Saturday, May 31
Jacksonville, Fla.
5:00 PM ET
Liberty University
at
NCAA Division I East First Rounds
(L-R): Coach Heather Zealand and Allie Zealand celebrate after the women's 1,500
Zealand Qualifies for Eugene with Record-Breaking 4:09.76 1,500
5/31/2025 10:01:00 PM | Track and Field
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Competing in the biggest race of her young collegiate career, Liberty freshman Allie Zealand rose to the occasion, Saturday at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet. She clocked a 1,500 time of 4:09.76 to shatter the program record and advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Zealand will be one of three Liberty competitors at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, joining the hammer throwing duo of Paola Bueno and Kellen Kimes. Zealand was the most unlikely national qualifier among the trio, arriving in Jacksonville as the East Region's No. 24 seed and with a season best of 4:14.84.
In a women's 1,500 quarterfinal heat which featured three of the top 10 performers in NCAA history, Zealand more than held her own. She crossed the line in 4:09.76 for sixth place in the heat, earning a time qualifier to Eugene.
Zealand will be the first Lady Flame to contest the women's 1,500 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships since 2002, when her mother and coach (Heather Sagan Zealand) finished as the national runner-up. Sagan's 4:14.71 clocking from the 2002 national final stood as the program record for 23 years before her daughter shattered it on Saturday.
At 18 years of age, Zealand became the eighth American U20 runner ever to break 4:10 in the 1,500.
Zealand will be one of two freshmen to toe the starting line in the women's 1,500 at Hayward Field in two weeks, joining New Mexico's Judy Rono. Zealand's NCAA national semifinal race is slated for June 12 at 7:21 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Zealand was not the first Liberty record setter on Saturday. That honor went to the women's 4 x 100 relay quartet of Iyana Sherard, Reese Webster, Mahogany Mobley and Akilah Lewis. Their time of 44.49 took down the previous standard of 44.61 set by Indea Cartwright, Webster, Mobley and Lewis at the Florida Relays on April 4. The Lady Flames finished 20th overall in their first NCAA Division I East First Rounds 4 x 100 relay appearance since 2018.
The Lady Flames broke a total of five program records at Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium this week, also including new standards in the women's 800 (2:03.99 by Kate Goodyear), 10K (33:25.95 by Adelyn Fairley) and hammer (215-7 by Bueno) during Thursday's action.
Webster went on to make her NCAA Division I East First Rounds quarterfinal debut in the women's 100. The junior clocked 11.33 for fifth place in her heat and 16th overall.
Katrina Schlenker paced the Lady Flames in the women's steeplechase, posting a big personal-best time of 10:15.75 for 21st place. CUSA champion Marie Hostetler closed out her career with a 31st-place finish in 10:27.59.
Two nights after running a 10K school-record time of 33:25.95, Fairley posted her fourth sub-16:00 5K effort as a Lady Flame (15:59.66). That was good for 24th place, capping off the career of one of the top women's distance runners in program history. Fairley finishes as a 10-time conference champion and an 18-time all-conference performer between track & field and cross country.
Women's NCAA Division I National Qualifiers
Allie Zealand – 1,500 – 4:09.76
Women's Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Allie Zealand – 1,500 – 4:09.76
Previous Record: 4:14.71 by Heather Sagan at the NCAA Championship on June 1, 2002
Liberty Record – Iyana Sherard, Reese Webster, Mahogany Mobley, Akilah Lewis – 4 x 100 Relay – 44.49
Previous Record: 44.61 by Cartwright, Webster, Mobley and Lewis at the Florida Relays on April 4
Liberty Freshman Record – Allie Zealand – 1,500 – 4:09.76
Previous Record: 4:14.84 by Zealand at the Duke Twilight on May 4
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 1 – 1,500 – Allie Zealand – 4:09.76
No. 1 – 4 x 100 – Sherard, Webster, Mobley, Lewis – 44.49
No. 3 – Steeplechase – Katrina Schlenker – 10:15.75
Up Next
Kellen Kimes will be Liberty's first competitor at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., throwing the hammer on June 11 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+.
Zealand will be one of three Liberty competitors at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, joining the hammer throwing duo of Paola Bueno and Kellen Kimes. Zealand was the most unlikely national qualifier among the trio, arriving in Jacksonville as the East Region's No. 24 seed and with a season best of 4:14.84.
In a women's 1,500 quarterfinal heat which featured three of the top 10 performers in NCAA history, Zealand more than held her own. She crossed the line in 4:09.76 for sixth place in the heat, earning a time qualifier to Eugene.
Zealand will be the first Lady Flame to contest the women's 1,500 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships since 2002, when her mother and coach (Heather Sagan Zealand) finished as the national runner-up. Sagan's 4:14.71 clocking from the 2002 national final stood as the program record for 23 years before her daughter shattered it on Saturday.
At 18 years of age, Zealand became the eighth American U20 runner ever to break 4:10 in the 1,500.
Zealand will be one of two freshmen to toe the starting line in the women's 1,500 at Hayward Field in two weeks, joining New Mexico's Judy Rono. Zealand's NCAA national semifinal race is slated for June 12 at 7:21 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Zealand was not the first Liberty record setter on Saturday. That honor went to the women's 4 x 100 relay quartet of Iyana Sherard, Reese Webster, Mahogany Mobley and Akilah Lewis. Their time of 44.49 took down the previous standard of 44.61 set by Indea Cartwright, Webster, Mobley and Lewis at the Florida Relays on April 4. The Lady Flames finished 20th overall in their first NCAA Division I East First Rounds 4 x 100 relay appearance since 2018.
The Lady Flames broke a total of five program records at Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium this week, also including new standards in the women's 800 (2:03.99 by Kate Goodyear), 10K (33:25.95 by Adelyn Fairley) and hammer (215-7 by Bueno) during Thursday's action.
Webster went on to make her NCAA Division I East First Rounds quarterfinal debut in the women's 100. The junior clocked 11.33 for fifth place in her heat and 16th overall.
Katrina Schlenker paced the Lady Flames in the women's steeplechase, posting a big personal-best time of 10:15.75 for 21st place. CUSA champion Marie Hostetler closed out her career with a 31st-place finish in 10:27.59.
Two nights after running a 10K school-record time of 33:25.95, Fairley posted her fourth sub-16:00 5K effort as a Lady Flame (15:59.66). That was good for 24th place, capping off the career of one of the top women's distance runners in program history. Fairley finishes as a 10-time conference champion and an 18-time all-conference performer between track & field and cross country.
Women's NCAA Division I National Qualifiers
Allie Zealand – 1,500 – 4:09.76
Women's Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Allie Zealand – 1,500 – 4:09.76
Previous Record: 4:14.71 by Heather Sagan at the NCAA Championship on June 1, 2002
Liberty Record – Iyana Sherard, Reese Webster, Mahogany Mobley, Akilah Lewis – 4 x 100 Relay – 44.49
Previous Record: 44.61 by Cartwright, Webster, Mobley and Lewis at the Florida Relays on April 4
Liberty Freshman Record – Allie Zealand – 1,500 – 4:09.76
Previous Record: 4:14.84 by Zealand at the Duke Twilight on May 4
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 1 – 1,500 – Allie Zealand – 4:09.76
No. 1 – 4 x 100 – Sherard, Webster, Mobley, Lewis – 44.49
No. 3 – Steeplechase – Katrina Schlenker – 10:15.75
Up Next
Kellen Kimes will be Liberty's first competitor at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., throwing the hammer on June 11 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
Hammer
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Mid-distance
/ Track and Field
Mid-distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
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