Saturday, March 1
Lynchburg, Va.
10:30 AM ET
Liberty University
vs
Conference USA Indoor Track Championships
Lady Flames Repeat as CUSA Indoor Champions, Flames Take 2nd
3/1/2025 10:44:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty women's squad successfully defended its conference title on Saturday, the final day of the 2025 CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Brant Tolsma Indoor Track at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Meanwhile, the Flames finished a close second to Kennesaw State in the final men's standings, halting Liberty's 27-year streak of capturing indoor track & field conference championships.
The Lady Flames finished with 145 points, holding off conference newcomer Kennesaw State by 28 tallies. Liberty has now claimed four straight indoor conference crowns overall, also including its 2022 and 2023 ASUN titles.
On the men's side, Kennesaw State held off the Flames by 14.5 points (154-139.5) in the tightest men's team finish at this meet since 2012. Prior to Saturday, Liberty owned the nation's longest active streak of men's indoor track & field conference titles at the Division I level. Beginning in 1998, the Flames won 21 Big South titles, five ASUN crowns and the 2024 CUSA championship in their inaugural year of conference membership.
Following the meet, Lance Bingham was voted CUSA Women's Coach of the Year. But he quickly redirected the award to former WKU Head Coach Brent Chumbley, Bingham's longtime friend who tragically passed away in January.
Allie Zealand took home the CUSA Women's Freshman of the Meet trophy after pacing all freshmen with 19 points. She won the women's mile, one of Liberty's three first-place finishes on Saturday (also Adelyn Fairley in the women's 3K and Gabriel Willis in the heptathlon). That brought Liberty's meet total to six victories with Fairley (women's 5K), Meredith Engle (pentathlon) and Kellen Kimes (men's weight throw) taking top honors on Friday.
Reese Webster lowered her own women's 200 program record to 23.11, a day after Omari Lewis (men's 60 – 6.65) and Engle (pentathlon – 4,196) had also improved upon their Liberty records. Engle's mark still ranks No. 12 nationally as of Saturday night, giving her a good shot to qualify for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in two weeks.
Women's Day 2 Recap
After recording a dominating victory at the CUSA Cross Country Championships during the fall, the Lady Flames' distance runners played a key role in this weekend's conference title as well.
Liberty totaled 56 points during Saturday's trio of distance and mid-distance races, including 18 in the mile, 15 in the 800 and 23 in a 3K race which clinched the team trophy.
Zealand (4:41.96) and Marie Hostetler (personal-best 4:44.29) set the tone early with a 1-2 finish in the mile, the first women's running event of the afternoon.
Kate Goodyear's 2:06.48 clocking (No. 2 in program history) made her the third of three runners to better her winning time from 2024 (2:06.99), which had been the previous meet record. Jessica Palisca (personal-best 2:08.01) and Zealand (season-best 2:10.64) followed closely behind in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Shortly after Kennesaw State had pulled to within 11 points of the Lady Flames during the triple jump, Liberty closed the door in the 3K. Fairley ran 9:28.67 for her second distance victory in as many days. Ava Gordon (9:33.54) crossed the line third for her first career all-conference medal on the track, with Zealand (fourth, 9:33.94) and Katie Sigerud (seventh, 9:42.14) also adding valuable points.
Webster finished second to UTEP's Niesha Burgher, one of the nation's elite sprinters and the CUSA Women's High Point Scorer of the Meet, in both of her races on Saturday. Webster was edged at the line in a bid to repeat as CUSA 60 champion, 7.31 to 7.32. Webster's 23.11 effort then shattered her previous program record of 23.27 from the 2024 CUSA 200 final.
Indea Cartwright was the Lady Flames' final all-conference performer on the day, placing third in the women's 60 hurdles in a season-best 8.28.
Men's Day 2 Recap
Liberty entered four athletes in the heptathlon, and they proceeded to finish 1-2-3-4 for 29 team points. Willis led the way with 5,421 points, adding nearly 200 points to his previous best and moving up to No. 2 all-time at Liberty. Willis started his Saturday off with big personal-best marks in the 60 hurdles (8.32) and pole vault (15-3).
Daniel Van Duren tallied a season-best 5,028 points to finish second behind a Liberty teammate for the second year in a row at this meet. Hunter Bleam (4,867) and Samuel O'Regan (personal-best 4,802) followed in third and fourth, respectively.
Willis' day was not finished, as he added a runner-up finish in the high jump with a 6-8.75 clearance. He finished the meet with 18 points, the most of any field event performer in the championship.
