Saturday, May 17
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
10:00 AM ET/9:00 AM CT
Liberty University
at
Conference USA Outdoor Track Championships
(L-R): Liberty's decathletes finished 1-2-3-4 including Gabriel Willis (2nd), Daniel Van Duren (1st), Hunter Bleam (3rd) and Samuel O'Regan (4th)
Liberty Scores Points in Bunches on Successful Saturday
5/18/2025 12:13:00 AM | Track and Field
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Liberty enjoyed a successful Saturday at the CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, winning five of nine events contested and making some history along the way.
The Flames' event victories came in the heptathlon (Meredith Engle), women's shot put (Bethany Tate), women's steeplechase (Marie Hostetler), decathlon (Daniel Van Duren) and men's shot put (Christian Hicks).
Van Duren led the first-ever 1-2-3-4 decathlon sweep in meet history, while Hostetler headlined a 26-point women's steeplechase haul to put an exclamation point on the day.
The Lady Flames have tallied 89.5 points, giving them a 32.5-point advantage over second-place FIU through eight of 21 women's events.
On the men's side, Liberty's 89 points have the Flames sitting just 2.5 tallies behind Kennesaw State with 13 events remaining on Sunday.
Women's Day 2 Recap
For the second year in a row at this meet, the Lady Flames' steeplechase crew shone brightly under the lights. Last season, Liberty scored 25 points in the event. This time around, the Lady Flames boosted that total to 26 with five runners placing in the top eight.
All five Lady Flames who toed the steeplechase starting line scored points, including Hostetler (first place, personal-best 10:14.75, No. 2 in program history), Katrina Schlenker (second, 10:20.68), Katie Sigerud (fourth, personal-best 10:38.64, No. 5 in program history), Raini Mayo (seventh, personal-best and Liberty freshman-record 10:50.40, No. 6 in program history) and Sophia Park (eighth, personal-best 10:58.95).
One of three first-year steeplechasers among the group (along with Sigerud and Mayo), Hostetler cut six seconds off her personal best and produced the CUSA's fastest winning time since 2014. Schlenker outkicked top seed Madison Seiler of Kennesaw State over the final barrier to earn the runner-up spot for the second year in a row.
Mayo and Park became the 10th and 11th sub-11:00 steeplechasers in program history. Mayo slashed 10 seconds off her own Liberty freshman record and made it four of the top six women's steeplechase performers in program history who are part of this year's squad.
Liberty freshmen went 1-2 in the women's shot put, including a victory by Tate (49-3.5) and a runner-up finish by Tabby DeJong (personal-best 47-5.25). Tate, the only thrower to surpass the 15-meter arc on Saturday, becomes the third Lady Flames freshman ever to win an outdoor women's shot put conference title. Tate joins Mychelle Cumings (2012 Big South) and Naomi Mojica (2018 Big South) in that exclusive club.
DeJong added nearly two feet to her previous personal best of 45-6.5, catapulting to No. 6 in program history. Sofia Mojica's outdoor personal-best mark of 45-11.75 was good for seventh in the competition and No. 10 all-time at Liberty in her final collegiate shot put competition.
Engle is a three-time conference pentathlon champion but had not captured a heptathlon crown until Saturday. The All-American got her day started with an 18-4.25 long jump (No. 5 in Liberty heptathlon history) and then held off teammate and defending champion Patasha Bryan to win by 18 points (5,164 to 5,146).
Bryan prevailed in the heptathlon 800 in 2:17.35 to wrap up her third conference heptathlon top-two finish in a row (also 2023 ASUN runner-up and 2024 CUSA champion). Teammate Paige Greenhagel finished with 4,424 points for sixth place, completing the first of what turned out to be three 20-plus point events for the Lady Flames on the day.
Eva Whiteman's season-best 5-5.75 high jump clearance earned an eighth-place finish.
The Lady Flames are set up for a strong showing in Sunday's women's 800 final, as all three of the team's entries (defending champion Kate Goodyear, Jessica Palisca and Allie Zealand) successfully advanced on Saturday.
Men's Day 2 Recap
Only one team in meet history (2007 Houston) had ever swept the CUSA decathlon podium, but no CUSA squad has ever produced a 1-2-3-4 decathlon finish like the Flames achieved on Saturday.
