Wednesday, May 28
Jacksonville, Fla.
10:00 AM ET
Liberty University
at
NCAA Division I East First Rounds
(L-R): Liberty's men's 4 x 100 relay team of Troy McKnight, Revell Webster, Omari Lewis and Eddy Vu captured the CUSA title and will race at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet.
22 Flames Set for NCAA Division I East First Rounds
5/26/2025 9:02:00 AM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A group of 22 Liberty track & field athletes is heading to Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., for the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet. The four-day event, which will determine the qualifiers to the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, is set for Wednesday through Saturday.
At both the Jacksonville and College Station, Texas sites, 48 athletes will compete in each individual event and 24 teams will race in each relay. The top 12 finishers in each event at each of the two locations will punch their tickets to the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, to be contested June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
North Florida is hosting the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the eighth time in the meet's 15-year history.
This year's meet will get started Wednesday at 10 a.m. with the men's hammer. Men's events will be contested on Wednesday and Friday, with women's events scheduled for Thursday and Saturday.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Live video streaming coverage of each day's running events will be available on ESPN+. Coverage will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Live results, including lap-by-lap splits and in-progress field event updates, will be provided by Flash Results.
Weather Report
The forecast for Wednesday through Saturday is pretty typical for Jacksonville, with highs in the upper-80s and low-90s each day and scattered showers and thunderstorms expected throughout the meet.
NCAA First Rounds Event Capsules (Organized Chronologically)
Men's Hammer
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Liberty Competitor: Kellen Kimes (So., Ludington, Mich.)
Outlook: After placing 44th at this meet as a freshman in 2024, Kimes returns as a bona fide contender to advance to Eugene. He enters as the No. 12 seed, thanks to a personal-best mark of 219-5 at the Pacific Coast Invitational in April. The only two Flames in program history ever to throw the hammer farther (Jon Hart – 2007 and 2008 and John Hicks – 2024) both advanced to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, but neither got there as a sophomore. Four CUSA hammer throwers will compete in Jacksonville, including the entire podium (champion Donald Lamp of LA Tech, runner-up Kimes and third-place Jase Hunter of Kennesaw State).
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three throws, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 212-1.
Men's Long Jump
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Markus White (So., Lynchburg, Va.)
Outlook: One of the newest faces on the Liberty roster, White has made an immediate impact. During his fourth long jump competition as a Flame, White finished as the CUSA runner-up with a Liberty-record leap of 25-8. That eclipsed Chad Wilson's program record which had stood since 2004, the same year Wilson became the only Liberty men's long jumper to date to compete at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. White, who long jumped at the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships a year ago as a Virginia State freshman, enjoyed a consistent series in Murfreesboro. White's five legal marks included a pair of 25-8 efforts, a 25-6.75 jump and two 25-6 performances. CUSA's top four finishers will be long jumping in Jacksonville, including champion Kaelen Mitchell of Kennesaw State, runner-up White, third-place Jeremiah Sims of Kennesaw State and fourth-place Sterling Weldon of Western Kentucky.
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three jumps, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 24-7.75 in a competition which saw many athletes battle headwinds.
Men's 100
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Friday at 6:35 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Omari Lewis (Jr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: Lewis will keep busy in Jacksonville, as he is entered in the 100, 200 and 4 x 100 relay. The 100 represents his highest seed among the three events (No. 11), thanks to a 10.05 effort at the Florida Relays. Lewis is one of five CUSA men who will contest the 100 in Jacksonville, a group highlighted by conference champion Chance Cross of Kennesaw Sate. Last season, Lewis became the first Liberty men's 100 runner ever to reach the quarterfinal round at this meet. This time around, he aims to become the first Flame to reach the NCAA national championship in this event since Jacob Swinton in 1994.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Wednesday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Friday's quarterfinal round. On Friday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 10.44 to reach the quarterfinals (with plenty of headwinds involved) and 10.15 to advance to the national meet.
Men's 400
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 7:25 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Friday at 6:50 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Elijah Sherard (Fr., Lynchburg, Va.)
