Saturday, May 11
El Paso, Texas
11:00 AM ET/9:00 AM MT
Liberty University
at
Conference USA Outdoor Track Championships
CUSA heptathlon champion Patasha Bryan
Flames Enjoy 5-Win Saturday in El Paso
5/12/2024 1:03:00 AM | Track and Field
EL PASO, Texas – Liberty won five of the eight events contested on Saturday, the second day of the 2024 Conference USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at UTEP's Kidd Field. The Flames' conference champions included siblings Patasha (heptathlon) and Anthony Bryan (decathlon), John Hicks (men's hammer), Paola Bueno (women's hammer) and Calli Doan (women's steeplechase).
The Lady Flames, who entered the day in third place, now own a commanding 35.5-point lead (93.5-58) over second-place FIU atop the women's team standings. Eight of 21 women's events have been completed thus far.
Meanwhile, Sam Houston owns a slim 85-84 edge over second-place Liberty on the men's team ledger with nine of 21 men's events in the books.
Women's Day 2 Recap
The Lady Flames closed out their successful day with an exclamation point, racking up 25 points in the women's steeplechase. All four of their entrants finished among the scorers, including event champion Calli Doan (10:56.69), runner-up Katrina Schlenker (personal-best 11:09.32), fifth-place Sophia Park (11:58.73) and sixth-place Kristiana Young (12:01.78).
Doan becomes a three-time conference steeplechase champion, also including her ASUN crowns in 2021 and 2023. Meanwhile, the second steeplechase of Schlenker's career saw her cut 22 seconds off her personal best and join the program's all-time top 10 at No. 8.
Liberty collected another 18 points in the women's hammer from the trio of CUSA champion Paola Bueno (208-7), fourth-place Megan Mann (personal-best 194-9) and sixth-place Annika Hantho (186-6).
Bueno recorded the two longest throws of her collegiate career, a 208-7 effort in round two and a 208-3 mark on her sixth and final attempt. Just before Bueno unleashed that 208-3 effort, Mann came up with a clutch 194-9 performance in round six. Not only did it leapfrog New Mexico State's Miranda Tcheutchoua for fourth place, but it also secured Mann's first NCAA Division I East First Rounds qualification.
Trailing FIU's Fabiola Declet by 150 points with two heptathlon events remaining, Patasha Bryan was able to come from behind and win with a season-best score of 5,371. She unleashed her best-ever javelin mark within a heptathlon competition (133-1) to close the gap to 26 points. Bryan then ran a season-best 2:17.10 800 to defeat Declet by more than eight seconds and clinch the overall victory.
Freshman Paige Greenhagel came in fifth after scoring 4,571 points over the two-day competition. That added nearly 250 points to her previous best entering the week.
All three Liberty women's pole vaulters contributed points to the Lady Flames' team total, including Katie Urbine (fourth place, 13-0.25), Mia Bowers (fifth, 12-6.25) and Colleen Schaner (tie for eighth, 12-6.25). The highest outdoor clearance of Schaner's career came on her third attempt and moved her up to No. 7 all-time for the Lady Flames.
During Saturday's running event prelims, Katelyn Locker posted the fastest women's 800 time (2:12.98) while Indea Cartwright (women's 400 hurdles – 1:03.14) and Reese Webster (women's 200 – 23.36) each qualified for their second event final in as many days.
Men's Day 2 Recap
Hicks (first place, 215-11), Kellen Kimes (third, 198-6) and Desmond Coleman (fourth, 196-6) hauled in 21 team points during the men's hammer. Hicks becomes Liberty's first three-time men's hammer conference champion (also 2021 ASUN and 2022 ASUN).
Liberty has now won the first three men's throwing events contested at this meet, following Friday's victories by Ben Shughart (men's javelin) and Warren Barrett (men's shot put).
About an hour after his sister won gold in the heptathlon, Anthony Bryan wrapped up his second career conference decathlon crown (also 2022 ASUN) with a score of 6,533.
UTEP's Jalen Cadet led Bryan by 515 points after day one. But a string of solid performances by Bryan (14.67 110 hurdles, 115-11 discus, 14-8.25 pole vault and a 156-11 javelin) combined with a disastrous 19-11 mark by Cadet in the discus had Bryan on top by 300 points heading to the 1,500. As a result, he was able to cruise to victory.