All four Flames recorded new decathlon personal bests, including champion Van Duren (6,721), runner-up Gabriel Willis (6,201), third-place Hunter Bleam (6,176) and fourth-place Samuel O'Regan (6,031). The same four athletes had claimed the top four places in this year's CUSA heptathlon competition indoors.
Van Duren is now a two-time conference decathlon champion (also 2023 ASUN).
Willis' bid to win both the CUSA heptathlon and decathlon titles came to a halt when he no-heighted the pole vault. But Willis bounced back with a personal-best 180-2 javelin in his next event to recover for second place overall. He also later high jumped a season-best 6-8.75 for fourth place in his sixth event of the day.
Bleam matched his third-place showing from the 2023 ASUN decathlon competition, while O'Regan moved up three spots from his seventh-place performance in last year's CUSA decathlon.
Hicks owned the men's shot put lead entering round six before indoor champion Evan Martinez of Kennesaw State overtook him with a mark of 55-9.75. Hicks then responded in dramatic fashion, throwing a personal-best 56-4 on the final attempt of the competition to earn a thrilling victory and the No. 9 spot in program history.
Jordae Edwards followed in fifth place, stretching the tape to a season-best 54-10.75.
All three Flames who contested the men's steeplechase finished among the top seven, including Dale Hall (fourth place, 9:12.88), Nathan Moore (fifth, 9:19.15) and Sean Aiken (seventh, 9:29.56). Moore was making his steeplechase debut, a night after finishing fifth in the 10K.
Freshman Todd Benhase accounted for the Flames' only three points in the men's pole vault, clearing 15-8.25 for sixth place.
The Flames will have three runners apiece in the finals of the men's 400 hurdles (Josh Blalock, Jacob Torres and Luke Anderson) and 200 (Omari Lewis, Elijah Sherard and Revell Webster).
Liberty produced fast 200 clockings (all of which were wind-legal), including a season-best 20.72 by Lewis, a personal-best 20.97 by Sherard and a personal-best 21.00 by Webster. Sherard became the eighth Flame ever to break 21 seconds, while Webster moved into a tie with Mike Decker for No. 8 in program history.
Women's Team Scores (Through 8 of 21 Events)
1) Liberty – 89.5
2) FIU – 57
3) Kennesaw State – 47.5
4) UTEP – 29
5) Middle Tennessee – 26
6) Western Kentucky – 17.5
7) Jacksonville State – 14.5
8) Sam Houston – 14
9) New Mexico State – 11
10) Louisiana Tech – 6
Men's Team Scores (Through 8 of 21 Events)
1) Kennesaw State – 91.5
2) Liberty – 89
3) Middle Tennessee – 29
4) Western Kentucky – 28
5) Sam Houston – 27.5
6) UTEP – 25
7) Louisiana Tech – 14
8) FIU – 7
Women's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Meredith Engle – Heptathlon – 5,164
Marie Hostetler – Steeplechase – 10:14.75
Bethany Tate – Shot Put – 49-3.5
Men's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Christian Hicks – Shot Put – 56-4
Daniel Van Duren – Decathlon – 6,721
Other Women's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Patasha Bryan – Heptathlon – 5,146
2nd – Tabby DeJong – Shot Put – 47-5.25
2nd – Katrina Schlenker – Steeplechase – 10:20.68
Other Men's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Gabriel Willis – Decathlon – 6,201
3rd – Hunter Bleam – Decathlon – 6,176
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Steeplechase – Raini Mayo – 10:50.40
Previous Record: 11:00.47 by Mayo at the Virginia Challenge on April 18
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 2 – Steeplechase – Marie Hostetler – 10:14.75
No. 5 – Steeplechase – Katie Sigerud – 10:38.64
No. 5 – Heptathlon Long Jump – Meredith Engle – 18-4.25
No. 6 – Shot Put – Tabby DeJong – 47-5.25
No. 6 – Steeplechase – Raini Mayo – 10:50.40
No. 10 – Shot Put – Sofia Mojica – 45-11.75
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 8 – 200 – Elijah Sherard – 20.97
No. 9 – Shot Put – Christian Hicks – 56-4
Tie for No. 9 – 200 – Revell Webster – 21.00
Up Next
The 2025 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will conclude on Sunday. The women's javelin will get the day started at Noon Eastern, and things will wrap up with the men's 4 x 400 relay at 10 p.m. Eastern. ESPN+'s live coverage of the meet will kick off at 6:45 p.m. Eastern.