Outlook: Sherard is part of a youth movement in the 400, as he is one of 16 freshmen listed among the 48 competitors in the East Region. He set personal bests in the 200 (Liberty freshman-record 20.91 for fourth place) and 400 (Liberty freshman-record 46.02 for third place), while splitting 45.42 for the Flames' fourth-place 4 x 400 relay squad at the CUSA meet. As a result, Sherard was tabbed Men's Freshman of the Meet. One of only two Liberty freshmen making the trip to Jacksonville this week (also Allie Zealand), Sherard is one of five CUSA men's 400 runners who qualified for the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Wednesday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Friday's quarterfinal round. On Friday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 46.66 to reach the quarterfinals and 45.81 to advance to the national meet.
Men's 200
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 8:45 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Friday at 7:50 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Omari Lewis (Jr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: Coming off a personal-best 20.53 effort for third place in the CUSA final, Lewis will run the half-lap event at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the first time. If Lewis can run somewhere in the ballpark of Diamantae Griffin's program record of 20.38, he could become the first Flame (male or female) ever to advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at 200 meters.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Wednesday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Friday's quarterfinal round. On Friday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 20.75 to reach the quarterfinals (in races battling headwinds) and 20.38 to advance to the national meet.
Women's Hammer
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 10 a.m.
Liberty Competitor: Paola Bueno (Jr., Nayarit, Mexico)
Outlook: What will Bueno do for an encore after earning second team All-America honors with an 11th-place finish in the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships women's hammer final? She is currently seeded No. 13 in the East Region with a program-record mark of 212-8 at the Florida Relays. That has Bueno knocking on the door of the Mexican record of 218-3 from 2009. Three of the East Region's top 13 seeds in this event hail from CUSA, including conference champion Michaelle Valentin of FIU (No. 4), runner-up Kali Terza of Kennesaw State (No. 12) and third-place Bueno (No. 13). Bueno will attempt to become the first Liberty women's hammer thrower ever to make multiple NCAA Division I national appearances.
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three throws, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 197-5. Bueno has exceeded that distance on 16 different attempts thus far in 2025.
Women's Javelin
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Addilae Watts (Jr., New Castle, Pa.)
Outlook: Watts will throw the javelin at this meet for the third year in a row, following a 22nd-place showing as a Youngstown State freshman in 2023 and a 21st-place effort during her first year as as a Lady Flame in 2024. The junior is trending in the right direction, having placed first or second in each of her last five javelin competitions. That includes the CUSA Championship, where Watts pushed her own program record to 161-9 in a competition where the top five finishers will all be throwing in Jacksonville. Liberty has never sent a women's javelin athlete to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Lady Flames' top javelin finisher at this meet was Brenna Smith, who took 17th place in 2017.
Road to Eugene: All 48 javelin throwers in Jacksonville will receive three attempts, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 158-5.
Women's 100 Hurdles
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 6 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 6:15 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Indea Cartwright (R-Sr., Nassau, Bahamas)
Outlook: Cartwright will seek some redemption at this meet after falling late in her first round heat at the 2024 NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in Lexington, Ky. She has improved her program record to 13.09 this season (good for the East Region's No. 15 seed) and most recently finished as the CUSA women's 100 hurdles runner-up. Cartwright will try to become the Lady Flames' first-ever NCAA Division I national qualifier in the event.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 13.43 to reach the quarterfinal round and 13.25 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 1,500
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 6:30 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Allie Zealand (Fr., Forest, Va.)
Outlook: Zealand's first three meets running the 1,500 in a Liberty uniform have seen the freshman clock two of the fastest times in program history (4:15.67 at the Bryan Clay Invitational and 4:14.84 at the Duke Twilight) and win the CUSA title. Now she will become the first Lady Flame to contest the 1,500 at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet since Jennifer Klugh in 2012. Zealand is seeded No. 24 overall in the East Region and second to Michigan State's Rachel Forsyth among freshmen. Her mother and coach (Heather [Sagan] Zealand) was Liberty's last national qualifier at 1,500 meters, claiming the national runner-up spot in 2002. Her time from that race (4:14.71) still ranks as the program record.
