Friday, February 28
Lynchburg, Va.
10:00 AM ET
Liberty University
vs
Conference USA Indoor Track Championships
Patasha Bryan (left) was the pentathlon runner-up, while Meredith Engle (center) won the event with a Liberty and meet-record score of 4,196
Liberty Women Lead, Men 2nd Following CUSA Opening Day
2/28/2025 11:15:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty women's team leads and the men's squad sits in second place following an action-packed opening day of the 2025 CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Friday at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.
The defending champion Lady Flames won a pair of events, including Meredith Engle's record-breaking pentathlon effort (meet and program-record 4,196 points) and Adelyn Fairley's fourth career indoor 5K conference title (16:50.39). Liberty totaled 58 points through six events, putting the Lady Flames 13 points ahead of second-place FIU.
On the men's side, the Flames will have some catching up to do on Saturday if they hope to extend their indoor conference championship streak to 28. CUSA newcomer Kennesaw State outscored the Flames 53.5 to 34.5 during Friday's five men's disciplines. Kellen Kimes won the men's weight throw (68-7.75) in dominating fashion, while Omari Lewis (6.65) broke his own program record during the men's 60 prelims.
Liberty also set three additional records on the day, including a facility mark (Engle's 2:16.72 in the pentathlon 800) and two program freshman standards (Elijah Sherard's 47.49 400 and Todd Benhase's 16-6.75 pole vault).
Women's Day 1 Recap
Entering the day ranked No. 17 nationally in the pentathlon (one spot away from potentially qualifying to the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships), Engle needed to break the Liberty pentathlon record for the third time this season in order to improve her national standing.
Engle's winning score of 4,196 accomplished just that by 65 points, moving her up to No. 12 in the NCAA by day's end and giving her a shot to become Liberty's first-ever pentathlete to reach the NCAA Division I meet.
Engle won each of the last four pentathlon events, thanks to a season-best 5-7.25 high jump, a 44-7.5 shot put, an 18-8 long jump and a facility-record 2:16.72 to put an exclamation point on things in the 800.
Engle outdistanced her teammate and defending CUSA champion Patasha Bryan (3,900) in second place. Engle becomes the first Lady Flame ever to win three conference titles in the pentathlon, as she had previously claimed ASUN championships in 2022 and 2023.
Engle shattered the meet record of 4,004, co-held by a pair of Memphis Tigers (Charlotte Abrahamsen in 2008 and Xenia Rahn in 2013). Each of Engle's three pentathlons this season has resulted in a new Liberty record, including 3,989 points at the Liberty Kickoff, 4,131 points at the Penn State National Open in her home state of Pennsylvania and 4,196 tallies on Friday.
Fairley is also used to standing atop the podium after successfully defending her CUSA 5K crown from a year ago. She won the race in very similar fashion, blazing a 31.54-second last lap and taking the lead for good on the final straightaway before crossing the line in 16:50.39.
Fairley previously claimed back-to-back ASUN indoor 5K championships in 2021 and 2022.
Paola Bueno improved one spot from last season in the women's weight throw competition, earning a runner-up finish with a season-best 65-11.5 effort.
Mia Bowers equaled her personal-best pole vault clearance of 13-3.5 for third place. The senior bookended her career with podium finishes after finishing third in the ASUN indoor competition as a freshman in 2022.
The distance medley relay quartet of Kate Goodyear, Maddy Merritt, Jessica Palisca and Marie Hostetler brought Coach Heather Zealand one more smile to her face for her birthday during the night's final event. The same four runners had won this event in 2024 in what was then a program and facility-record time of 11:32.82. They ran six seconds faster on Friday (11:26.93) but had to settle for third place in a race where the top three squads all bettered the previous meet (11:30.59) and facility (11:32.82) standards.
Two Lady Flames made it through to Saturday's finals in two different events, including Reese Webster (60 and 200) and Allie Zealand (800 and mile).
Men's Day 1 Recap
Kimes (68-7.75) captured the men's weight throw title in dominating fashion, winning by five feet over runner-up Jase Hunter of Kennesaw State. The redshirt freshman becomes the first rookie to win this event at the CUSA meet since 2016 (Charlotte's Stevan Veselinovic).
Benhase's personal-best 16-6.75 pole vault clearance added 1.25 inches to his own Liberty freshman standard and tied him with Kennesaw State's Simon Seid for the event's runner-up position.
The Flames' final podium finish came in the distance medley relay, as Dale Hall, Revell Webster, Kyle Thrush and Kyle Harkabus clocked 10:10.71 for third place.
