Friday, May 10
El Paso, Texas
11:30 AM ET/9:30 AM MT
Liberty University
at
Conference USA Outdoor Track Championships
CUSA men's javelin champion Ben Shughart
Liberty Throwers Stand Out on CUSA Day 1 in El Paso
5/11/2024 12:51:00 AM | Track and Field
EL PASO, Texas – Liberty's throwers continued their impressive season on the opening day of the Conference USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Friday at UTEP's Kidd Field. They accounted for two of the Flames' three event victories (Ben Shughart – men's javelin and Warren Barrett – men's shot put) and the team's first program record of the meet (Addilae Watts' 161-8 women's javelin).
Nicholas Kiprotich punctuated the day with a triumph in the men's 10K, helping the Flames move into second place through five of 21 men's events. Liberty has totaled 42 points, trailing only Sam Houston's 48.
On the women's side, the Lady Flames sit in third place with 27 points through four of 21 disciplines. Defending WAC champion New Mexico State leads with a score of 35 while Middle Tennessee State sits second with 28.
Men's Day 1 Recap
Shughart claimed Liberty's first-ever individual title at this meet and did so in dominating fashion. His very first javelin attempt sailed all the way to 224-6, more than 40 feet past the top mark of runner-up Devon Rogers from WKU (184-0).
Competing in just his second meet of the season, Cole Peterlin added a sixth-place javelin finish with a season-best 153-10 toss.
All-American Barrett recorded the four longest throws of the men's shot put competition, including his winning effort of 58-3 in round five. His victory came by more than two feet as Barrett completed a sweep of this year's CUSA indoor and outdoor men's shot put crowns. He is the first Flame since Ryan Smith (2013 Big South) to claim indoor and outdoor shot put conference titles during the same year.
Kiprotich's first career track & field all-conference medal is a gold one. He broke away from the duo of Middle Tennessee's Vincent Yegon and UTEP's Titus Cheruiyot about 6K in and ended up posting a 20-second victory with his 31:31.77 clocking.
Jacob Hess followed in fourth place, crossing the finish line in 32:28.99.
Hunter Flack gave the Flames some team points in one of Sam Houston's best events, the men's pole vault. He cleared 15-4.25 to place fifth.
The biggest fireworks among Friday's running event prelims came in the men's 100. Aided by the warm weather, gusty tailwinds and the El Paso altitude (nearly 4,000 feet above sea level), runners were flying down the Kidd Field track. Omari Lewis won his heat in 10.10 (+3.8 m/s tailwind), while fellow Trinidad and Tobago native Revell Webster sped to a personal-best and Liberty freshman record 10.26 (+3.6 m/s) clocking. However, Webster did not qualify for the final, as it took a time of 10.22 or faster to advance to Sunday.
Webster's consolation prize was a new Liberty freshman record and the No. 5 spot on the Flames' all-time men's 100 list. He shattered the previous freshman standard of 10.50 set by Jeremy Wagner in 1999.
Anthony Bryan's 3,457 points through Friday's five decathlon events have him in second place. His best event of the day was the shot put, which Bryan won with a mark of 43-5.75 (his best ever within a decathlon competition). He also placed second in the 100 (10.93) and third in the 400 (52.18).
Women's Day 1 Recap
Watts enjoyed an impressive women's javelin series, with each of her last five attempts measuring 154-10 or longer. The first-year Lady Flames' fourth throw poked the ground at 161-8, one inch past the previous Liberty record of 161-7 set by Brenna Smith at Duke on April 21, 2018.
Watts, who had won the Horizon League javelin title as a Youngstown State freshman a year ago, ended up third in Friday's competition. Teammate Kali Grayson chipped in a fifth-place showing with a 147-10 heave.
The Lady Flames also had two scorers in the women's shot put, thanks to Megan Mann (second place, 48-9) and Efe Latham (sixth, 44-8). Mann matched her runner-up finish from the CUSA indoor championship and ends up as a five-time all-conference shot putter for her collegiate career.
After needing only one attempt to win the CUSA indoor women's long jump title in February, Makenzy Mizera had to work a lot harder on Friday. After entering finals in eighth place, the sixth-year senior pulled out a clutch 19-6.25 effort in round five to catapult to fourth in the final standings.
Fellow sixth-year senior Jamie Anderson tallied the Lady Flames' final point of the night. She ran a 42:54.35 10K for eighth place, marking the third time she has scored team points in a conference 10K final during her career.