Road to Eugene: The top five finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next four fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top five finishers in each heat and the next two fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 4:17.46 to reach the quarterfinal round and 4:10.13 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 100
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 7 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 6:35 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Reese Webster (Jr., San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago) and Akilah Lewis (R-Sr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: After finishing 2-3 in the CUSA women's 100 final, Trinidad and Tobago natives Reese Webster and Akilah Lewis will give the Lady Flames multiple women's 100 runners at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the first time. No Lady Flame has ever advanced to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in this event. Lewis was just one spot and two hundredths of a second away from reaching Eugene in this event in 2023 while competing for Minnesota. Webster will be competing as a 23-year-old for the first time after celebrating her birthday on May 21. Webster's personal best of 11.24 is just off the program record (11.23) set by Isis Brooks while she just missed advancing to Eugene in 2023.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 11.44 to reach the quarterfinal round and 11.26 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 800
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 7:50 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Kate Goodyear (R-Sr., Elizabethtown, Pa.)
Outlook: Goodyear's last 800-meter race saw her lower her own program record to 2:04.36, which was good for second place in the CUSA final and in meet history. That effort enabled her to return to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the second year in a row. No Lady Flame has ever advanced to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in this event, and Delaney McDowell (2018) was Liberty's most recent women's 800 competitor to reach the quarterfinal round. The entire CUSA podium will be in action in Jacksonville, including champion Emma Sullivan of Kennesaw State, runner-up Goodyear and third-place Privillege Chikara of Middle Tennessee.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 2:05.03 to reach the quarterfinal round and 2:02.73 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 200
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 8:45 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 7:50 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Reese Webster (Jr., San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: Reese Webster has only contested the 200 twice this season, but the first of those efforts was an impressive 23.14 clocking into a headwind at the Florida Relays. That effort made Webster just the third Lady Flame (also Abigail Flower and Isis Brooks) ever to reach the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in this event. As in the 100, Webster (23.14 outdoor best) is knocking on the door of Isis Brooks' program record (23.09) and hopes to become the Lady Flames' first-ever NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships qualifier.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 23.36 to reach the quarterfinal round and 23.06 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 10K
Event Schedule: Semifinals – Thursday at 9:10 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Adelyn Fairley (R-Sr., Mears, Mich.)
Outlook: Both of Fairley's 10K races this season have been impressive. She clocked 33:29.29 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, lowering her program record by 20 seconds. Then Fairley won the CUSA title by 11 seconds. Fairley hopes her third 10K of the year results in the Lady Flames' first NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships qualification in this event since 2007 (Carol Jefferson). Fairley competed in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships this past fall, but the closest she has come to making a national appearance on the track came in 2022. That year, Fairley came in 14th in the NCAA Division I East First Rounds 10K, just two spots away from Eugene.
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes will compete together in one race Thursday evening, with the first 12 runners to cross the finish line punching their tickets to Eugene. Last year, 12th place clocked 33:13.06.
Men's Discus
Event Schedule: First Round – Friday at 1 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Christian Hicks (R-Jr., Romney, W.Va.) and Beau Backes (R-Sr., Lindstrom, Minn.)
Outlook: For the fourth year in a row, Liberty will bring multiple men's discus throwers to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet. Christian Hicks and Beau Backes will become the first two Liberty men's athletes to throw the discus at this meet three times. CUSA champion Hicks is the No. 18 seed with his personal best of 188-3 from the Florida Relays and owns the best previous NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet finish between the duo (28th place in 2024).
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three throws, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 184-9.
Men's Triple Jump
Event Schedule: First Round – Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Joshua Smith (Jr., South Fulton, Ga.)
Outlook: Smith provided one of the Flames' most exciting moments of the CUSA meet, triple jumping a personal-best 50-11 on the competition's final attempt to catapult from fourth place to first. Now the junior will make his NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet debut, becoming the first Flame to compete in this event since 2018, when Darrel Jones successfully advanced to Eugene. Many of Smith's best jumps during his career have come in round six, but he will only get three attempts in Jacksonville. This is another event where all three All-CUSA performers will compete in Jacksonville, also including runner-up Justin Campbell of Kennesaw State and third-place Lloyd Hill Jr. of Kennesaw State.
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three attempts, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 51-8.5.
