Saturday, March 21
Charlottesville, Va.
10:00 AM ET
Liberty University
at
Virginia Opener
Ben Shughart competed for the first time since the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday.
Shughart, Frattura Break Javelin Records During Outdoor Opener
3/21/2026 9:34:00 PM | Track and Field
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Liberty bookended the opening day of its 2026 outdoor track & field season with new program records in the women's (Isabella Frattura – 163-4) and men's javelin (Ben Shughart – 253-11), Saturday at the Virginia Opener at Lannigan Field.
Frattura got things started by taking down teammate Addilae Watts' women's javelin mark of 161-9 from the 2025 CUSA Championship on the sixth and final throw of the freshman's collegiate debut.
Shughart then put an exclamation point on the Flames' successful day, shattering Steve Feister's decade-old 234-11 standard from the 2016 Big South Championship and claiming the early-season NCAA and USA leads.
It was a successful day for first-year Flames, as freshmen Mackenzie Boggess (women's triple jump – 39-10.5) and Alivia Rivera-Norman (women's 400 hurdles – 1:00.76) joined Shughart as event champions.
Newcomers Sophie Gonzalez (women's hammer – 198-0) and Reagan Wise (men's pole vault – 17-0.75) also unofficially punched their tickets to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet (May 27-30 in Lexington, Ky.) along with the record-breaking javelin duo.
Men's Recap
Shughart made a triumphant return to competition after sitting out the entire 2025 season due to injury. During his first meet in 654 days, the redshirt senior eclipsed his previous personal best of 226-9 in round one (230-1). Shughart then bettered Feister's mark from 2016 on each of his last five attempts, which measured 239-7, 251-2, 249-9, 253-11 and 247-2.
Shughart's top mark of 253-11 from round five ranks him No. 1 in both the NCAA and the United States during the early stages of the 2026 campaign, along with No. 20 in the world.
The longest javelin throw by a CUSA athlete since 2016, Shughart's 253-11 would have placed him third at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. It also won Saturday's competition by more than 50 feet over freshman teammate Nathan Haas, who made an encouraging collegiate debut at 201-10, just 2.5 feet off his lifetime best.
Wise became Liberty's sixth member of the pole vault's 17-foot club all-time with a third-attempt clearance at a personal-best 17-0.75. That was good for second place in the competition and tied him with Ken Howell for fifth in program history. Freshman Chase Johnson and sophomore Todd Benhase shared third place with matching 16-4.75 efforts.
Defending CUSA men's shot put and discus champion Christian Hicks opened his redshirt senior season with runner-up finishes in both events. He (56-6.5) and teammate Trevor Veenstra (55-8.5) each notched outdoor personal bests while placing 2-3 in the shot put.
Hicks (172-9), Beau Backes (170-2) and Trevor Veenstra (168-8) went 2-3-4 in the men's discus, trailing only former Liberty All-American Kevin Nedrick (187-7) in the final standings.
Women's Recap
Frattura's 163-4 javelin heave, which was good for third place in the event, not only broke Watts' program record but also took down Kali Grayson's Liberty freshman mark of 158-6, set at the same facility in 2021.
Watts, who is redshirting the 2026 campaign, saw her standard broken firsthand. She competed in the meet's opening event unattached, placing second with a big javelin personal best of 174-11.
Rivera-Norman (1:00.76) edged Virginia's Brooke'Lyn Drakefort (1:00.81) for first place in the women's 400 hurdles and scared Ansley Gebben's Liberty freshman record of 1:00.57 from 2013. Fellow freshman Adelle Schlotterback joined Rivera-Norman on the podium in third place at 1:03.80.
The first outdoor triple jump attempt of Boggess' collegiate career (39-10.5 into a slight headwind) stood up for victory and the No. 9 spot in program history. Stephanie Robson followed in third place with a 39-3.75 leap.
Gonzalez made a successful women's hammer debut for the Lady Flames, reaching 198-0 in round one. That was good for the runner-up spot on Saturday and No. 7 all-time in one of Liberty's historically strongest events on the women's side.
Rounding out the women's throws, sophomore Bethany Tate paced the team in both of her events, coming in third in the discus (151-8) and fourth in the shot put (49-7.75).
Second-place Jessica Palisca (2:09.12) led four Lady Flames among the top six in the women's 800 and third-place Ryann Aycock (4:31.81) paced Liberty's women's 1,500 crew.
Liberty placed a woman on the podium in each of Saturday's jumping events, also including the high jump (Eva Whiteman – second place, 5-5.75), pole vault (Katie Urbine – third, 12-9.5) and long jump (Paige Greenhagel – third, 18-5.25). For Urbine, it was a nice way to celebrate her 21st birthday.
