Isabella Frattura (left) and Ben Shughart (right) both earned CUSA weekly honors after breaking Liberty's javelin records.
Frattura, Shughart Spear CUSA Weekly Honors
3/24/2026 2:02:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – After setting program records in the javelin during Saturday's Virginia Opener, Liberty's Isabella Frattura (Women's Freshman of the Week) and Ben Shughart (Men's Field Athlete of the Week) have both earned CUSA weekly awards.
A native of Sparta, N.J., Frattura made a most impressive collegiate debut. She heaved the javelin 163-4 in round six to break teammate Addilae Watts' Liberty record of 161-9 from the 2025 CUSA Championship and place third in the competition. Frattura ranks No. 1 in CUSA this season and No. 19 in the NCAA (fourth among freshmen).
Returning to action for the first time since 2024, Shughart won the men's javelin with a program-record 253-11 effort. The redshirt senior from Shippensburg, Pa., shattered both his previous personal best (226-9) and Steve Feister's Liberty record of 234-11 from the 2016 Big South Championship.
Shughart currently ranks No. 1 in the NCAA, No. 1 in the United States and No. 21 in the world for 2026. His 253-11 heave was the top javelin mark by a CUSA thrower since 2016.
Frattura and Shughart will take this weekend off from competition, but many of their teammates will be in action. A group of distance runners will compete in the Raleigh Relays, Thursday and Friday at NC State. The remainder of the team will remain in the Hill City for the Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational, Friday and Saturday at the University of Lynchburg.
A native of Sparta, N.J., Frattura made a most impressive collegiate debut. She heaved the javelin 163-4 in round six to break teammate Addilae Watts' Liberty record of 161-9 from the 2025 CUSA Championship and place third in the competition. Frattura ranks No. 1 in CUSA this season and No. 19 in the NCAA (fourth among freshmen).
Returning to action for the first time since 2024, Shughart won the men's javelin with a program-record 253-11 effort. The redshirt senior from Shippensburg, Pa., shattered both his previous personal best (226-9) and Steve Feister's Liberty record of 234-11 from the 2016 Big South Championship.
Shughart currently ranks No. 1 in the NCAA, No. 1 in the United States and No. 21 in the world for 2026. His 253-11 heave was the top javelin mark by a CUSA thrower since 2016.
Frattura and Shughart will take this weekend off from competition, but many of their teammates will be in action. A group of distance runners will compete in the Raleigh Relays, Thursday and Friday at NC State. The remainder of the team will remain in the Hill City for the Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational, Friday and Saturday at the University of Lynchburg.
Players Mentioned
Javelin
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Javelin
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Javelin
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