Joshua Smith had opened his collegiate career with back-to-back indoor men's triple jump conference titles (2023 ASUN, 2024 CUSA). He jumped a personal-best 50-2.75 (tied with Anthony Bryant for No. 3 all-time at Liberty) on Saturday but ended up second.
Freshman Trevor Veenstra (personal-best 54-1.25) paced a trio of Flames scorers in the men's shot put with a third-place finish.
Jack Cottrell (third place, 8:11.64) led three Liberty runners among the top six men's 3K finishers late in the meet.
A day after recording a program-record 6.65 during his first 60 dash of the season, defending champion Lewis posted a 6.70 for third place in the final.
Elijah Sherard (47.45) and Simon Lamparelli (47.76) finished fourth and fifth in the men's 400, both in Saturday's event final and in Liberty program history. Sherard improved his Liberty freshman record for the second day in a row, following a 47.49 clocking in the prelims.
Lamparelli and Sherard then bookended the Flames' fastest 4 x 400 relay in five years to close out the meet. They were joined by Eddy Vu and Revell Webster in clocking 3:12.72 for fourth place in the event and fifth in program history.
Final Women's Team Scores
1) Liberty – 145
2) Kennesaw State – 117
3) FIU – 89
4) UTEP – 85
5) Middle Tennessee – 60
6) New Mexico State – 57
7) Louisiana Tech – 54
8T) Jacksonville State – 22
8T) Sam Houston – 22
10) Western Kentucky – 11
Final Men's Team Scores
1) Kennesaw State - 154
2) Liberty – 139.5
3) Middle Tennessee – 101
4) Sam Houston – 86.5
5) UTEP – 68
6) Louisiana Tech – 57
7) Western Kentucky – 53
Women's High Point Scorer of the Meet
Niesha Burgher, UTEP
Men's High Point Scorer of the Meet
Brian Kiptoo, Middle Tennessee
Women's Freshman of the Meet
Allie Zealand, Liberty
Men's Freshman of the Meet
Mackdonald Songok, Middle Tennessee
Women's Coach of the Year
Lance Bingham, Liberty, presented posthumously to Brent Chumbley, Western Kentucky
Men's Coach of the Year
Cale McDaniel, Kennesaw State
Women's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Adelyn Fairley – 3K – 9:28.67
Allie Zealand – Mile – 4:41.96
Men's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Gabriel Willis – Heptathlon – 5,421
Other Women's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Marie Hostetler – Mile – 4:44.29
2nd – Reese Webster – 60 – 7.32
2nd – Reese Webster – 200 – 23.11
3rd – Indea Cartwright – 60 Hurdles – 8.28
3rd – Kate Goodyear – 800 – 2:06.48
3rd – Ava Gordon – 3K – 9:33.54
Other Men's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Joshua Smith – Triple Jump – 50-2.75
2nd – Daniel Van Duren – Heptathlon – 5,028
2nd – Gabriel Willis – High Jump – 6-8.75
3rd – Hunter Bleam – Heptathlon – 4,867
3rd – Jack Cottrell – 3K – 8:11.64
3rd – Omari Lewis – 60 – 6.70
3rd – Trevor Veenstra – Shot Put – 54-1.25
Women's Day 2 Record Breakers
Program Record – Reese Webster – 200 – 23.11
Previous Record: 23.27 by Webster at the CUSA Championship on Feb. 24, 2024
Men's Day 2 Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Elijah Sherard – 400 – 47.45
Previous Record: 47.49 by Sherard during Friday's prelims
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 1 – 200 – Reese Webster – 23.11
No. 2 – 800 – Kate Goodyear – 2:06.48
No. 4 – Mile – Marie Hostetler – 4:44.29
No. 7 – 800 – Jessica Palisca – 2:08.01
No. 9 – 800 – Allie Zealand – 2:10.64
Tie for No. 10 – Shot Put – Tabby DeJong – 45-1.75
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 2 – Heptathlon – Gabriel Willis – 5,421
No. 3 – Triple Jump – Joshua Smith – 50-2.75
No. 4 – 400 – Elijah Sherard – 47.45
No. 5 – 400 – Simon Lamparelli – 47.76
No. 5 – 4 x 400 – Simon Lamparelli, Eddy Vu, Revell Webster, Elijah Sherard – 3:12.72
Up Next
The 2025 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships will take place March 14-15 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va. The full field of participants will be announced Tuesday evening on NCAA.com, with Meredith Engle (pentathlon) in contention for a national berth.
Most of Liberty's athletes will now turn their attention to the outdoor track & field season. The Flames' first outdoor meets will be the 49er Classic, March 20-21 in Charlotte, N.C., and the Bob Davidson Team Challenge, March 21-22 in High Point, N.C.