Due to injury, Lewis had not contested a 60-meter race all season prior to Friday. The defending CUSA champion showed no signs of rust, as his 6.65 effort was the fastest among the prelims and eclipsed Lewis' CUSA-winning time of 6.67 from 2024. Eddy Vu will join Lewis in the final after climbing to No. 2 on the Flames' all-time list at 6.70.
Sherard was the second fastest qualifier to the men's 400 final after his 47.49 clocking lopped more than a second off his own Liberty freshman standard of 48.53. Only three men in program history have run faster than Sherard's 47.49 on Friday, Alejandro Perlaza Zapata, Mike Decker and Stephen Racanelli.
Gabriel Willis totaled 3,058 points during day one of the heptathlon, giving him an 88-point cushion over second-place Matthew Jackson of Sam Houston. Willis started and ended his day with event victories, blazing a 7.03 60 and high jumping 6-7.5.
Willis is joined inside the current top five by teammates Daniel Van Duren (third, 2,834), Hunter Bleam (fourth, 2,789) and Samuel O'Regan (fifth, 2,624), giving the Flames significant point potential on Saturday.
Women's Team Scores (Through 6 of 17 Events)
1) Liberty – 58
2) FIU – 45
3) Kennesaw State – 43
4) Middle Tennessee – 29
5) Sam Houston – 14
6) Jacksonville State – 12
T7) New Mexico State – 10
T7) UTEP - 10
9) Louisiana Tech – 7
10) Western Kentucky – 6
Men's Team Scores (Through 5 of 17 Events)
1) Kennesaw State – 53.5
2) Liberty – 34.5
3) Middle Tennessee – 31
4) Sam Houston – 22.5
5) UTEP – 22
6) Louisiana Tech – 16
7) Western Kentucky – 14.5
Women's Day 1 CUSA Champions
Meredith Engle – Pentathlon – 4,196
Adelyn Fairley – 5K – 16:50.39
Men's Day 1 CUSA Champions
Kellen Kimes – Weight Throw – 68-7.75
Other Women's Day 1 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Patasha Bryan – Pentathlon – 3,900
2nd – Paola Bueno – Weight Throw – 65-11.5
3rd – Mia Bowers – Pole Vault – 13-3.5
3rd – Kate Goodyear, Maddy Merritt, Jessica Palisca, Marie Hostetler – DMR – 11:26.93
Other Men's Day 1 Top 3 Finishers
Tie for 2nd – Todd Benhase – Pole Vault – 16-6.75
3rd – Dale Hall, Revell Webster, Kyle Thrush, Kyle Harkabus – DMR – 10:10.71
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Meet Record – Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 4,196
Previous Record: 4,004 by Memphis' Charlotte Abrahamsen in 2008 and Memphis' Xenia Rahn in 2013
Liberty Record – Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 4,196
Previous Record: 4,131 by Engle at the Penn State National Open on Jan. 31
Facility Record – Pentathlon 800 – Meredith Engle – 2:16.72
Previous Record: 2:17.59 by Jacksonville's Lauren Polimeno at the ASUN Championship (Feb. 22, 2019)
Men's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – 60 – Omari Lewis – 6.65
Previous Record: 6.67 by Lewis at the CUSA Championship (Feb. 24, 2024)
Liberty Freshman Record – Pole Vault – Todd Benhase – 16-6.75
Previous Record: 16-5.5 by Benhase at the Virginia Tech Invitational on Jan. 17
Liberty Freshman Record – 400 – Elijah Sherard – 47.49
Previous Record: 48.53 by Sherard at The Burg Open on Jan. 10
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 1 – Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 4,196
No. 2 – DMR – Goodyear, Merritt, Palisca, Hostetler – 11:26.93
No. 7 – 800 – Jessica Palisca – 2:08.88
Tie for No. 10 – Pole Vault – Sarah Gassman – 12-5.5
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 1 – 60 – Omari Lewis – 6.65
No. 2 – 60 – Eddy Vu – 6.70
No. 4 – 400 – Elijah Sherard – 47.49
Tie for No. 7 – Pole Vault – Todd Benhase – 16-6.75
No. 8 – 200 – Revell Webster – 21.40
Tie for No. 8 – 400 – Simon Lamparelli – 48.14
Up Next
The meet will conclude with a busy day of activity on Saturday. First up will be the heptathlon 60 hurdles at 10:30 a.m. Field events will commence at Noon with the women's shot put, men's triple jump and women's high jump, while the men's mile final will get running events going at 2 p.m. ESPN+ will provide live coverage from 2-6 p.m.
