Saturday, March 21
Charlottesville, Va.
11:00 AM ET
Liberty University
at
Virginia Opener
Josh Blalock (left) returns to defend his CUSA 400 hurdles title in 2026.
Liberty Track to Open 2026 Outdoor Campaign at UVA
3/19/2026 2:02:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty will kick off its 2026 outdoor track & field season on Saturday, heading up Route 29 for the Virginia Opener at Lannigan Field in Charlottesville, Va.
The low-key competition will pit the Flames against competitors from Navy, Virginia and Virginia Tech. The women's javelin will get the one-day meet started at 11 a.m.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Live results will be available, courtesy of Flash Results.
Weather Report
Saturday should be a pleasant day for track & field in Charlottesville, with a high temperature around 70 degrees under mostly cloudy skies.
Outdoor Outlook
Some of the Flames' most talented returnees and promising newcomers will get their first chance to contest outdoor-only events in Charlottesville.
400 Hurdles
Josh Blalock will enter his senior season as the defending CUSA champion in the men's 400 hurdles. He lowered his personal best to 51.75 last year, climbing to No. 9 on Liberty's all-time list.
Blalock will be joined in the event by a pair of Michigan natives. Patrick Adams III (52.20 personal best) placed seventh in the NAIA national final a year ago. Meanwhile, Wallace Tupper II clocked 38.71 for the 300 hurdles in high school.
On the women's side, freshmen Lucy Hauser (44.23), Alivia Rivera-Norman (42.77) and Adelle Schlotterback (43.90) all posted impressive high school 300 hurdles times.
Discus
Redshirt senior Christian Hicks headlines a talented discus squad. The defending champion just missed NCAA national qualification by one spot last season and moved up to No. 5 in program history at 188-3.
Fellow senior Beau Backes is a three-time NCAA Division I East First Rounds qualifier, while Trevor Veenstra placed fourth in the CUSA discus as a freshman in 2025.
A Liberty freshman (Bethany Tate) also came in fourth in the CUSA women's discus competition a year ago and is coming off a CUSA indoor shot put crown. Ellie Stine is the Lady Flames' top freshman in the discus this season, following an Oklahoma 4A state title and a school record of 154-2 from 2025.
Javelin
Ben Shughart, who finished 21st in the men's javelin at the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, will return to action after an injury sidelined him in 2025. The redshirt senior sits No. 4 in program history at 226-9.
A pair of talented freshmen will also debut on Saturday, including Nathan Haas on the men's side and Isabella Frattura for the Lady Flames. Haas captured the 2025 Pennsylvania AAA state title with a personal-best 204-4 heave. Frattura's personal-best 150-3 effort earned her second straight New Jersey Meet of Champions crown last season.
Hammer
First-year Lady Flame Sophie Gonzalez owns the Guatemalan national record at 204-4. She also qualified for the 2023 NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in the hammer while competing for Wake Forest.
Up Next
Liberty will send athletes to a pair of meets next week, including the Raleigh Relays (March 26-27 at NC State) and Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational (March 27-28 at the University of Lynchburg).
The low-key competition will pit the Flames against competitors from Navy, Virginia and Virginia Tech. The women's javelin will get the one-day meet started at 11 a.m.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
Live results will be available, courtesy of Flash Results.
Weather Report
Saturday should be a pleasant day for track & field in Charlottesville, with a high temperature around 70 degrees under mostly cloudy skies.
Outdoor Outlook
Some of the Flames' most talented returnees and promising newcomers will get their first chance to contest outdoor-only events in Charlottesville.
400 Hurdles
Josh Blalock will enter his senior season as the defending CUSA champion in the men's 400 hurdles. He lowered his personal best to 51.75 last year, climbing to No. 9 on Liberty's all-time list.
Blalock will be joined in the event by a pair of Michigan natives. Patrick Adams III (52.20 personal best) placed seventh in the NAIA national final a year ago. Meanwhile, Wallace Tupper II clocked 38.71 for the 300 hurdles in high school.
On the women's side, freshmen Lucy Hauser (44.23), Alivia Rivera-Norman (42.77) and Adelle Schlotterback (43.90) all posted impressive high school 300 hurdles times.
Discus
Redshirt senior Christian Hicks headlines a talented discus squad. The defending champion just missed NCAA national qualification by one spot last season and moved up to No. 5 in program history at 188-3.
Fellow senior Beau Backes is a three-time NCAA Division I East First Rounds qualifier, while Trevor Veenstra placed fourth in the CUSA discus as a freshman in 2025.
A Liberty freshman (Bethany Tate) also came in fourth in the CUSA women's discus competition a year ago and is coming off a CUSA indoor shot put crown. Ellie Stine is the Lady Flames' top freshman in the discus this season, following an Oklahoma 4A state title and a school record of 154-2 from 2025.
Javelin
Ben Shughart, who finished 21st in the men's javelin at the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, will return to action after an injury sidelined him in 2025. The redshirt senior sits No. 4 in program history at 226-9.
A pair of talented freshmen will also debut on Saturday, including Nathan Haas on the men's side and Isabella Frattura for the Lady Flames. Haas captured the 2025 Pennsylvania AAA state title with a personal-best 204-4 heave. Frattura's personal-best 150-3 effort earned her second straight New Jersey Meet of Champions crown last season.
Hammer
First-year Lady Flame Sophie Gonzalez owns the Guatemalan national record at 204-4. She also qualified for the 2023 NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in the hammer while competing for Wake Forest.
Up Next
Liberty will send athletes to a pair of meets next week, including the Raleigh Relays (March 26-27 at NC State) and Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational (March 27-28 at the University of Lynchburg).
Players Mentioned
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Hammer
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and FieldPaola Bueno: Representing Liberty and Mexico
Thursday, January 29
The Sherard Family: On the Court and on the Track
Wednesday, January 21
Allie Zealand Talks About The Cross Country & Indoor Track Season
Friday, December 12
Coach Zealand & Ryann Aycock Give An Update On The Cross Country Season
Wednesday, September 17