The Lady Flames finished with 145 points, holding off conference newcomer Kennesaw State by 28 tallies. Liberty has now claimed four straight indoor conference crowns overall, also including its 2022 and 2023 ASUN titles.
On the men's side, Kennesaw State held off the Flames by 14.5 points (154-139.5) in the tightest men's team finish at this meet since 2012. Prior to Saturday, Liberty owned the nation's longest active streak of men's indoor track & field conference titles at the Division I level. Beginning in 1998, the Flames won 21 Big South titles, five ASUN crowns and the 2024 CUSA championship in their inaugural year of conference membership.
Following the meet, Lance Bingham was voted CUSA Women's Coach of the Year. But he quickly redirected the award to former WKU Head Coach Brent Chumbley, Bingham's longtime friend who tragically passed away in January.
Allie Zealand took home the CUSA Women's Freshman of the Meet trophy after pacing all freshmen with 19 points. She won the women's mile, one of Liberty's three first-place finishes on Saturday (also Adelyn Fairley in the women's 3K and Gabriel Willis in the heptathlon). That brought Liberty's meet total to six victories with Fairley (women's 5K), Meredith Engle (pentathlon) and Kellen Kimes (men's weight throw) taking top honors on Friday.
Reese Webster lowered her own women's 200 program record to 23.11, a day after Omari Lewis (men's 60 – 6.65) and Engle (pentathlon – 4,196) had also improved upon their Liberty records. Engle's mark still ranks No. 12 nationally as of Saturday night, giving her a good shot to qualify for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in two weeks.
Women's Day 2 Recap
After recording a dominating victory at the CUSA Cross Country Championships during the fall, the Lady Flames' distance runners played a key role in this weekend's conference title as well.
Liberty totaled 56 points during Saturday's trio of distance and mid-distance races, including 18 in the mile, 15 in the 800 and 23 in a 3K race which clinched the team trophy.
Zealand (4:41.96) and Marie Hostetler (personal-best 4:44.29) set the tone early with a 1-2 finish in the mile, the first women's running event of the afternoon.
Kate Goodyear's 2:06.48 clocking (No. 2 in program history) made her the third of three runners to better her winning time from 2024 (2:06.99), which had been the previous meet record. Jessica Palisca (personal-best 2:08.01) and Zealand (season-best 2:10.64) followed closely behind in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Shortly after Kennesaw State had pulled to within 11 points of the Lady Flames during the triple jump, Liberty closed the door in the 3K. Fairley ran 9:28.67 for her second distance victory in as many days. Ava Gordon (9:33.54) crossed the line third for her first career all-conference medal on the track, with Zealand (fourth, 9:33.94) and Katie Sigerud (seventh, 9:42.14) also adding valuable points.
Webster finished second to UTEP's Niesha Burgher, one of the nation's elite sprinters and the CUSA Women's High Point Scorer of the Meet, in both of her races on Saturday. Webster was edged at the line in a bid to repeat as CUSA 60 champion, 7.31 to 7.32. Webster's 23.11 effort then shattered her previous program record of 23.27 from the 2024 CUSA 200 final.
Indea Cartwright was the Lady Flames' final all-conference performer on the day, placing third in the women's 60 hurdles in a season-best 8.28.
Men's Day 2 Recap
Liberty entered four athletes in the heptathlon, and they proceeded to finish 1-2-3-4 for 29 team points. Willis led the way with 5,421 points, adding nearly 200 points to his previous best and moving up to No. 2 all-time at Liberty. Willis started his Saturday off with big personal-best marks in the 60 hurdles (8.32) and pole vault (15-3).
Daniel Van Duren tallied a season-best 5,028 points to finish second behind a Liberty teammate for the second year in a row at this meet. Hunter Bleam (4,867) and Samuel O'Regan (personal-best 4,802) followed in third and fourth, respectively.
Willis' day was not finished, as he added a runner-up finish in the high jump with a 6-8.75 clearance. He finished the meet with 18 points, the most of any field event performer in the championship.
Joshua Smith had opened his collegiate career with back-to-back indoor men's triple jump conference titles (2023 ASUN, 2024 CUSA). He jumped a personal-best 50-2.75 (tied with Anthony Bryant for No. 3 all-time at Liberty) on Saturday but ended up second.
Freshman Trevor Veenstra (personal-best 54-1.25) paced a trio of Flames scorers in the men's shot put with a third-place finish.
Jack Cottrell (third place, 8:11.64) led three Liberty runners among the top six men's 3K finishers late in the meet.