The defending champion Lady Flames won a pair of events, including Meredith Engle's record-breaking pentathlon effort (meet and program-record 4,196 points) and Adelyn Fairley's fourth career indoor 5K conference title (16:50.39). Liberty totaled 58 points through six events, putting the Lady Flames 13 points ahead of second-place FIU.
On the men's side, the Flames will have some catching up to do on Saturday if they hope to extend their indoor conference championship streak to 28. CUSA newcomer Kennesaw State outscored the Flames 53.5 to 34.5 during Friday's five men's disciplines. Kellen Kimes won the men's weight throw (68-7.75) in dominating fashion, while Omari Lewis (6.65) broke his own program record during the men's 60 prelims.
Liberty also set three additional records on the day, including a facility mark (Engle's 2:16.72 in the pentathlon 800) and two program freshman standards (Elijah Sherard's 47.49 400 and Todd Benhase's 16-6.75 pole vault).
Women's Day 1 Recap
Entering the day ranked No. 17 nationally in the pentathlon (one spot away from potentially qualifying to the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships), Engle needed to break the Liberty pentathlon record for the third time this season in order to improve her national standing.
Engle's winning score of 4,196 accomplished just that by 65 points, moving her up to No. 12 in the NCAA by day's end and giving her a shot to become Liberty's first-ever pentathlete to reach the NCAA Division I meet.
Engle won each of the last four pentathlon events, thanks to a season-best 5-7.25 high jump, a 44-7.5 shot put, an 18-8 long jump and a facility-record 2:16.72 to put an exclamation point on things in the 800.
Engle outdistanced her teammate and defending CUSA champion Patasha Bryan (3,900) in second place. Engle becomes the first Lady Flame ever to win three conference titles in the pentathlon, as she had previously claimed ASUN championships in 2022 and 2023.
Engle shattered the meet record of 4,004, co-held by a pair of Memphis Tigers (Charlotte Abrahamsen in 2008 and Xenia Rahn in 2013). Each of Engle's three pentathlons this season has resulted in a new Liberty record, including 3,989 points at the Liberty Kickoff, 4,131 points at the Penn State National Open in her home state of Pennsylvania and 4,196 tallies on Friday.
Fairley is also used to standing atop the podium after successfully defending her CUSA 5K crown from a year ago. She won the race in very similar fashion, blazing a 31.54-second last lap and taking the lead for good on the final straightaway before crossing the line in 16:50.39.
Fairley previously claimed back-to-back ASUN indoor 5K championships in 2021 and 2022.
Paola Bueno improved one spot from last season in the women's weight throw competition, earning a runner-up finish with a season-best 65-11.5 effort.
Mia Bowers equaled her personal-best pole vault clearance of 13-3.5 for third place. The senior bookended her career with podium finishes after finishing third in the ASUN indoor competition as a freshman in 2022.
The distance medley relay quartet of Kate Goodyear, Maddy Merritt, Jessica Palisca and Marie Hostetler brought Coach Heather Zealand one more smile to her face for her birthday during the night's final event. The same four runners had won this event in 2024 in what was then a program and facility-record time of 11:32.82. They ran six seconds faster on Friday (11:26.93) but had to settle for third place in a race where the top three squads all bettered the previous meet (11:30.59) and facility (11:32.82) standards.
Two Lady Flames made it through to Saturday's finals in two different events, including Reese Webster (60 and 200) and Allie Zealand (800 and mile).
Men's Day 1 Recap
Kimes (68-7.75) captured the men's weight throw title in dominating fashion, winning by five feet over runner-up Jase Hunter of Kennesaw State. The redshirt freshman becomes the first rookie to win this event at the CUSA meet since 2016 (Charlotte's Stevan Veselinovic).
Benhase's personal-best 16-6.75 pole vault clearance added 1.25 inches to his own Liberty freshman standard and tied him with Kennesaw State's Simon Seid for the event's runner-up position.
The Flames' final podium finish came in the distance medley relay, as Dale Hall, Revell Webster, Kyle Thrush and Kyle Harkabus clocked 10:10.71 for third place.
Due to injury, Lewis had not contested a 60-meter race all season prior to Friday. The defending CUSA champion showed no signs of rust, as his 6.65 effort was the fastest among the prelims and eclipsed Lewis' CUSA-winning time of 6.67 from 2024. Eddy Vu will join Lewis in the final after climbing to No. 2 on the Flames' all-time list at 6.70.