Freshman Samuel O'Regan finished seventh with a personal-best 5,697 points. His biggest highlight on Saturday was a personal-best 13-8.5 pole vault clearance.
Two more freshmen tallied points on Saturday, as Gavin Sweeney (10:14.72) and Sean Aiken (10:24.11) finished 4-5 in the men's steeplechase under the Kidd Field lights.
The Flames successfully qualified six of seven athletes to Sunday's finals between the men's 800, 400 hurdles and 200 prelims. Both Omari Lewis (men's 200 – 20.85) and Luke Anderson (men's 400 hurdles – 55.94) advanced in a second event.
Women's Team Scores (Through 8 of 21 Events)
1) Liberty – 93.5
2) FIU – 58
3) New Mexico State – 47
4) UTEP – 41
5) Middle Tennessee – 29
6) WKU – 17
7) Louisiana Tech – 12
8) Sam Houston – 10
9) Jacksonville State – 4
Men's Team Scores (Through 9 of 21 Events)
1) Sam Houston – 85
2) Liberty – 84
3) UTEP – 63
4) Middle Tennessee – 35
5) WKU – 30
6) Louisiana Tech – 22
7) FIU – 21
Women's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Patasha Bryan – Heptathlon – 5,371
Paola Bueno – Hammer – 208-7
Calli Doan – Steeplechase – 10:56.69
Men's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Anthony Bryan – Decathlon – 6,533
John Hicks – Hammer – 215-11
Other Women's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Katrina Schlenker – Steeplechase – 11:09.32
Other Men's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
3rd – Kellen Kimes – Hammer – 198-6
New Women's NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round Qualifiers
Megan Mann – Hammer – 194-9
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 4 – Heptathlon Javelin – Patasha Bryan – 133-1
No. 7 – Pole Vault – Colleen Schaner – 12-6.25
No. 8 – Hammer – Megan Mann – 194-9
No. 8 – Steeplechase – Katrina Schlenker – 11:09.32
Up Next
The 2024 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will conclude on Sunday. The men's discus will begin the day at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, and things will wrap up with the women's 4 x 400 relay at 11 p.m. Eastern. ESPN+'s live coverage of the meet will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
The Lady Flames, who entered the day in third place, now own a commanding 35.5-point lead (93.5-58) over second-place FIU atop the women's team standings. Eight of 21 women's events have been completed thus far.
Meanwhile, Sam Houston owns a slim 85-84 edge over second-place Liberty on the men's team ledger with nine of 21 men's events in the books.
Women's Day 2 Recap
The Lady Flames closed out their successful day with an exclamation point, racking up 25 points in the women's steeplechase. All four of their entrants finished among the scorers, including event champion Calli Doan (10:56.69), runner-up Katrina Schlenker (personal-best 11:09.32), fifth-place Sophia Park (11:58.73) and sixth-place Kristiana Young (12:01.78).
Doan becomes a three-time conference steeplechase champion, also including her ASUN crowns in 2021 and 2023. Meanwhile, the second steeplechase of Schlenker's career saw her cut 22 seconds off her personal best and join the program's all-time top 10 at No. 8.
Liberty collected another 18 points in the women's hammer from the trio of CUSA champion Paola Bueno (208-7), fourth-place Megan Mann (personal-best 194-9) and sixth-place Annika Hantho (186-6).
Bueno recorded the two longest throws of her collegiate career, a 208-7 effort in round two and a 208-3 mark on her sixth and final attempt. Just before Bueno unleashed that 208-3 effort, Mann came up with a clutch 194-9 performance in round six. Not only did it leapfrog New Mexico State's Miranda Tcheutchoua for fourth place, but it also secured Mann's first NCAA Division I East First Rounds qualification.
Trailing FIU's Fabiola Declet by 150 points with two heptathlon events remaining, Patasha Bryan was able to come from behind and win with a season-best score of 5,371. She unleashed her best-ever javelin mark within a heptathlon competition (133-1) to close the gap to 26 points. Bryan then ran a season-best 2:17.10 800 to defeat Declet by more than eight seconds and clinch the overall victory.
