Thursday, December 5
Lynchburg, Va.
9:30 AM ET
Liberty University
vs
Liberty Kickoff
Meredith Engle
Engle Breaks Pentathlon Record on Liberty Kickoff Day 1
12/5/2024 10:34:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty's first event victory of the 2024-25 indoor track & field season came in record-breaking fashion, Thursday at the Liberty Kickoff. Meredith Engle won the Group A pentathlon with a program-record score of 3,989. She was one of the home team's two victors on the day at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex, joining Paola Bueno (women's weight throw).
Thursday's events opened the ninth season of competition at the newly remodeled Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Appropriately, longtime Liberty head coach Tolsma spent much of his 75th birthday taking in the action at the track named in his honor.
Women's Day 1 Recap
Engle showed no signs of rust during her first meet back after an injury halted her 2023-24 campaign in February. She recorded the pentathlon's top marks in the high jump (5-7) and shot put (personal-best 43-4.5) before gutting out a 2:20.93 800 to close things out. That enabled her to edge Kylie Polsgrove's Liberty record from the 2019 ECAC Championship by three points and win the competition by 227 points over teammate Patasha Bryan.
Backing up her pair of veteran teammates, Paige Greenhagel opened her sophomore campaign with a personal-best 3,230 points for 10th place.
Bueno recorded the women's weight throw's top four marks, including a 63-6.75 toss in round six. That enabled her to take home the Liberty Kickoff title for the third year in a row.
Freshman Bethany Tate added an eighth-place weight throw finish, reaching 46-2 in her collegiate debut.
Rebecca Allen finished third in the women's long jump with an 18-7 leap.
Sarah Gassman and Emory Pafford each cleared 11-3.75 to share third place in Section B of the women's pole vault.
Men's Day 1 Recap
Christian Hicks (third place) led three Liberty finishers among the top seven in the night's final event, the men's weight throw. Hicks climbed to No. 7 on Liberty's all-time list with a personal-best mark of 63-3.5. He was followed by freshmen Kellen Kimes (fifth, 59-5.75) and Trevor Veenstra (seventh, 53-11.25).
Gabriel Willis wrapped up day one of the heptathlon by winning the high jump at 6-8. That propelled him into fourth place in the Group A standings with 2,956 points through four events.
Women's Day 1 Event Winners
Paola Bueno – Weight Throw – 63-6.75
Meredith Engle – Pentathlon – 3,989
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 3,989
Previous Record: 3,986 by Kylie Polsgrove at the 2019 ECAC Championship
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Pentathlon – No. 1 – Meredith Engle – 3,989
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Weight Throw – No. 7 – Christian Hicks – 63-3.5
Up Next
The Liberty Kickoff will wrap up on Friday. The day's first event will be the Group B heptathlon 60 hurdles, set for a 9 a.m. start.
Thursday's events opened the ninth season of competition at the newly remodeled Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Appropriately, longtime Liberty head coach Tolsma spent much of his 75th birthday taking in the action at the track named in his honor.
Women's Day 1 Recap
Engle showed no signs of rust during her first meet back after an injury halted her 2023-24 campaign in February. She recorded the pentathlon's top marks in the high jump (5-7) and shot put (personal-best 43-4.5) before gutting out a 2:20.93 800 to close things out. That enabled her to edge Kylie Polsgrove's Liberty record from the 2019 ECAC Championship by three points and win the competition by 227 points over teammate Patasha Bryan.
Backing up her pair of veteran teammates, Paige Greenhagel opened her sophomore campaign with a personal-best 3,230 points for 10th place.
Bueno recorded the women's weight throw's top four marks, including a 63-6.75 toss in round six. That enabled her to take home the Liberty Kickoff title for the third year in a row.
Freshman Bethany Tate added an eighth-place weight throw finish, reaching 46-2 in her collegiate debut.
Rebecca Allen finished third in the women's long jump with an 18-7 leap.
Sarah Gassman and Emory Pafford each cleared 11-3.75 to share third place in Section B of the women's pole vault.
Men's Day 1 Recap
Christian Hicks (third place) led three Liberty finishers among the top seven in the night's final event, the men's weight throw. Hicks climbed to No. 7 on Liberty's all-time list with a personal-best mark of 63-3.5. He was followed by freshmen Kellen Kimes (fifth, 59-5.75) and Trevor Veenstra (seventh, 53-11.25).
Gabriel Willis wrapped up day one of the heptathlon by winning the high jump at 6-8. That propelled him into fourth place in the Group A standings with 2,956 points through four events.
Women's Day 1 Event Winners
Paola Bueno – Weight Throw – 63-6.75
Meredith Engle – Pentathlon – 3,989
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 3,989
Previous Record: 3,986 by Kylie Polsgrove at the 2019 ECAC Championship
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Pentathlon – No. 1 – Meredith Engle – 3,989
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Weight Throw – No. 7 – Christian Hicks – 63-3.5
Up Next
The Liberty Kickoff will wrap up on Friday. The day's first event will be the Group B heptathlon 60 hurdles, set for a 9 a.m. start.
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Hammer
/ Track and Field
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
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