Friday, February 14
Lynchburg, Va.
1:40 PM ET
Liberty University
vs
Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational
Kyle Harkabus is the defending men's 3K champion at the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational.
11th Annual Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational Slated for Friday and Saturday
2/12/2025 11:23:00 AM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty is preparing for a yearly highlight of its indoor track & field season, with the 11th annual Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Meanwhile, women's distance standouts Adelyn Fairley and Allie Zealand will travel to Boston to race at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Saturday.
Featuring more than 1,500 athletes from 42 different colleges and universities, the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational will get started Friday at 1:40 p.m. with the men's 60 dash prelims.
Saturday's schedule will begin bright and early at 8:30 a.m. with the open section of the women's high jump. A recognition of Dixon's life will take place at 12:05 p.m.
In Boston, Zealand is scheduled to run the mile while Fairley will contest the 5K. The first of 28 heats of the women's mile is scheduled for 1:45 p.m., while the first of eight 5K sections will go off at 6:30 p.m.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Admission is free of charge for the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational.
For the third year in a row, the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational will be televised on ESPN+. The live TV windows include Friday from 5:30-9 p.m. and Saturday from noon-4 p.m.
Meanwhile, the David Hemery Valentine Invitational races will air on FloTrack.
Live results will be available for both meets, courtesy of Blue Ridge Timing (Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational) and Lancer Timing (David Hemery Valentine Invitational).
Remembering Darius
Darius Dixon, a promising freshman sprinter from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Va., opened his Liberty track & field career by competing in the 200 and 400-meter dash events at the Liberty Kickoff on Dec. 5, 2013. Two days later, he was tragically killed in a car accident at the age of 18.
In his memory, Liberty will hold a Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational meet for the 11th straight year. The inaugural Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational was contested on Dec. 3-4, 2014 at the Tolsma Indoor Track Center.
A New Look for Year 9
The Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex, which opened its doors in January 2017, is in the midst of its ninth season of competition. During the offseason, a new track surface and tuned runways were installed at the facility.
The 11th annual Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational will mark the fourth of five college meets the Flames host this season, with the CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships (Feb. 28-March 1) still to come.
Defending Champions
Four Liberty athletes will attempt to defend their titles from the 2024 Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational this week.
Kyle Harkabus – Men's 3K
Paola Bueno – Women's Weight Throw
Indea Cartwright – Women's 60 Hurdles
Reese Webster – Women's 60
Additionally, Liberty returns three members from its winning women's 4 x 400 relay squad from a year ago in Webster, Patasha Bryan and Maddy Merritt.
Strength in Numbers
Twelve different Liberty athletes have earned CUSA weekly recognition so far this season.
Men's Track Athlete of the Week – Isaiah Idore
Men's Field Athlete of the Week – Todd Benhase, Kellen Kimes, Joshua Smith and Gabriel Willis
Men's Freshman of the Week – Dale Hall, Jack Holub, Kellen Kimes and Elijah Sherard
Women's Field Athlete of the Week – Mia Bowers
Women's Freshman of the Week – Rachel Hill, Indiah Maroney and Allie Zealand
All of the award winners are entered in the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational except Zealand, who will compete at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
Record Watch
Distance records are broken frequently at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center, and several Liberty records will be on watch Saturday.
Allie Zealand has broken four records in four races to begin her collegiate track career, including the program and freshman records in the 3K (9:07.33), the freshman record in the 1,000 (2:45.63) and the program record in the distance medley relay (11:21.25).
Now Zealand will prepare to race the mile for the first time as a Lady Flame. Calli Doan set the Liberty record of 4:36.52 at the 2023 David Hemery Valentine Invitational, one day before Jessica Palisca ran a Liberty freshman-record 4:49.71 at the 2023 Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational.
Fairley clocked an indoor personal-best 15:58.74 5K on this same track in December. The only Lady Flame ever to run faster was All-American Ednah Kurgat (15:47.89 at the 2016 Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash.)
Conference USA Contenders
Liberty's second season as a Conference USA member will culminate with the 2025 CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Feb. 28-March 1 at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Two weeks out from the conference meet, Liberty currently ranks No. 1 in the following events:
Women's 3K – Allie Zealand – 9:07.33
Women's 5K – Adelyn Fairley – 15:58.74
Women's DMR – Goodyear, Bryan, Palisca, Zealand – 11:21.25
Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 4,131
Men's Weight Throw – Kellen Kimes – 70-5.75
Heptathlon – Gabriel Willis – 5,224
Among the Nation's Elite
At season's end, the nation's top 16 performers in each event will qualify to the 2025 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. The meet is scheduled for March 14-15 in Virginia Beach, Va.
The following Flames currently rank among the top 16 in their respective events:
No. 16 – Meredith Engle – Pentathlon – 4,131
Up Next
The Flames will prepare to host the CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships for the second year in a row. The meet is scheduled for Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Both days' events will be televised on ESPN+.