The Flames' event victories came in the heptathlon (Meredith Engle), women's shot put (Bethany Tate), women's steeplechase (Marie Hostetler), decathlon (Daniel Van Duren) and men's shot put (Christian Hicks).
Van Duren led the first-ever 1-2-3-4 decathlon sweep in meet history, while Hostetler headlined a 26-point women's steeplechase haul to put an exclamation point on the day.
The Lady Flames have tallied 89.5 points, giving them a 32.5-point advantage over second-place FIU through eight of 21 women's events.
On the men's side, Liberty's 89 points have the Flames sitting just 2.5 tallies behind Kennesaw State with 13 events remaining on Sunday.
Women's Day 2 Recap
For the second year in a row at this meet, the Lady Flames' steeplechase crew shone brightly under the lights. Last season, Liberty scored 25 points in the event. This time around, the Lady Flames boosted that total to 26 with five runners placing in the top eight.
All five Lady Flames who toed the steeplechase starting line scored points, including Hostetler (first place, personal-best 10:14.75, No. 2 in program history), Katrina Schlenker (second, 10:20.68), Katie Sigerud (fourth, personal-best 10:38.64, No. 5 in program history), Raini Mayo (seventh, personal-best and Liberty freshman-record 10:50.40, No. 6 in program history) and Sophia Park (eighth, personal-best 10:58.95).
One of three first-year steeplechasers among the group (along with Sigerud and Mayo), Hostetler cut six seconds off her personal best and produced the CUSA's fastest winning time since 2014. Schlenker outkicked top seed Madison Seiler of Kennesaw State over the final barrier to earn the runner-up spot for the second year in a row.
Mayo and Park became the 10th and 11th sub-11:00 steeplechasers in program history. Mayo slashed 10 seconds off her own Liberty freshman record and made it four of the top six women's steeplechase performers in program history who are part of this year's squad.
Liberty freshmen went 1-2 in the women's shot put, including a victory by Tate (49-3.5) and a runner-up finish by Tabby DeJong (personal-best 47-5.25). Tate, the only thrower to surpass the 15-meter arc on Saturday, becomes the third Lady Flames freshman ever to win an outdoor women's shot put conference title. Tate joins Mychelle Cumings (2012 Big South) and Naomi Mojica (2018 Big South) in that exclusive club.
DeJong added nearly two feet to her previous personal best of 45-6.5, catapulting to No. 6 in program history. Sofia Mojica's outdoor personal-best mark of 45-11.75 was good for seventh in the competition and No. 10 all-time at Liberty in her final collegiate shot put competition.
Engle is a three-time conference pentathlon champion but had not captured a heptathlon crown until Saturday. The All-American got her day started with an 18-4.25 long jump (No. 5 in Liberty heptathlon history) and then held off teammate and defending champion Patasha Bryan to win by 18 points (5,164 to 5,146).
Bryan prevailed in the heptathlon 800 in 2:17.35 to wrap up her third conference heptathlon top-two finish in a row (also 2023 ASUN runner-up and 2024 CUSA champion). Teammate Paige Greenhagel finished with 4,424 points for sixth place, completing the first of what turned out to be three 20-plus point events for the Lady Flames on the day.
Eva Whiteman's season-best 5-5.75 high jump clearance earned an eighth-place finish.
The Lady Flames are set up for a strong showing in Sunday's women's 800 final, as all three of the team's entries (defending champion Kate Goodyear, Jessica Palisca and Allie Zealand) successfully advanced on Saturday.
Men's Day 2 Recap
Only one team in meet history (2007 Houston) had ever swept the CUSA decathlon podium, but no CUSA squad has ever produced a 1-2-3-4 decathlon finish like the Flames achieved on Saturday.
All four Flames recorded new decathlon personal bests, including champion Van Duren (6,721), runner-up Gabriel Willis (6,201), third-place Hunter Bleam (6,176) and fourth-place Samuel O'Regan (6,031). The same four athletes had claimed the top four places in this year's CUSA heptathlon competition indoors.