Freshman Paige Greenhagel came in fifth after scoring 4,571 points over the two-day competition. That added nearly 250 points to her previous best entering the week.
All three Liberty women's pole vaulters contributed points to the Lady Flames' team total, including Katie Urbine (fourth place, 13-0.25), Mia Bowers (fifth, 12-6.25) and Colleen Schaner (tie for eighth, 12-6.25). The highest outdoor clearance of Schaner's career came on her third attempt and moved her up to No. 7 all-time for the Lady Flames.
During Saturday's running event prelims, Katelyn Locker posted the fastest women's 800 time (2:12.98) while Indea Cartwright (women's 400 hurdles – 1:03.14) and Reese Webster (women's 200 – 23.36) each qualified for their second event final in as many days.
Men's Day 2 Recap
Hicks (first place, 215-11), Kellen Kimes (third, 198-6) and Desmond Coleman (fourth, 196-6) hauled in 21 team points during the men's hammer. Hicks becomes Liberty's first three-time men's hammer conference champion (also 2021 ASUN and 2022 ASUN).
Liberty has now won the first three men's throwing events contested at this meet, following Friday's victories by Ben Shughart (men's javelin) and Warren Barrett (men's shot put).
About an hour after his sister won gold in the heptathlon, Anthony Bryan wrapped up his second career conference decathlon crown (also 2022 ASUN) with a score of 6,533.
UTEP's Jalen Cadet led Bryan by 515 points after day one. But a string of solid performances by Bryan (14.67 110 hurdles, 115-11 discus, 14-8.25 pole vault and a 156-11 javelin) combined with a disastrous 19-11 mark by Cadet in the discus had Bryan on top by 300 points heading to the 1,500. As a result, he was able to cruise to victory.
Freshman Samuel O'Regan finished seventh with a personal-best 5,697 points. His biggest highlight on Saturday was a personal-best 13-8.5 pole vault clearance.
Two more freshmen tallied points on Saturday, as Gavin Sweeney (10:14.72) and Sean Aiken (10:24.11) finished 4-5 in the men's steeplechase under the Kidd Field lights.
The Flames successfully qualified six of seven athletes to Sunday's finals between the men's 800, 400 hurdles and 200 prelims. Both Omari Lewis (men's 200 – 20.85) and Luke Anderson (men's 400 hurdles – 55.94) advanced in a second event.
Women's Team Scores (Through 8 of 21 Events)
1) Liberty – 93.5
2) FIU – 58
3) New Mexico State – 47
4) UTEP – 41
5) Middle Tennessee – 29
6) WKU – 17
7) Louisiana Tech – 12
8) Sam Houston – 10
9) Jacksonville State – 4
Men's Team Scores (Through 9 of 21 Events)
1) Sam Houston – 85
2) Liberty – 84
3) UTEP – 63
4) Middle Tennessee – 35
5) WKU – 30
6) Louisiana Tech – 22
7) FIU – 21
Women's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Patasha Bryan – Heptathlon – 5,371
Paola Bueno – Hammer – 208-7
Calli Doan – Steeplechase – 10:56.69
Men's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Anthony Bryan – Decathlon – 6,533
John Hicks – Hammer – 215-11
Other Women's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Katrina Schlenker – Steeplechase – 11:09.32
Other Men's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
3rd – Kellen Kimes – Hammer – 198-6
New Women's NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round Qualifiers
Megan Mann – Hammer – 194-9
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 4 – Heptathlon Javelin – Patasha Bryan – 133-1
No. 7 – Pole Vault – Colleen Schaner – 12-6.25
No. 8 – Hammer – Megan Mann – 194-9
No. 8 – Steeplechase – Katrina Schlenker – 11:09.32
Up Next
The 2024 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will conclude on Sunday. The men's discus will begin the day at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, and things will wrap up with the women's 4 x 400 relay at 11 p.m. Eastern. ESPN+'s live coverage of the meet will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
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Distance
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Pole Vault
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Heptathlon
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Hammer
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Hurdles
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Distance
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Heptathlon
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Throws
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Throws
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Mid-Distance
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Distance
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