Men's 4 x 100 Relay
Event Schedule: Quarterfinals – Friday at 5 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Eddy Vu (Jr., Shirley, N.Y.), Troy McKnight (R-Sr., Dallas, Texas), Revell Webster (So., San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago) and Omari Lewis (Jr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: Another of Liberty's top highlights of the CUSA meet in Murfreesboro came in the men's 4 x 100 relay. Omari Lewis' incredible anchor leg brought the Flames from fifth place to first in a season-best 39.27 clocking. That has Liberty seeded No. 13 during its first NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet appearance since 2022. The 2022 squad successfully qualified to Eugene, where it set the still-standing program record of 39.08. Liberty's lineup features a pair of veterans who ran this event for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2023 World Championships (Omari Lewis and Revell Webster) and two first-year Flames (Eddy Vu and Troy McKnight). McKnight previously competed in the 4 x 100 for Little Rock during the 2022 NCAA Division I West First Rounds meet. No CUSA men's 4 x 100 relay team has reached the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships since 2019 (WKU).
Road to Eugene: There will be three quarterfinal heats of the men's 4 x 100 relay contested on Friday with the top three teams in each section and the next three fastest qualifiers moving on to Eugene. Last year, it required a time of 39.29 to grab the final time qualifier.
Women's 4 x 100 Relay
Event Schedule: Quarterfinals – Saturday at 5 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Iyana Sherard (So., Lynchburg, Va.), Reese Webster (Jr., San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago), Mahogany Mobley (Sr., Lithia Springs, Ga.) and Akilah Lewis (R-Sr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: The Lady Flames have only successfully completed one 4 x 100 relay race this season, but their 44.61 effort in the Florida Relays prelims broke the program record and earned the 24th and final berth into the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet. The last time the Lady Flames ran the 4 x 100 relay at this event was 2018, the same year they set the Liberty record (44.80) that stood until this year. The Lady Flames' current lineup is headlined by Trinidad and Tobago natives on both straightaways (Reese Webster on the backstretch and Akilah Lewis on the anchor). Lewis, a 2024 Paris Olympian in this event, will attempt to qualify for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 4 x 100 for the fourth year in a row. She helped Minnesota make it in 2022 and 2023 and was part of Ole Miss' national championship 4 x 100 quartet a year ago. Iyana Sherard will step in as the Lady Flames' leadoff runner in Jacksonville. She has been one of the team's biggest breakthrough performers as a sophomore, lowering her 200 time from 25.29 to 23.84. Sherard's addition to the squad means three members of the 4 x 100 relay team will have their siblings also competing in Jacksonville this week (Iyana and Elijah Sherard, Reese and Revell Webster and Akilah and Omari Lewis). No CUSA women's 4 x 100 relay team has reached the national meet since 2015 (WKU), and the Lady Flames have yet to reach the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in this event.
Road to Eugene: There will be three quarterfinal heats of the women's 4 x 100 relay contested on Saturday with the top three teams in each section and the next three fastest qualifiers moving on to Eugene. Last year, it required a time of 43.87 to grab the final time qualifier.
Women's Steeplechase
Event Schedule: Quarterfinals – Saturday at 5:40 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Marie Hostetler (R-Sr., Wellman, Iowa) and Katrina Schlenker (Jr., Batavia, Ill.)
Outlook: Calli Doan has graduated after earning women's steeplechase All-America honors each of the past two seasons. But she is now helping to coach a deep and successful steeplechase crew which scored 26 points in the CUSA final. Conference champion Marie Hostetler and runner-up Katrina Schlenker will both make their NCAA Division I East First Rounds debuts Saturday evening. They are the two fastest Lady Flames in program history not named Doan.
Road to Eugene: Saturday will feature three heats of the steeplechase. The top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest time qualifiers will punch their tickets to Eugene. Last season, a time of 10:08.00 was necessary for national qualification.
Women's 5K
Event Schedule: Semifinals – Saturday at 8:10 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Adelyn Fairley (R-Sr., Mears, Mich.)
Outlook: Fairley will wrap up Liberty's stay in Jacksonville with her second distance race in three nights. The CUSA 5K runner-up was the Lady Flames' most recent 5K participant at this meet, placing 17th in Jacksonville in 2021. Ednah Kurgat (2016) was Liberty's most recent women's 5K runner to successfully advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Fairley's season-best 5K time of 15:57.55 at the Bryan Clay Invitational came one night after she had clocked a program-record 33:29.29 10K.
Road to Eugene: Saturday will feature two heats of the women's 5K. The top five finishers in each section and the next two fastest qualifiers will move on to Eugene. Last year, 15:51.27 was the final time to make it in.