Van Duren is now a two-time conference decathlon champion (also 2023 ASUN).
Willis' bid to win both the CUSA heptathlon and decathlon titles came to a halt when he no-heighted the pole vault. But Willis bounced back with a personal-best 180-2 javelin in his next event to recover for second place overall. He also later high jumped a season-best 6-8.75 for fourth place in his sixth event of the day.
Bleam matched his third-place showing from the 2023 ASUN decathlon competition, while O'Regan moved up three spots from his seventh-place performance in last year's CUSA decathlon.
Hicks owned the men's shot put lead entering round six before indoor champion Evan Martinez of Kennesaw State overtook him with a mark of 55-9.75. Hicks then responded in dramatic fashion, throwing a personal-best 56-4 on the final attempt of the competition to earn a thrilling victory and the No. 9 spot in program history.
Jordae Edwards followed in fifth place, stretching the tape to a season-best 54-10.75.
All three Flames who contested the men's steeplechase finished among the top seven, including Dale Hall (fourth place, 9:12.88), Nathan Moore (fifth, 9:19.15) and Sean Aiken (seventh, 9:29.56). Moore was making his steeplechase debut, a night after finishing fifth in the 10K.
Freshman Todd Benhase accounted for the Flames' only three points in the men's pole vault, clearing 15-8.25 for sixth place.
The Flames will have three runners apiece in the finals of the men's 400 hurdles (Josh Blalock, Jacob Torres and Luke Anderson) and 200 (Omari Lewis, Elijah Sherard and Revell Webster).
Liberty produced fast 200 clockings (all of which were wind-legal), including a season-best 20.72 by Lewis, a personal-best 20.97 by Sherard and a personal-best 21.00 by Webster. Sherard became the eighth Flame ever to break 21 seconds, while Webster moved into a tie with Mike Decker for No. 8 in program history.
Women's Team Scores (Through 8 of 21 Events)
1) Liberty – 89.5
2) FIU – 57
3) Kennesaw State – 47.5
4) UTEP – 29
5) Middle Tennessee – 26
6) Western Kentucky – 17.5
7) Jacksonville State – 14.5
8) Sam Houston – 14
9) New Mexico State – 11
10) Louisiana Tech – 6
Men's Team Scores (Through 8 of 21 Events)
1) Kennesaw State – 91.5
2) Liberty – 89
3) Middle Tennessee – 29
4) Western Kentucky – 28
5) Sam Houston – 27.5
6) UTEP – 25
7) Louisiana Tech – 14
8) FIU – 7
Women's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Meredith Engle – Heptathlon – 5,164
Marie Hostetler – Steeplechase – 10:14.75
Bethany Tate – Shot Put – 49-3.5
Men's Day 2 CUSA Champions
Christian Hicks – Shot Put – 56-4
Daniel Van Duren – Decathlon – 6,721
Other Women's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Patasha Bryan – Heptathlon – 5,146
2nd – Tabby DeJong – Shot Put – 47-5.25
2nd – Katrina Schlenker – Steeplechase – 10:20.68
Other Men's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Gabriel Willis – Decathlon – 6,201
3rd – Hunter Bleam – Decathlon – 6,176
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Steeplechase – Raini Mayo – 10:50.40
Previous Record: 11:00.47 by Mayo at the Virginia Challenge on April 18
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 2 – Steeplechase – Marie Hostetler – 10:14.75
No. 5 – Steeplechase – Katie Sigerud – 10:38.64
No. 5 – Heptathlon Long Jump – Meredith Engle – 18-4.25
No. 6 – Shot Put – Tabby DeJong – 47-5.25
No. 6 – Steeplechase – Raini Mayo – 10:50.40
No. 10 – Shot Put – Sofia Mojica – 45-11.75
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 8 – 200 – Elijah Sherard – 20.97
No. 9 – Shot Put – Christian Hicks – 56-4
Tie for No. 9 – 200 – Revell Webster – 21.00
Up Next
The 2025 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will conclude on Sunday. The women's javelin will get the day started at Noon Eastern, and things will wrap up with the men's 4 x 400 relay at 10 p.m. Eastern. ESPN+'s live coverage of the meet will kick off at 6:45 p.m. Eastern.
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