In her first race since helping Trinidad and Tobago's women's 4 x 100 relay team qualify for the Paris Olympics on Sunday, Reese Webster won her heat of the women's 100 in a personal-best 11.24 (+4.4 m/s tailwind). She just missed Isis Brooks' program record of 11.23 from the 2023 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round.
Patasha Bryan sits in second place in the heptathlon standings after recording her best-ever day one score (3,207 points). She bookended her day with personal bests in both running events, clocking 14.24 in the 100 hurdles and 25.31 in the 200. Bryan also won the heptathlon shot put with a mark of 40-10.25 which just missed Meredith Engle's Liberty record for the event (40-11.75), set at last year's ASUN Championship.
Freshman Paige Greenhagel scored 2,872 points for a current fifth-place standing. After high jumping a season-best 5-4.5, she closed out her day with back-to-back PRs (33-5.25 shot put and 25.83 200).
Men's Team Scores (Through 5 of 21 Events)
1) Sam Houston – 48
2) Liberty – 42
3) UTEP – 31
4) Louisiana Tech – 21
5) WKU – 19
6) FIU – 15
7) Middle Tennessee – 8
Women's Team Scores (Through 4 of 21 Events)
1) New Mexico State – 35
2) Middle Tennessee – 28
3) Liberty – 27
4) UTEP – 25
5) FIU – 23
6) Louisiana Tech – 9
7) Sam Houston – 8
8) Jacksonville State – 1
Men's Day 1 CUSA Champions
Warren Barrett – Shot Put – 58-3
Nicholas Kiprotich – 10K – 31:31.77
Ben Shughart – Javelin – 224-6
Women's Day 1 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Megan Mann – Shot Put – 48-9
3rd – Addilae Watts – Javelin – 161-8
Men's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – 100 – Revell Webster – 10.26
Previous Record: 10.50 by Jeremy Wagner on May 15, 1999
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Program Record – Javelin – Addilae Watts – 161-8
Previous Record: 161-7 by Brenna Smith at Duke on April 21, 2018
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 5 – 100 – Revell Webster – 10.26
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 1 – Javelin – Addilae Watts – 161-8
No. 2 – 100 – Reese Webster – 11.24
No. 2 – Heptathlon Shot Put – Patasha Bryan – 40-10.25
No. 5 – Heptathlon 200 – Patasha Bryan – 25.31
Up Next
Saturday's action at the CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will commence with the decathlon 110 hurdles at 11 a.m. Eastern. Live coverage on ESPN+ will begin at 8 p.m.
Nicholas Kiprotich punctuated the day with a triumph in the men's 10K, helping the Flames move into second place through five of 21 men's events. Liberty has totaled 42 points, trailing only Sam Houston's 48.
On the women's side, the Lady Flames sit in third place with 27 points through four of 21 disciplines. Defending WAC champion New Mexico State leads with a score of 35 while Middle Tennessee State sits second with 28.
Men's Day 1 Recap
Shughart claimed Liberty's first-ever individual title at this meet and did so in dominating fashion. His very first javelin attempt sailed all the way to 224-6, more than 40 feet past the top mark of runner-up Devon Rogers from WKU (184-0).
Competing in just his second meet of the season, Cole Peterlin added a sixth-place javelin finish with a season-best 153-10 toss.
All-American Barrett recorded the four longest throws of the men's shot put competition, including his winning effort of 58-3 in round five. His victory came by more than two feet as Barrett completed a sweep of this year's CUSA indoor and outdoor men's shot put crowns. He is the first Flame since Ryan Smith (2013 Big South) to claim indoor and outdoor shot put conference titles during the same year.
Kiprotich's first career track & field all-conference medal is a gold one. He broke away from the duo of Middle Tennessee's Vincent Yegon and UTEP's Titus Cheruiyot about 6K in and ended up posting a 20-second victory with his 31:31.77 clocking.
Jacob Hess followed in fourth place, crossing the finish line in 32:28.99.
Hunter Flack gave the Flames some team points in one of Sam Houston's best events, the men's pole vault. He cleared 15-4.25 to place fifth.
The biggest fireworks among Friday's running event prelims came in the men's 100. Aided by the warm weather, gusty tailwinds and the El Paso altitude (nearly 4,000 feet above sea level), runners were flying down the Kidd Field track. Omari Lewis won his heat in 10.10 (+3.8 m/s tailwind), while fellow Trinidad and Tobago native Revell Webster sped to a personal-best and Liberty freshman record 10.26 (+3.6 m/s) clocking. However, Webster did not qualify for the final, as it took a time of 10.22 or faster to advance to Sunday.