At both the Jacksonville and College Station, Texas sites, 48 athletes will compete in each individual event and 24 teams will race in each relay. The top 12 finishers in each event at each of the two locations will punch their tickets to the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, to be contested June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
North Florida is hosting the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the eighth time in the meet's 15-year history.
This year's meet will get started Wednesday at 10 a.m. with the men's hammer. Men's events will be contested on Wednesday and Friday, with women's events scheduled for Thursday and Saturday.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Live video streaming coverage of each day's running events will be available on ESPN+. Coverage will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Live results, including lap-by-lap splits and in-progress field event updates, will be provided by Flash Results.
Weather Report
The forecast for Wednesday through Saturday is pretty typical for Jacksonville, with highs in the upper-80s and low-90s each day and scattered showers and thunderstorms expected throughout the meet.
NCAA First Rounds Event Capsules (Organized Chronologically)
Men's Hammer
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Liberty Competitor: Kellen Kimes (So., Ludington, Mich.)
Outlook: After placing 44th at this meet as a freshman in 2024, Kimes returns as a bona fide contender to advance to Eugene. He enters as the No. 12 seed, thanks to a personal-best mark of 219-5 at the Pacific Coast Invitational in April. The only two Flames in program history ever to throw the hammer farther (Jon Hart – 2007 and 2008 and John Hicks – 2024) both advanced to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, but neither got there as a sophomore. Four CUSA hammer throwers will compete in Jacksonville, including the entire podium (champion Donald Lamp of LA Tech, runner-up Kimes and third-place Jase Hunter of Kennesaw State).
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three throws, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 212-1.
Men's Long Jump
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Markus White (So., Lynchburg, Va.)
Outlook: One of the newest faces on the Liberty roster, White has made an immediate impact. During his fourth long jump competition as a Flame, White finished as the CUSA runner-up with a Liberty-record leap of 25-8. That eclipsed Chad Wilson's program record which had stood since 2004, the same year Wilson became the only Liberty men's long jumper to date to compete at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. White, who long jumped at the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships a year ago as a Virginia State freshman, enjoyed a consistent series in Murfreesboro. White's five legal marks included a pair of 25-8 efforts, a 25-6.75 jump and two 25-6 performances. CUSA's top four finishers will be long jumping in Jacksonville, including champion Kaelen Mitchell of Kennesaw State, runner-up White, third-place Jeremiah Sims of Kennesaw State and fourth-place Sterling Weldon of Western Kentucky.
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three jumps, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 24-7.75 in a competition which saw many athletes battle headwinds.
Men's 100
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Friday at 6:35 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Omari Lewis (Jr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: Lewis will keep busy in Jacksonville, as he is entered in the 100, 200 and 4 x 100 relay. The 100 represents his highest seed among the three events (No. 11), thanks to a 10.05 effort at the Florida Relays. Lewis is one of five CUSA men who will contest the 100 in Jacksonville, a group highlighted by conference champion Chance Cross of Kennesaw Sate. Last season, Lewis became the first Liberty men's 100 runner ever to reach the quarterfinal round at this meet. This time around, he aims to become the first Flame to reach the NCAA national championship in this event since Jacob Swinton in 1994.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Wednesday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Friday's quarterfinal round. On Friday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 10.44 to reach the quarterfinals (with plenty of headwinds involved) and 10.15 to advance to the national meet.
Men's 400
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 7:25 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Friday at 6:50 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Elijah Sherard (Fr., Lynchburg, Va.)
Outlook: Sherard is part of a youth movement in the 400, as he is one of 16 freshmen listed among the 48 competitors in the East Region. He set personal bests in the 200 (Liberty freshman-record 20.91 for fourth place) and 400 (Liberty freshman-record 46.02 for third place), while splitting 45.42 for the Flames' fourth-place 4 x 400 relay squad at the CUSA meet. As a result, Sherard was tabbed Men's Freshman of the Meet. One of only two Liberty freshmen making the trip to Jacksonville this week (also Allie Zealand), Sherard is one of five CUSA men's 400 runners who qualified for the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Wednesday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Friday's quarterfinal round. On Friday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 46.66 to reach the quarterfinals and 45.81 to advance to the national meet.