Men's Event Winners
Ben Shughart – Javelin – 253-11
Women's Event Winners
Mackenzie Boggess – Triple Jump – 39-10.5
Alivia Rivera-Norman – 400 Hurdles – 1:00.76
Other Men's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Nathan Haas – Javelin – 201-10
2nd – Christian Hicks – Shot Put – 56-6.5
2nd – Christian Hicks – Discus – 172-9
2nd – Reagan Wise – Pole Vault – 17-0.75
3rd – Beau Backes – Discus – 170-2
3rd – Trevor Veenstra – Shot Put – 55-8.5
T-3rd – Todd Benhase – Pole Vault – 16-4.75
T-3rd – Chase Johnson – Pole Vault – 16-4.75
Other Women's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Sophie Gonzalez – Hammer – 198-0
2nd – Jessica Palisca – 800 – 2:09.12
2nd – Eva Whiteman – High Jump – 5-5.75
3rd – Ryann Aycock – 1,500 – 4:31.81
3rd – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-4
3rd – Paige Greenhagel – Long Jump – 18-5.25
3rd – Stephanie Robson – Triple Jump – 39-3.75
3rd – Adelle Schlotterback – 400 Hurdles – 1:03.80
3rd – Bethany Tate – Discus – 151-8
3rd – Katie Urbine – Pole Vault – 12-9.5
Men's Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Ben Shughart – Javelin – 253-11
Previous Record: 234-11 by Steve Feister at the Big South Championship on May 12, 2016 at Liberty
Women's Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-4
Previous Record: 161-9 by Addilae Watts at the CUSA Championship on May 18, 2025 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Liberty Freshman Record – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-4
Previous Record: 158-6 by Kali Grayson at the Virginia Challenge on April 16, 2021
New Men's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Ben Shughart – Javelin – 253-11
Reagan Wise – Pole Vault – 17-0.75
New Women's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-4
Sophie Gonzalez – Hammer – 198-0
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Javelin – No. 1 – Ben Shughart – 253-11
Pole Vault – Tie for No. 5 – Reagan Wise – 17-0.75
Shot Put – No. 9 – Christian Hicks – 56-6.5
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Javelin – No. 1 – Isabella Frattura – 163-4
400 Hurdles – No. 7 – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 1:00.76
Hammer – No. 7 – Sophie Gonzalez – 198-0
Triple Jump – No. 9 – Mackenzie Boggess – 39-10.5
Up Next
A group of Liberty distance runners will compete in the Raleigh Relays, March 26 and 27 at NC State. The remainder of the team will remain in the Hill City for the Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational, March 27 and 28 at the University of Lynchburg.
Frattura got things started by taking down teammate Addilae Watts' women's javelin mark of 161-9 from the 2025 CUSA Championship on the sixth and final throw of the freshman's collegiate debut.
Shughart then put an exclamation point on the Flames' successful day, shattering Steve Feister's decade-old 234-11 standard from the 2016 Big South Championship and claiming the early-season NCAA and USA leads.
It was a successful day for first-year Flames, as freshmen Mackenzie Boggess (women's triple jump – 39-10.5) and Alivia Rivera-Norman (women's 400 hurdles – 1:00.76) joined Shughart as event champions.
Newcomers Sophie Gonzalez (women's hammer – 198-0) and Reagan Wise (men's pole vault – 17-0.75) also unofficially punched their tickets to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet (May 27-30 in Lexington, Ky.) along with the record-breaking javelin duo.
Men's Recap
Shughart made a triumphant return to competition after sitting out the entire 2025 season due to injury. During his first meet in 654 days, the redshirt senior eclipsed his previous personal best of 226-9 in round one (230-1). Shughart then bettered Feister's mark from 2016 on each of his last five attempts, which measured 239-7, 251-2, 249-9, 253-11 and 247-2.
Shughart's top mark of 253-11 from round five ranks him No. 1 in both the NCAA and the United States during the early stages of the 2026 campaign, along with No. 20 in the world.
The longest javelin throw by a CUSA athlete since 2016, Shughart's 253-11 would have placed him third at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. It also won Saturday's competition by more than 50 feet over freshman teammate Nathan Haas, who made an encouraging collegiate debut at 201-10, just 2.5 feet off his lifetime best.
Wise became Liberty's sixth member of the pole vault's 17-foot club all-time with a third-attempt clearance at a personal-best 17-0.75. That was good for second place in the competition and tied him with Ken Howell for fifth in program history. Freshman Chase Johnson and sophomore Todd Benhase shared third place with matching 16-4.75 efforts.
Defending CUSA men's shot put and discus champion Christian Hicks opened his redshirt senior season with runner-up finishes in both events. He (56-6.5) and teammate Trevor Veenstra (55-8.5) each notched outdoor personal bests while placing 2-3 in the shot put.
