Friday, February 7
Lynchburg, Va.
1:00 PM ET
Liberty University
vs
Liberty Open
Samantha Troup
Liberty Open to Begin Home-Heavy February
2/5/2025 10:28:00 AM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty men's and women's indoor track & field teams are gearing up for three home meets in February. The busy stretch at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Complex begins Friday and Saturday with the Liberty Open. It will mark the Flames' largest home meet of the season thus far in terms of competing teams (37) and athletes (1,500+).
Friday's slate of events will get started with the men's weight throw and men's long jump at 1 p.m. Action will resume Saturday morning at 9:10 a.m. with the men's shuttle hurdles relay, an annual highlight of this meet.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Admission is free of charge for the Liberty Open.
Live results will be available, courtesy of Blue Ridge Timing.
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 Liberty Open will mark the third of five college meets the Flames host this season, also including the 11th annual Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational (Feb. 14-15) and CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships (Feb. 28-March 1).
Marvelous Meredith
Competing in her home state of Pennsylvania, Meredith Engle produced a memorable pentathlon, Friday at the Penn State National Open.
Engle's score of 4,131 shattered her own program record of 3,989 set earlier this season at the Liberty Kickoff. It was the top pentathlon score posted by a CUSA athlete in 12 years.
Engle currently ranks No. 12 nationally, putting her in contention for a trip to next month's NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in Virginia Beach. If Engle qualifies, she would become the Lady Flames' first-ever pentathlete to compete in the meet.
Engle will focus on the shot put this week. Last time she threw the shot put at her home facility, Engle achieved a new personal best of 46-7.5 at the Brant Tolsma Invitational (Jan. 25). The mark is good for No. 8 in program history and No. 4 in CUSA this season.
Strength in Numbers
Ten 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, Joshua Smith and Gabriel Willis
Men's Freshman of the Week – Elijah Sherard, Jack Holub and Dale Hall
Women's Field Athlete of the Week – Mia Bowers
Women's Freshman of the Week – Rachel Hill and Allie Zealand
Among this group, Hill (women's mile), Smith (men's triple jump) and Willis (men's pole vault and shuttle hurdles relay) are entered in the Liberty Open.
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. 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
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. 12 – Meredith Engle – Pentathlon – 4,131
Up Next
The Flames will remain at home for the 11th annual Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational. Events are slated for Feb. 14-15 at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Portions of each day's action will be televised live on ESPN+.
Friday's slate of events will get started with the men's weight throw and men's long jump at 1 p.m. Action will resume Saturday morning at 9:10 a.m. with the men's shuttle hurdles relay, an annual highlight of this meet.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Admission is free of charge for the Liberty Open.
Live results will be available, courtesy of Blue Ridge Timing.
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 Liberty Open will mark the third of five college meets the Flames host this season, also including the 11th annual Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational (Feb. 14-15) and CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships (Feb. 28-March 1).
Marvelous Meredith
Competing in her home state of Pennsylvania, Meredith Engle produced a memorable pentathlon, Friday at the Penn State National Open.
Engle's score of 4,131 shattered her own program record of 3,989 set earlier this season at the Liberty Kickoff. It was the top pentathlon score posted by a CUSA athlete in 12 years.
Engle currently ranks No. 12 nationally, putting her in contention for a trip to next month's NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in Virginia Beach. If Engle qualifies, she would become the Lady Flames' first-ever pentathlete to compete in the meet.
Engle will focus on the shot put this week. Last time she threw the shot put at her home facility, Engle achieved a new personal best of 46-7.5 at the Brant Tolsma Invitational (Jan. 25). The mark is good for No. 8 in program history and No. 4 in CUSA this season.
Strength in Numbers
Ten 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, Joshua Smith and Gabriel Willis
Men's Freshman of the Week – Elijah Sherard, Jack Holub and Dale Hall
Women's Field Athlete of the Week – Mia Bowers
Women's Freshman of the Week – Rachel Hill and Allie Zealand
Among this group, Hill (women's mile), Smith (men's triple jump) and Willis (men's pole vault and shuttle hurdles relay) are entered in the Liberty Open.
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. 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
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. 12 – Meredith Engle – Pentathlon – 4,131
Up Next
The Flames will remain at home for the 11th annual Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational. Events are slated for Feb. 14-15 at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Portions of each day's action will be televised live on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Mid-distance
/ Track and Field
Mid-distance
/ Track and Field
Mid-distance
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
Distance
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