Webster's consolation prize was a new Liberty freshman record and the No. 5 spot on the Flames' all-time men's 100 list. He shattered the previous freshman standard of 10.50 set by Jeremy Wagner in 1999.
Anthony Bryan's 3,457 points through Friday's five decathlon events have him in second place. His best event of the day was the shot put, which Bryan won with a mark of 43-5.75 (his best ever within a decathlon competition). He also placed second in the 100 (10.93) and third in the 400 (52.18).
Women's Day 1 Recap
Watts enjoyed an impressive women's javelin series, with each of her last five attempts measuring 154-10 or longer. The first-year Lady Flames' fourth throw poked the ground at 161-8, one inch past the previous Liberty record of 161-7 set by Brenna Smith at Duke on April 21, 2018.
Watts, who had won the Horizon League javelin title as a Youngstown State freshman a year ago, ended up third in Friday's competition. Teammate Kali Grayson chipped in a fifth-place showing with a 147-10 heave.
The Lady Flames also had two scorers in the women's shot put, thanks to Megan Mann (second place, 48-9) and Efe Latham (sixth, 44-8). Mann matched her runner-up finish from the CUSA indoor championship and ends up as a five-time all-conference shot putter for her collegiate career.
After needing only one attempt to win the CUSA indoor women's long jump title in February, Makenzy Mizera had to work a lot harder on Friday. After entering finals in eighth place, the sixth-year senior pulled out a clutch 19-6.25 effort in round five to catapult to fourth in the final standings.
Fellow sixth-year senior Jamie Anderson tallied the Lady Flames' final point of the night. She ran a 42:54.35 10K for eighth place, marking the third time she has scored team points in a conference 10K final during her career.
In her first race since helping Trinidad and Tobago's women's 4 x 100 relay team qualify for the Paris Olympics on Sunday, Reese Webster won her heat of the women's 100 in a personal-best 11.24 (+4.4 m/s tailwind). She just missed Isis Brooks' program record of 11.23 from the 2023 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round.
Patasha Bryan sits in second place in the heptathlon standings after recording her best-ever day one score (3,207 points). She bookended her day with personal bests in both running events, clocking 14.24 in the 100 hurdles and 25.31 in the 200. Bryan also won the heptathlon shot put with a mark of 40-10.25 which just missed Meredith Engle's Liberty record for the event (40-11.75), set at last year's ASUN Championship.
Freshman Paige Greenhagel scored 2,872 points for a current fifth-place standing. After high jumping a season-best 5-4.5, she closed out her day with back-to-back PRs (33-5.25 shot put and 25.83 200).
Men's Team Scores (Through 5 of 21 Events)
1) Sam Houston – 48
2) Liberty – 42
3) UTEP – 31
4) Louisiana Tech – 21
5) WKU – 19
6) FIU – 15
7) Middle Tennessee – 8
Women's Team Scores (Through 4 of 21 Events)
1) New Mexico State – 35
2) Middle Tennessee – 28
3) Liberty – 27
4) UTEP – 25
5) FIU – 23
6) Louisiana Tech – 9
7) Sam Houston – 8
8) Jacksonville State – 1
Men's Day 1 CUSA Champions
Warren Barrett – Shot Put – 58-3
Nicholas Kiprotich – 10K – 31:31.77
Ben Shughart – Javelin – 224-6
Women's Day 1 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Megan Mann – Shot Put – 48-9
3rd – Addilae Watts – Javelin – 161-8
Men's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – 100 – Revell Webster – 10.26
Previous Record: 10.50 by Jeremy Wagner on May 15, 1999
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Program Record – Javelin – Addilae Watts – 161-8
Previous Record: 161-7 by Brenna Smith at Duke on April 21, 2018
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 5 – 100 – Revell Webster – 10.26
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 1 – Javelin – Addilae Watts – 161-8
No. 2 – 100 – Reese Webster – 11.24
No. 2 – Heptathlon Shot Put – Patasha Bryan – 40-10.25
No. 5 – Heptathlon 200 – Patasha Bryan – 25.31
Up Next
Saturday's action at the CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will commence with the decathlon 110 hurdles at 11 a.m. Eastern. Live coverage on ESPN+ will begin at 8 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Distance
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Throws
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Sprints
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Decathlon
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Heptathlon
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Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
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Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
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Javelin
/ Track and Field
Javelin
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Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints
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