Sherard was the second fastest qualifier to the men's 400 final after his 47.49 clocking lopped more than a second off his own Liberty freshman standard of 48.53. Only three men in program history have run faster than Sherard's 47.49 on Friday, Alejandro Perlaza Zapata, Mike Decker and Stephen Racanelli.
Gabriel Willis totaled 3,058 points during day one of the heptathlon, giving him an 88-point cushion over second-place Matthew Jackson of Sam Houston. Willis started and ended his day with event victories, blazing a 7.03 60 and high jumping 6-7.5.
Willis is joined inside the current top five by teammates Daniel Van Duren (third, 2,834), Hunter Bleam (fourth, 2,789) and Samuel O'Regan (fifth, 2,624), giving the Flames significant point potential on Saturday.
Women's Team Scores (Through 6 of 17 Events)
1) Liberty – 58
2) FIU – 45
3) Kennesaw State – 43
4) Middle Tennessee – 29
5) Sam Houston – 14
6) Jacksonville State – 12
T7) New Mexico State – 10
T7) UTEP - 10
9) Louisiana Tech – 7
10) Western Kentucky – 6
Men's Team Scores (Through 5 of 17 Events)
1) Kennesaw State – 53.5
2) Liberty – 34.5
3) Middle Tennessee – 31
4) Sam Houston – 22.5
5) UTEP – 22
6) Louisiana Tech – 16
7) Western Kentucky – 14.5
Women's Day 1 CUSA Champions
Meredith Engle – Pentathlon – 4,196
Adelyn Fairley – 5K – 16:50.39
Men's Day 1 CUSA Champions
Kellen Kimes – Weight Throw – 68-7.75
Other Women's Day 1 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Patasha Bryan – Pentathlon – 3,900
2nd – Paola Bueno – Weight Throw – 65-11.5
3rd – Mia Bowers – Pole Vault – 13-3.5
3rd – Kate Goodyear, Maddy Merritt, Jessica Palisca, Marie Hostetler – DMR – 11:26.93
Other Men's Day 1 Top 3 Finishers
Tie for 2nd – Todd Benhase – Pole Vault – 16-6.75
3rd – Dale Hall, Revell Webster, Kyle Thrush, Kyle Harkabus – DMR – 10:10.71
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Meet Record – Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 4,196
Previous Record: 4,004 by Memphis' Charlotte Abrahamsen in 2008 and Memphis' Xenia Rahn in 2013
Liberty Record – Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 4,196
Previous Record: 4,131 by Engle at the Penn State National Open on Jan. 31
Facility Record – Pentathlon 800 – Meredith Engle – 2:16.72
Previous Record: 2:17.59 by Jacksonville's Lauren Polimeno at the ASUN Championship (Feb. 22, 2019)
Men's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – 60 – Omari Lewis – 6.65
Previous Record: 6.67 by Lewis at the CUSA Championship (Feb. 24, 2024)
Liberty Freshman Record – Pole Vault – Todd Benhase – 16-6.75
Previous Record: 16-5.5 by Benhase at the Virginia Tech Invitational on Jan. 17
Liberty Freshman Record – 400 – Elijah Sherard – 47.49
Previous Record: 48.53 by Sherard at The Burg Open on Jan. 10
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 1 – Pentathlon – Meredith Engle – 4,196
No. 2 – DMR – Goodyear, Merritt, Palisca, Hostetler – 11:26.93
No. 7 – 800 – Jessica Palisca – 2:08.88
Tie for No. 10 – Pole Vault – Sarah Gassman – 12-5.5
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 1 – 60 – Omari Lewis – 6.65
No. 2 – 60 – Eddy Vu – 6.70
No. 4 – 400 – Elijah Sherard – 47.49
Tie for No. 7 – Pole Vault – Todd Benhase – 16-6.75
No. 8 – 200 – Revell Webster – 21.40
Tie for No. 8 – 400 – Simon Lamparelli – 48.14
Up Next
The meet will conclude with a busy day of activity on Saturday. First up will be the heptathlon 60 hurdles at 10:30 a.m. Field events will commence at Noon with the women's shot put, men's triple jump and women's high jump, while the men's mile final will get running events going at 2 p.m. ESPN+ will provide live coverage from 2-6 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
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Decathlon
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Pole Vault
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Heptathlon
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Hammer
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Heptathlon
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Distance
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Pole Vault
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Mid-distance
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Mid-distance
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Mid-distance
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Throws
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Sprints
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Sprints
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Decathlon
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Mid-distance
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Mid-distance
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Decathlon
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Sprints
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Decathlon
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Distance
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