Hicks (172-9), Beau Backes (170-2) and Trevor Veenstra (168-8) went 2-3-4 in the men's discus, trailing only former Liberty All-American Kevin Nedrick (187-7) in the final standings.
Women's Recap
Frattura's 163-4 javelin heave, which was good for third place in the event, not only broke Watts' program record but also took down Kali Grayson's Liberty freshman mark of 158-6, set at the same facility in 2021.
Watts, who is redshirting the 2026 campaign, saw her standard broken firsthand. She competed in the meet's opening event unattached, placing second with a big javelin personal best of 174-11.
Rivera-Norman (1:00.76) edged Virginia's Brooke'Lyn Drakefort (1:00.81) for first place in the women's 400 hurdles and scared Ansley Gebben's Liberty freshman record of 1:00.57 from 2013. Fellow freshman Adelle Schlotterback joined Rivera-Norman on the podium in third place at 1:03.80.
The first outdoor triple jump attempt of Boggess' collegiate career (39-10.5 into a slight headwind) stood up for victory and the No. 9 spot in program history. Stephanie Robson followed in third place with a 39-3.75 leap.
Gonzalez made a successful women's hammer debut for the Lady Flames, reaching 198-0 in round one. That was good for the runner-up spot on Saturday and No. 7 all-time in one of Liberty's historically strongest events on the women's side.
Rounding out the women's throws, sophomore Bethany Tate paced the team in both of her events, coming in third in the discus (151-8) and fourth in the shot put (49-7.75).
Second-place Jessica Palisca (2:09.12) led four Lady Flames among the top six in the women's 800 and third-place Ryann Aycock (4:31.81) paced Liberty's women's 1,500 crew.
Liberty placed a woman on the podium in each of Saturday's jumping events, also including the high jump (Eva Whiteman – second place, 5-5.75), pole vault (Katie Urbine – third, 12-9.5) and long jump (Paige Greenhagel – third, 18-5.25). For Urbine, it was a nice way to celebrate her 21st birthday.
Men's Event Winners
Ben Shughart – Javelin – 253-11
Women's Event Winners
Mackenzie Boggess – Triple Jump – 39-10.5
Alivia Rivera-Norman – 400 Hurdles – 1:00.76
Other Men's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Nathan Haas – Javelin – 201-10
2nd – Christian Hicks – Shot Put – 56-6.5
2nd – Christian Hicks – Discus – 172-9
2nd – Reagan Wise – Pole Vault – 17-0.75
3rd – Beau Backes – Discus – 170-2
3rd – Trevor Veenstra – Shot Put – 55-8.5
T-3rd – Todd Benhase – Pole Vault – 16-4.75
T-3rd – Chase Johnson – Pole Vault – 16-4.75
Other Women's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Sophie Gonzalez – Hammer – 198-0
2nd – Jessica Palisca – 800 – 2:09.12
2nd – Eva Whiteman – High Jump – 5-5.75
3rd – Ryann Aycock – 1,500 – 4:31.81
3rd – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-4
3rd – Paige Greenhagel – Long Jump – 18-5.25
3rd – Stephanie Robson – Triple Jump – 39-3.75
3rd – Adelle Schlotterback – 400 Hurdles – 1:03.80
3rd – Bethany Tate – Discus – 151-8
3rd – Katie Urbine – Pole Vault – 12-9.5
Men's Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Ben Shughart – Javelin – 253-11
Previous Record: 234-11 by Steve Feister at the Big South Championship on May 12, 2016 at Liberty
Women's Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-4
Previous Record: 161-9 by Addilae Watts at the CUSA Championship on May 18, 2025 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Liberty Freshman Record – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-4
Previous Record: 158-6 by Kali Grayson at the Virginia Challenge on April 16, 2021
New Men's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Ben Shughart – Javelin – 253-11
Reagan Wise – Pole Vault – 17-0.75
New Women's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-4
Sophie Gonzalez – Hammer – 198-0
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Javelin – No. 1 – Ben Shughart – 253-11
Pole Vault – Tie for No. 5 – Reagan Wise – 17-0.75
Shot Put – No. 9 – Christian Hicks – 56-6.5
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Javelin – No. 1 – Isabella Frattura – 163-4
400 Hurdles – No. 7 – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 1:00.76
Hammer – No. 7 – Sophie Gonzalez – 198-0
Triple Jump – No. 9 – Mackenzie Boggess – 39-10.5
Up Next
A group of Liberty distance runners will compete in the Raleigh Relays, March 26 and 27 at NC State. The remainder of the team will remain in the Hill City for the Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational, March 27 and 28 at the University of Lynchburg.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Hammer
/ Track and Field
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Mid-distance
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
High Jump
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
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