Men's 200
Event Schedule: First Round – Wednesday at 8:45 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Friday at 7:50 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Omari Lewis (Jr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: Coming off a personal-best 20.53 effort for third place in the CUSA final, Lewis will run the half-lap event at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the first time. If Lewis can run somewhere in the ballpark of Diamantae Griffin's program record of 20.38, he could become the first Flame (male or female) ever to advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at 200 meters.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Wednesday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Friday's quarterfinal round. On Friday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 20.75 to reach the quarterfinals (in races battling headwinds) and 20.38 to advance to the national meet.
Women's Hammer
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 10 a.m.
Liberty Competitor: Paola Bueno (Jr., Nayarit, Mexico)
Outlook: What will Bueno do for an encore after earning second team All-America honors with an 11th-place finish in the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships women's hammer final? She is currently seeded No. 13 in the East Region with a program-record mark of 212-8 at the Florida Relays. That has Bueno knocking on the door of the Mexican record of 218-3 from 2009. Three of the East Region's top 13 seeds in this event hail from CUSA, including conference champion Michaelle Valentin of FIU (No. 4), runner-up Kali Terza of Kennesaw State (No. 12) and third-place Bueno (No. 13). Bueno will attempt to become the first Liberty women's hammer thrower ever to make multiple NCAA Division I national appearances.
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three throws, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 197-5. Bueno has exceeded that distance on 16 different attempts thus far in 2025.
Women's Javelin
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Addilae Watts (Jr., New Castle, Pa.)
Outlook: Watts will throw the javelin at this meet for the third year in a row, following a 22nd-place showing as a Youngstown State freshman in 2023 and a 21st-place effort during her first year as as a Lady Flame in 2024. The junior is trending in the right direction, having placed first or second in each of her last five javelin competitions. That includes the CUSA Championship, where Watts pushed her own program record to 161-9 in a competition where the top five finishers will all be throwing in Jacksonville. Liberty has never sent a women's javelin athlete to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Lady Flames' top javelin finisher at this meet was Brenna Smith, who took 17th place in 2017.
Road to Eugene: All 48 javelin throwers in Jacksonville will receive three attempts, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 158-5.
Women's 100 Hurdles
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 6 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 6:15 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Indea Cartwright (R-Sr., Nassau, Bahamas)
Outlook: Cartwright will seek some redemption at this meet after falling late in her first round heat at the 2024 NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in Lexington, Ky. She has improved her program record to 13.09 this season (good for the East Region's No. 15 seed) and most recently finished as the CUSA women's 100 hurdles runner-up. Cartwright will try to become the Lady Flames' first-ever NCAA Division I national qualifier in the event.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 13.43 to reach the quarterfinal round and 13.25 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 1,500
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 6:30 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Allie Zealand (Fr., Forest, Va.)
Outlook: Zealand's first three meets running the 1,500 in a Liberty uniform have seen the freshman clock two of the fastest times in program history (4:15.67 at the Bryan Clay Invitational and 4:14.84 at the Duke Twilight) and win the CUSA title. Now she will become the first Lady Flame to contest the 1,500 at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet since Jennifer Klugh in 2012. Zealand is seeded No. 24 overall in the East Region and second to Michigan State's Rachel Forsyth among freshmen. Her mother and coach (Heather [Sagan] Zealand) was Liberty's last national qualifier at 1,500 meters, claiming the national runner-up spot in 2002. Her time from that race (4:14.71) still ranks as the program record.
Road to Eugene: The top five finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next four fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top five finishers in each heat and the next two fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 4:17.46 to reach the quarterfinal round and 4:10.13 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 100
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 7 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 6:35 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Reese Webster (Jr., San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago) and Akilah Lewis (R-Sr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: After finishing 2-3 in the CUSA women's 100 final, Trinidad and Tobago natives Reese Webster and Akilah Lewis will give the Lady Flames multiple women's 100 runners at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the first time. No Lady Flame has ever advanced to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in this event. Lewis was just one spot and two hundredths of a second away from reaching Eugene in this event in 2023 while competing for Minnesota. Webster will be competing as a 23-year-old for the first time after celebrating her birthday on May 21. Webster's personal best of 11.24 is just off the program record (11.23) set by Isis Brooks while she just missed advancing to Eugene in 2023.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 11.44 to reach the quarterfinal round and 11.26 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 800
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 7:50 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Kate Goodyear (R-Sr., Elizabethtown, Pa.)
