Liberty Closes Strong 2022-23 With Third-Straight Top 100 Learfield Directors’ Cup Finish

Following a year with big wins over Power 5 programs and 12 conference championship titles, Liberty Athletics has posted its third-straight top 100 finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings.

The Flames ranked No. 98 in the final 2022-23 Learfield Directors' Cup standings. Liberty has finished inside the top 100 ranking of the top collegiate athletics departments in the country each of the last three years and five times in athletics department history.

Liberty's other top 100 national rankings include No. 70 (2020-21), No. 74 (2021-22), No. 82 (2001-02) and No. 96 (2011-12).

"We continue to make great progress towards our vision of training champions for Christ, providing a high quality experience for our student-athletes and achieving victory with integrity," said Director of Athletics Ian McCaw.

"Liberty teams won 12 conference championships across our 20 sports which is a credit to our coaches, staff and student-athletes. The 2022-23 year will long be remembered for some of the biggest wins in school history including football defeating BYU and Arkansas, men's basketball defeating Villanova, and softball defeating UCLA, Alabama and Clemson."

Liberty captured five titles during its fifth and final year of ASUN Conference membership in 2022-23, including men's golf, men's indoor track & field, men's outdoor track & field, women's indoor track & field and women's outdoor track & field.

The Flames also won a BIG EAST title (field hockey) and a CCSA championship (women's swimming & diving).

Liberty won at least a share of the ASUN regular-season championship in five sports (volleyball, women's soccer, men's basketball, men's tennis and women's lacrosse).

Liberty Athletics continues to be the fastest growing athletics department in the country with nearly all 20 of its NCAA Division I programs reaching new heights at the national level in the last few years.

FOOTBALL
The Flames' 8-5 season was headlined by a 41-14 win over BYU and the team's first-ever SEC victory (21-19 at Arkansas) in back-to-back contests. Liberty appeared in a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season, dropping a tight 21-19 contest to Toledo in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl.

VOLLEYBALL
Liberty went 23-9, recording its most wins in a season since 2014 and earning its first ASUN regular-season title. The Lady Flames advanced to the ASUN final and made their second NIVC appearance in program history.

MEN'S SOCCER
The Flames matched a program record with six ties, one of which was a 1-1 draw at No. 20 Maryland. Marko Mitrevski made the ASUN all-conference squad for the third season in a row.

WOMEN'S SOCCER
The ASUN regular-season champion Lady Flames finished 14-3-4, ending their season on a program-record 13-match unbeaten streak. ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year Ainsley Leja (10 shutouts) led Liberty to the ASUN final, where it fell to FGCU in penalty kicks.

FIELD HOCKEY
The 12-8 Lady Flames defeated No. 1 seed Old Dominion on the Monarchs' home field to make it back-to-back BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship titles. Liberty, which saw both Bethany Dykema and Azul Iritxity Irigoyen earn All-America honors, also claimed a share of the BIG EAST regular-season championship.

CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD
Liberty wrapped up its time in the ASUN by sweeping the conference titles in men's and women's indoor track & field and men's and women's outdoor track & field. The Flames' conference championship streaks reached 26 in a row for men's indoor track & field and 16 straight for men's outdoor track & field, both of which rank as the longest active streaks in the nation. Four Flames earned All-America distinction, headlined by Kevin Nedrick. The senior placed fifth in the men's discus to become Liberty's first thrower ever to collect multiple All-America honors at the Division I level. Calli Doan earned the Lady Flames' first steeplechase All-America certificate while becoming Liberty's first ASUN Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

MEN'S BASKETBALL
The 27-9 Flames shared the ASUN regular-season title before falling at Kennesaw State in the ASUN title game. Liberty then made its inaugural NIT appearance, topping Villanova in the first round. Darius McGhee became the program's second AP honorable mention All-American after finishing as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,685 career points.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Liberty's 24-9 record featured its first-ever Pac-12 triumph (at Washington) and its first win over conference rival FGCU. The Lady Flames lost to FGCU in the ASUN final before making their second consecutive WNIT appearance.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
Liberty claimed its fifth straight CCSA championship, matching FGCU (2009-13) for the most consecutive CCSA titles in meet history.

MEN'S TENNIS
ASUN regular-season champion Liberty went 17-10, closing out its season with a win over Vanderbilt to capture the inaugural Universal Tennis NIT Championship title. Josh Wilson wrapped up his career with a program-record 92 singles victories and a share of the program record for doubles triumphs (82).

WOMEN'S TENNIS
The Lady Flames' 17-9 season included their first-ever victory over a Big Ten opponent (Michigan State). It marked Liberty's third straight year with 17 or more victories.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Liberty went 12-7, including a perfect 7-0 in conference play on the way to the program's first-ever ASUN regular-season title. The Lady Flames topped No. 21 Jacksonville for their first win over the Dolphins and their first triumph over a nationally ranked opponent, before later dropping an overtime decision to Jacksonville in the ASUN final. Lizzy Ferguson became the team's first All-American.

MEN'S GOLF
The Flames posted a program 54-hole scoring record (53-under par 811) to win the ASUN title and make its 11th NCAA Regional appearance in the last 12 seasons. Liberty finished the season ranked No. 38 in the country in the final Golfstat national rankings. Following the season, Isaac Simmons qualified for the U.S. Open.

BASEBALL
Facing one of the nation's most challenging schedules, Liberty finished 27-31. The Flames advanced to the semifinals during their final ASUN Championship appearance.

SOFTBALL
The Lady Flames finished 40-22, posting their sixth consecutive full season with 40+ wins. They eliminated No. 2 national seed UCLA and advanced to the final of the NCAA Los Angeles Regional, making their third NCAA regional final appearance in program history. Liberty finished the year ranked No. 25 in the country in the final D1 Softball national rankings.

Liberty Closes Strong 2022-23 With Third-Straight Top 100 Learfield Directors’ Cup Finish

Related Videos