Featuring more than 1,500 athletes from 42 different colleges and universities, the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational will get started Friday at 1:40 p.m. with the men's 60 dash prelims.
Saturday's schedule will begin bright and early at 8:30 a.m. with the open section of the women's high jump. A recognition of Dixon's life will take place at 12:05 p.m.
In Boston, Zealand is scheduled to run the mile while Fairley will contest the 5K. The first of 28 heats of the women's mile is scheduled for 1:45 p.m., while the first of eight 5K sections will go off at 6:30 p.m.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Admission is free of charge for the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational.
For the third year in a row, the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational will be televised on ESPN+. The live TV windows include Friday from 5:30-9 p.m. and Saturday from noon-4 p.m.
Meanwhile, the David Hemery Valentine Invitational races will air on FloTrack.
Live results will be available for both meets, courtesy of Blue Ridge Timing (Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational) and Lancer Timing (David Hemery Valentine Invitational).
Remembering Darius
Darius Dixon, a promising freshman sprinter from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Va., opened his Liberty track & field career by competing in the 200 and 400-meter dash events at the Liberty Kickoff on Dec. 5, 2013. Two days later, he was tragically killed in a car accident at the age of 18.
In his memory, Liberty will hold a Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational meet for the 11th straight year. The inaugural Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational was contested on Dec. 3-4, 2014 at the Tolsma Indoor Track Center.
A New Look for Year 9
The Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex, which opened its doors in January 2017, is in the midst of its ninth season of competition. During the offseason, a new track surface and tuned runways were installed at the facility.
The 11th annual Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational will mark the fourth of five college meets the Flames host this season, with the CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships (Feb. 28-March 1) still to come.
Defending Champions
Four Liberty athletes will attempt to defend their titles from the 2024 Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational this week.
Kyle Harkabus – Men's 3K
Paola Bueno – Women's Weight Throw
Indea Cartwright – Women's 60 Hurdles
Reese Webster – Women's 60
Additionally, Liberty returns three members from its winning women's 4 x 400 relay squad from a year ago in Webster, Patasha Bryan and Maddy Merritt.
Strength in Numbers
Twelve different Liberty athletes have earned CUSA weekly recognition so far this season.
Men's Track Athlete of the Week – Isaiah Idore
Men's Field Athlete of the Week – Todd Benhase, Kellen Kimes, Joshua Smith and Gabriel Willis
Men's Freshman of the Week – Dale Hall, Jack Holub, Kellen Kimes and Elijah Sherard
Women's Field Athlete of the Week – Mia Bowers
Women's Freshman of the Week – Rachel Hill, Indiah Maroney and Allie Zealand
All of the award winners are entered in the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational except Zealand, who will compete at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
Record Watch
Distance records are broken frequently at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center, and several Liberty records will be on watch Saturday.
Allie Zealand has broken four records in four races to begin her collegiate track career, including the program and freshman records in the 3K (9:07.33), the freshman record in the 1,000 (2:45.63) and the program record in the distance medley relay (11:21.25).
Now Zealand will prepare to race the mile for the first time as a Lady Flame. Calli Doan set the Liberty record of 4:36.52 at the 2023 David Hemery Valentine Invitational, one day before Jessica Palisca ran a Liberty freshman-record 4:49.71 at the 2023 Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational.
Fairley clocked an indoor personal-best 15:58.74 5K on this same track in December. The only Lady Flame ever to run faster was All-American Ednah Kurgat (15:47.89 at the 2016 Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash.)
Conference USA Contenders
Liberty's second season as a Conference USA member will culminate with the 2025 CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Feb. 28-March 1 at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Two weeks out from the conference meet, Liberty currently ranks No. 1 in the following events:
Women's 3K – Allie Zealand – 9:07.33
Women's 5K – Adelyn Fairley – 15:58.74
Women's DMR – Goodyear, Bryan, Palisca, Zealand – 11:21.25
Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 4,131
Men's Weight Throw – Kellen Kimes – 70-5.75
Heptathlon – Gabriel Willis – 5,224
Among the Nation's Elite
At season's end, the nation's top 16 performers in each event will qualify to the 2025 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. The meet is scheduled for March 14-15 in Virginia Beach, Va.
The following Flames currently rank among the top 16 in their respective events:
No. 16 – Meredith Engle – Pentathlon – 4,131
Up Next
The Flames will prepare to host the CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships for the second year in a row. The meet is scheduled for Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Both days' events will be televised on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
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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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Heptathlon
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Distance
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Mid-distance
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Mid-distance
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Mid-distance
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Mid-distance
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Hurdles
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Throws
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Throws
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Sprints
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Mid-distance
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Sprints
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Jumps
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Sprints
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Decathlon
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Distance
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