A day after recording a program-record 6.65 during his first 60 dash of the season, defending champion Lewis posted a 6.70 for third place in the final.
Elijah Sherard (47.45) and Simon Lamparelli (47.76) finished fourth and fifth in the men's 400, both in Saturday's event final and in Liberty program history. Sherard improved his Liberty freshman record for the second day in a row, following a 47.49 clocking in the prelims.
Lamparelli and Sherard then bookended the Flames' fastest 4 x 400 relay in five years to close out the meet. They were joined by Eddy Vu and Revell Webster in clocking 3:12.72 for fourth place in the event and fifth in program history.
Final Women's Team Scores
1) Liberty – 145
2) Kennesaw State – 117
3) FIU – 89
4) UTEP – 85
5) Middle Tennessee – 60
6) New Mexico State – 57
7) Louisiana Tech – 54
8T) Jacksonville State – 22
8T) Sam Houston – 22
10) Western Kentucky – 11
Final Men's Team Scores
1) Kennesaw State - 154
2) Liberty – 139.5
3) Middle Tennessee – 101
4) Sam Houston – 86.5
5) UTEP – 68
6) Louisiana Tech – 57
7) Western Kentucky – 53
Women's High Point Scorer of the Meet
Niesha Burgher, UTEP
Men's High Point Scorer of the Meet
Brian Kiptoo, Middle Tennessee
Women's Freshman of the Meet
Allie Zealand, Liberty
Men's Freshman of the Meet
Mackdonald Songok, Middle Tennessee
Women's Coach of the Year
Lance Bingham, Liberty, presented posthumously to Brent Chumbley, Western Kentucky
Men's Coach of the Year
Cale McDaniel, Kennesaw State
Women's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Adelyn Fairley – 3K – 9:28.67
Allie Zealand – Mile – 4:41.96
Men's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Gabriel Willis – Heptathlon – 5,421
Other Women's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Marie Hostetler – Mile – 4:44.29
2nd – Reese Webster – 60 – 7.32
2nd – Reese Webster – 200 – 23.11
3rd – Indea Cartwright – 60 Hurdles – 8.28
3rd – Kate Goodyear – 800 – 2:06.48
3rd – Ava Gordon – 3K – 9:33.54
Other Men's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Joshua Smith – Triple Jump – 50-2.75
2nd – Daniel Van Duren – Heptathlon – 5,028
2nd – Gabriel Willis – High Jump – 6-8.75
3rd – Hunter Bleam – Heptathlon – 4,867
3rd – Jack Cottrell – 3K – 8:11.64
3rd – Omari Lewis – 60 – 6.70
3rd – Trevor Veenstra – Shot Put – 54-1.25
Women's Day 2 Record Breakers
Program Record – Reese Webster – 200 – 23.11
Previous Record: 23.27 by Webster at the CUSA Championship on Feb. 24, 2024
Men's Day 2 Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Elijah Sherard – 400 – 47.45
Previous Record: 47.49 by Sherard during Friday's prelims
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 1 – 200 – Reese Webster – 23.11
No. 2 – 800 – Kate Goodyear – 2:06.48
No. 4 – Mile – Marie Hostetler – 4:44.29
No. 7 – 800 – Jessica Palisca – 2:08.01
No. 9 – 800 – Allie Zealand – 2:10.64
Tie for No. 10 – Shot Put – Tabby DeJong – 45-1.75
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 2 – Heptathlon – Gabriel Willis – 5,421
No. 3 – Triple Jump – Joshua Smith – 50-2.75
No. 4 – 400 – Elijah Sherard – 47.45
No. 5 – 400 – Simon Lamparelli – 47.76
No. 5 – 4 x 400 – Simon Lamparelli, Eddy Vu, Revell Webster, Elijah Sherard – 3:12.72
Up Next
The 2025 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships will take place March 14-15 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va. The full field of participants will be announced Tuesday evening on NCAA.com, with Meredith Engle (pentathlon) in contention for a national berth.
Most of Liberty's athletes will now turn their attention to the outdoor track & field season. The Flames' first outdoor meets will be the 49er Classic, March 20-21 in Charlotte, N.C., and the Bob Davidson Team Challenge, March 21-22 in High Point, N.C.
Players Mentioned
Decathlon
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Decathlon
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Hurdles
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Distance
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Throws
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Heptathlon
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Distance
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Mid-distance
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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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Sprints
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Mid-distance
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Jumps
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Decathlon
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Throws
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Sprints
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Sprints
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Sprints
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Decathlon
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Distance
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