
Liberty XC to Wrap Up Regular Season with Pair of Meets
10/15/2025 2:55:00 PM | Cross Country
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty men's and women's cross country squads will close out the regular-season portion of the 2025 schedule with a pair of competitions. Most of the team will head to Columbia, Mo., for the Pre-National Invitational, moved up one day to Friday due to weather. Meanwhile, the freshman trio of Caden Ellis, Eden Alexander and Gracelyn Laudermilch will take part in Saturday's Roanoke XC Invitational in Salem, Va.
Contested at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, site of the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, the Pre-National Invitational will get started with the women's 6K, Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern. The men's 8K will follow at 11:45 a.m. Eastern.
The Roanoke XC Invitational will take place at Green Hill Park on Saturday. The men's 8K is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and the women's 6K will go off at 11:30.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
The Pre-National Invitational will be televised on SEC Network Plus.
Live results will be available for both meets, courtesy of PrimeTime Timing (Pre-National Invitational) and SnapTiming (Roanoke XC Invitational).
Weather Report
Friday's forecast in Columbia calls for mostly cloudy skies and a high in the low 80s.
Saturday in Salem is expected to be mostly sunny with a high temperature in the upper 70s.
Speedy in South Bend
Liberty ran well at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 3, with the Lady Flames finishing fifth and the men's team coming in eighth.
Fast times were abundant, headlined by Allie Zealand's program-record 15:54.7 5K for second place. It shattered Calli Doan's record of 16:15.1 from the same meet in 2022 and served as the second-fastest clocking in the 38-year history of the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational.
Jessica Palisca (16:52.9) became just the sixth Lady Flame ever to clock a sub-17:00 5K in cross country, while Kate Loescher (17:12.7), Rachel Hill (17:13.3) and Mackenzie Babcock (17:18.8) all dipped under 17:30 for the first time.
On the men's side, Nicholas Kiprotich (23:39.6), Ethan Pedersen (23:43.6), Tristian Merchant (23:47.0) and Andrew Schultz (23:47.1) all broke 24 minutes for the 8K, with Pedersen and Schultz doing so for the first time in their careers.
Checking Out a New Course
Liberty will make its first-ever appearance at Missouri's Gans Creek Cross Country Course, which opened in 2019.
The Flames and Lady Flames hope to return to the course next month (Nov. 22), when it plays host to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships for the first time.
Looking Back
Liberty is returning to the Roanoke XC Invitational for the second year in a row. In 2024, the Lady Flames' "B" team took home the women's championship trophy.
Katrina Schlenker (third place), Rachel Hill (seventh), Emma Ervi (eighth) and Sophia Park (10th) all posted top-10 finishes for the Lady Flames. Schlenker, Hill and Park will be racing in Missouri this week.
Looking Ahead
Both the Liberty men's and women's squads figure to be challenged in their attempt to defend their CUSA team titles on Nov. 1.
The Flames currently sit No. 10 in the Southeast Region. Other regionally-ranked CUSA squads include Middle Tennessee (No. 3 in South), New Mexico State (No. 14 in Mountain) and Jacksonville State (No. 15 in South).
The Lady Flames are ranked No. 9 in the Southeast Region, joining fellow CUSA regionally-ranked members Kennesaw State (No. 11 in South), Delaware (No. 14 in Mid-Atlantic), New Mexico State (No. 14 in Mountain) and Jacksonville State (No. 15 in South).
Up Next
The Liberty men's and women's squads will attempt to defend their team titles at the CUSA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1. The meet will take place at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala., with the women's 6K slated for 10 a.m. Eastern and the men's 8K to follow at 11 a.m. Eastern.
Contested at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, site of the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, the Pre-National Invitational will get started with the women's 6K, Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern. The men's 8K will follow at 11:45 a.m. Eastern.
The Roanoke XC Invitational will take place at Green Hill Park on Saturday. The men's 8K is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and the women's 6K will go off at 11:30.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
The Pre-National Invitational will be televised on SEC Network Plus.
Live results will be available for both meets, courtesy of PrimeTime Timing (Pre-National Invitational) and SnapTiming (Roanoke XC Invitational).
Weather Report
Friday's forecast in Columbia calls for mostly cloudy skies and a high in the low 80s.
Saturday in Salem is expected to be mostly sunny with a high temperature in the upper 70s.
Speedy in South Bend
Liberty ran well at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 3, with the Lady Flames finishing fifth and the men's team coming in eighth.
Fast times were abundant, headlined by Allie Zealand's program-record 15:54.7 5K for second place. It shattered Calli Doan's record of 16:15.1 from the same meet in 2022 and served as the second-fastest clocking in the 38-year history of the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational.
Jessica Palisca (16:52.9) became just the sixth Lady Flame ever to clock a sub-17:00 5K in cross country, while Kate Loescher (17:12.7), Rachel Hill (17:13.3) and Mackenzie Babcock (17:18.8) all dipped under 17:30 for the first time.
On the men's side, Nicholas Kiprotich (23:39.6), Ethan Pedersen (23:43.6), Tristian Merchant (23:47.0) and Andrew Schultz (23:47.1) all broke 24 minutes for the 8K, with Pedersen and Schultz doing so for the first time in their careers.
Checking Out a New Course
Liberty will make its first-ever appearance at Missouri's Gans Creek Cross Country Course, which opened in 2019.
The Flames and Lady Flames hope to return to the course next month (Nov. 22), when it plays host to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships for the first time.
Looking Back
Liberty is returning to the Roanoke XC Invitational for the second year in a row. In 2024, the Lady Flames' "B" team took home the women's championship trophy.
Katrina Schlenker (third place), Rachel Hill (seventh), Emma Ervi (eighth) and Sophia Park (10th) all posted top-10 finishes for the Lady Flames. Schlenker, Hill and Park will be racing in Missouri this week.
Looking Ahead
Both the Liberty men's and women's squads figure to be challenged in their attempt to defend their CUSA team titles on Nov. 1.
The Flames currently sit No. 10 in the Southeast Region. Other regionally-ranked CUSA squads include Middle Tennessee (No. 3 in South), New Mexico State (No. 14 in Mountain) and Jacksonville State (No. 15 in South).
The Lady Flames are ranked No. 9 in the Southeast Region, joining fellow CUSA regionally-ranked members Kennesaw State (No. 11 in South), Delaware (No. 14 in Mid-Atlantic), New Mexico State (No. 14 in Mountain) and Jacksonville State (No. 15 in South).
Up Next
The Liberty men's and women's squads will attempt to defend their team titles at the CUSA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1. The meet will take place at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala., with the women's 6K slated for 10 a.m. Eastern and the men's 8K to follow at 11 a.m. Eastern.
Players Mentioned
Coach Zealand & Ryann Aycock Give An Update On The Cross Country Season
Wednesday, September 17
Emma Unger: Every Step of the Way
Wednesday, May 14
Follow the Leader: Lance Bingham
Tuesday, May 13
Beau Backes: Following God's Calling in Two Worlds
Friday, May 02