Outlook: Goodyear's last 800-meter race saw her lower her own program record to 2:04.36, which was good for second place in the CUSA final and in meet history. That effort enabled her to return to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the second year in a row. No Lady Flame has ever advanced to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in this event, and Delaney McDowell (2018) was Liberty's most recent women's 800 competitor to reach the quarterfinal round. The entire CUSA podium will be in action in Jacksonville, including champion Emma Sullivan of Kennesaw State, runner-up Goodyear and third-place Privillege Chikara of Middle Tennessee.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 2:05.03 to reach the quarterfinal round and 2:02.73 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 200
Event Schedule: First Round – Thursday at 8:45 p.m.; Quarterfinals – Saturday at 7:50 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Reese Webster (Jr., San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: Reese Webster has only contested the 200 twice this season, but the first of those efforts was an impressive 23.14 clocking into a headwind at the Florida Relays. That effort made Webster just the third Lady Flame (also Abigail Flower and Isis Brooks) ever to reach the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in this event. As in the 100, Webster (23.14 outdoor best) is knocking on the door of Isis Brooks' program record (23.09) and hopes to become the Lady Flames' first-ever NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships qualifier.
Road to Eugene: The top three finishers in each of Thursday's first-round heats and the next six fastest time qualifiers will move on to Saturday's quarterfinal round. On Saturday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest qualifiers will advance to Eugene. Last season, it took 23.36 to reach the quarterfinal round and 23.06 to qualify for the national meet.
Women's 10K
Event Schedule: Semifinals – Thursday at 9:10 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Adelyn Fairley (R-Sr., Mears, Mich.)
Outlook: Both of Fairley's 10K races this season have been impressive. She clocked 33:29.29 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, lowering her program record by 20 seconds. Then Fairley won the CUSA title by 11 seconds. Fairley hopes her third 10K of the year results in the Lady Flames' first NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships qualification in this event since 2007 (Carol Jefferson). Fairley competed in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships this past fall, but the closest she has come to making a national appearance on the track came in 2022. That year, Fairley came in 14th in the NCAA Division I East First Rounds 10K, just two spots away from Eugene.
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes will compete together in one race Thursday evening, with the first 12 runners to cross the finish line punching their tickets to Eugene. Last year, 12th place clocked 33:13.06.
Men's Discus
Event Schedule: First Round – Friday at 1 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Christian Hicks (R-Jr., Romney, W.Va.) and Beau Backes (R-Sr., Lindstrom, Minn.)
Outlook: For the fourth year in a row, Liberty will bring multiple men's discus throwers to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet. Christian Hicks and Beau Backes will become the first two Liberty men's athletes to throw the discus at this meet three times. CUSA champion Hicks is the No. 18 seed with his personal best of 188-3 from the Florida Relays and owns the best previous NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet finish between the duo (28th place in 2024).
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three throws, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 184-9.
Men's Triple Jump
Event Schedule: First Round – Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Joshua Smith (Jr., South Fulton, Ga.)
Outlook: Smith provided one of the Flames' most exciting moments of the CUSA meet, triple jumping a personal-best 50-11 on the competition's final attempt to catapult from fourth place to first. Now the junior will make his NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet debut, becoming the first Flame to compete in this event since 2018, when Darrel Jones successfully advanced to Eugene. Many of Smith's best jumps during his career have come in round six, but he will only get three attempts in Jacksonville. This is another event where all three All-CUSA performers will compete in Jacksonville, also including runner-up Justin Campbell of Kennesaw State and third-place Lloyd Hill Jr. of Kennesaw State.
Road to Eugene: All 48 athletes in Jacksonville will take three attempts, with the top 12 finishers advancing to Eugene. Last year, 12th place measured 51-8.5.
Men's 4 x 100 Relay
Event Schedule: Quarterfinals – Friday at 5 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Eddy Vu (Jr., Shirley, N.Y.), Troy McKnight (R-Sr., Dallas, Texas), Revell Webster (So., San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago) and Omari Lewis (Jr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: Another of Liberty's top highlights of the CUSA meet in Murfreesboro came in the men's 4 x 100 relay. Omari Lewis' incredible anchor leg brought the Flames from fifth place to first in a season-best 39.27 clocking. That has Liberty seeded No. 13 during its first NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet appearance since 2022. The 2022 squad successfully qualified to Eugene, where it set the still-standing program record of 39.08. Liberty's lineup features a pair of veterans who ran this event for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2023 World Championships (Omari Lewis and Revell Webster) and two first-year Flames (Eddy Vu and Troy McKnight). McKnight previously competed in the 4 x 100 for Little Rock during the 2022 NCAA Division I West First Rounds meet. No CUSA men's 4 x 100 relay team has reached the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships since 2019 (WKU).
