eclipsed the meet record of 213-7 set by Liberty's Samuel Arter in 2021 and gave the Flames their seventh men's javelin conference crown in eight years.
Omari Lewis (10.43) and McClinton (10.53) went 1-2 in the men's 100 final, with Lewis representing the third different Flame to win the event in the last three seasons.
Forty-five minutes later, McClinton sped to 200 victory in a season-best 20.58, giving the Flames their fourth straight ASUN outdoor men's 200 title and extending his career for at least one more race.
The meet's most electrifying moment came in the very last race, the men's 4 x 400 relay. Kipchirchir edged out top seed and two-time defending champion Kennesaw State by two hundredths of a second at the finish line to claim a thrilling victory in 3:11.77. Holmes, Lawrence and fellow 800 specialist Pitcher got the relay started for the Flames.
We just have to share that amazing conclusion of the men's 4 x 400. What a finish by Ally! pic.twitter.com/nVlOjF7mNo
— Liberty XC & TF (@Liberty_XCTF) May 14, 2023
Although the Flames did not win the discus, they set an early tone of big points and impressive marks. Kevin Nedrick took second with a throw of 192-5 which bettered his own meet record of 191-5 from 2022. Liberty then swept the next three places behind him, courtesy of Desmond Coleman (third, 187-9), Christian Hicks (fourth, personal-best 176-4) and John Hicks (fifth, personal-best 158-0).
Final Women's Team Scores
1) Liberty – 221.5
2) Kennesaw State – 178
3) Lipscomb – 115
4) Jacksonville – 77
5) Central Arkansas – 53.5
6) Queens – 51.5
7) Austin Peay – 41
8) EKU – 33
9) Jacksonville State – 21
10) Bellarmine – 17
11) North Florida – 9.5
Final Men's Team Scores
1) Liberty – 278
2) Kennesaw State – 225
3) EKU – 81
4) North Florida – 74
5) Central Arkansas – 50
6) Lipscomb – 48
7) Bellarmine – 33
8) Queens – 23
Most Valuable Female Performer
Melanie Welsing, Queens
Most Valuable Male Performer
Malik Hussie, Kennesaw State
Women's Coach of the Year
Lance Bingham, Liberty
Men's Coach of the Year
Lance Bingham, Liberty
Women's Day 3 ASUN Champions
Isis Brooks – 100 – 11.40
Isis Brooks – 200 – 23.09
Taylen Langin – Pole Vault – 13-3.75
Men's Day 3 ASUN Champions
Rayan Holmes – 400 Hurdles – 51.03
Felix Lawrence – 110 Hurdles – 14.44
Omari Lewis – 100 – 10.43
Donald McClinton – 200 – 20.58
Ethan Mylin – Javelin – 215-2
Rayan Holmes, Felix Lawrence, Brendan Pitcher, Ally Kipchirchir – 4 x 400 – 3:11.77
Other Women's Day 3 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Megan Mann – Shot Put – 48-10.25
2nd – Jasmine Williams – 100 Hurdles – 13.69
2nd – Jasmine Williams – 400 Hurdles – 59.72
2nd – Dawn Hilton, Nimeesha Coleman, Isis Brooks, Jezelle Shaw – 4 x 100 – 45.67
3rd – Adelyn Ackley-Fairley – 5K – 16:57.08
3rd – Makenzy Mizera – Triple Jump – 40-0.5
3rd – Dawn Hilton, Patasha Bryan, Jezelle Shaw, Jasmine Williams – 4 x 400 – 3:48.04
Other Men's Day 3 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Prosper Ekporere – 110 Hurdles – 14.56
2nd – Felix Lawrence – 400 Hurdles – 51.83
2nd – Donald McClinton – 100 – 10.53
2nd – Kevin Nedrick – Discus – 192-5
2nd – Ben Shughart – Javelin – 207-4
3rd – Desmond Coleman – Discus – 187-9
3rd – Kyle Harkabus – 1,500 – 3:47.27
3rd – Ally Kipchirchir – 800 – 1:50.67
3rd – Shane Wang – Triple Jump – 47-9.75
3rd – Rayan Holmes, Donald McClinton, Omari Lewis, Anders Janes – 4 x 100 – 40.72
Women's Day 3 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – 200 – Isis Brooks – 23.09
Previous Record: 23.25 by Brooks on Thursday in the prelims
Men's Day 3 Record Breakers
Meet Record – Javelin – Ethan Mylin – 215-2
Previous Record: 213-7 by Liberty's Samuel Arter in 2021
New Men's NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round Qualifiers
Donald McClinton – 200 – 20.58
Ethan Mylin – Javelin – 215-2
Day 3 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
200 – No. 1 – Isis Brooks – 23.09
100 Hurdles – No. 2 – Jasmine Williams – 13.69
400 Hurdles – No. 2 – Jasmine Williams – 59.72
4 x 100 – No. 3 – Hilton, Coleman, Brooks, Shaw – 45.67
Shot Put – No. 4 – Megan Mann – 48-10.25
Shot Put – No. 10 – Sofia Mojica – 44-2.5
Day 3 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Javelin – No. 8 – Ethan Mylin – 215-2
Discus – No. 9 – Christian Hicks – 176-4
4 x 100 – No. 10 – Holmes, McClinton, Lewis, Janes – 40.72
Up Next
Liberty will head back to Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium for the 2023 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet, May 24-27.
The full field of qualifiers will be announced on Thursday.
Players Mentioned