Road to Eugene: There will be three quarterfinal heats of the men's 4 x 100 relay contested on Friday with the top three teams in each section and the next three fastest qualifiers moving on to Eugene. Last year, it required a time of 39.29 to grab the final time qualifier.
Women's 4 x 100 Relay
Event Schedule: Quarterfinals – Saturday at 5 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Iyana Sherard (So., Lynchburg, Va.), Reese Webster (Jr., San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago), Mahogany Mobley (Sr., Lithia Springs, Ga.) and Akilah Lewis (R-Sr., Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
Outlook: The Lady Flames have only successfully completed one 4 x 100 relay race this season, but their 44.61 effort in the Florida Relays prelims broke the program record and earned the 24th and final berth into the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet. The last time the Lady Flames ran the 4 x 100 relay at this event was 2018, the same year they set the Liberty record (44.80) that stood until this year. The Lady Flames' current lineup is headlined by Trinidad and Tobago natives on both straightaways (Reese Webster on the backstretch and Akilah Lewis on the anchor). Lewis, a 2024 Paris Olympian in this event, will attempt to qualify for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 4 x 100 for the fourth year in a row. She helped Minnesota make it in 2022 and 2023 and was part of Ole Miss' national championship 4 x 100 quartet a year ago. Iyana Sherard will step in as the Lady Flames' leadoff runner in Jacksonville. She has been one of the team's biggest breakthrough performers as a sophomore, lowering her 200 time from 25.29 to 23.84. Sherard's addition to the squad means three members of the 4 x 100 relay team will have their siblings also competing in Jacksonville this week (Iyana and Elijah Sherard, Reese and Revell Webster and Akilah and Omari Lewis). No CUSA women's 4 x 100 relay team has reached the national meet since 2015 (WKU), and the Lady Flames have yet to reach the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in this event.
Road to Eugene: There will be three quarterfinal heats of the women's 4 x 100 relay contested on Saturday with the top three teams in each section and the next three fastest qualifiers moving on to Eugene. Last year, it required a time of 43.87 to grab the final time qualifier.
Women's Steeplechase
Event Schedule: Quarterfinals – Saturday at 5:40 p.m.
Liberty Competitors: Marie Hostetler (R-Sr., Wellman, Iowa) and Katrina Schlenker (Jr., Batavia, Ill.)
Outlook: Calli Doan has graduated after earning women's steeplechase All-America honors each of the past two seasons. But she is now helping to coach a deep and successful steeplechase crew which scored 26 points in the CUSA final. Conference champion Marie Hostetler and runner-up Katrina Schlenker will both make their NCAA Division I East First Rounds debuts Saturday evening. They are the two fastest Lady Flames in program history not named Doan.
Road to Eugene: Saturday will feature three heats of the steeplechase. The top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest time qualifiers will punch their tickets to Eugene. Last season, a time of 10:08.00 was necessary for national qualification.
Women's 5K
Event Schedule: Semifinals – Saturday at 8:10 p.m.
Liberty Competitor: Adelyn Fairley (R-Sr., Mears, Mich.)
Outlook: Fairley will wrap up Liberty's stay in Jacksonville with her second distance race in three nights. The CUSA 5K runner-up was the Lady Flames' most recent 5K participant at this meet, placing 17th in Jacksonville in 2021. Ednah Kurgat (2016) was Liberty's most recent women's 5K runner to successfully advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Fairley's season-best 5K time of 15:57.55 at the Bryan Clay Invitational came one night after she had clocked a program-record 33:29.29 10K.
Road to Eugene: Saturday will feature two heats of the women's 5K. The top five finishers in each section and the next two fastest qualifiers will move on to Eugene. Last year, 15:51.27 was the final time to make it in.
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/ Track and FieldCoach Zealand & Ryann Aycock Give An Update On The Cross Country Season
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Friday, May 02