Liberty Wins 6 Saturday Events

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty notched six first-place finishes on a sunny but cool and breezy Saturday at the Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational, across town at the University of Lynchburg.

Mahogany Mobley sprinted to victory in both of her events, including the women's 100 (11.95) and 200 (24.33). Liberty took top honors in both discus competitions, courtesy of Bethany Tate (163-9) and Beau Backes (170-1). The Flames' final two event triumphs came over hurdles, including Rachel Hill's victorious women's steeplechase debut (10:47.60) and Josh Blalock's men's 400 hurdles victory (54.30).

Women's Day 2 Recap
Mobley successfully defended her women's 100 title from the 2025 Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational and later added the women's 200 crown as well. Both of her event victories came into headwinds, and both saw a teammate finish second.

Iyana Sherard was the women's 100 runner-up in a big personal-best time of 12.08. Meanwhile, freshman Shelby Smith took second in her first collegiate 200-meter race in 25.10.

Hill's first attempt at the steeplechase was impressive, as she won by 23 seconds in 10:47.60, a time which ranks No. 7 in program history. Sophia Mast (11:15.33) and Gracelyn Laudermilch (11:33.44 in her own steeplechase debut) followed in third and fourth, respectively.

Hill joins teammates Katrina Schlenker (No. 2, 10:10.54), Katie Sigerud (No. 5, 10:38.64), Sophia Park (No. 6, 10:46.52) and Raini Mayo (No. 8, 10:48.36) among the top eight women's steeplechase performers in program history, with four of them recording a personal best this weekend.

Tate added three and a half feet to her previous discus best with her winning throw of 163-9, climbing to No. 8 all-time for the Lady Flames. Teammate Ellie Stine was Tate's closest competitor on the afternoon, posting the top mark of her young collegiate career, 149-4.

Heptathlete Patasha Bryan came in fifth in the women's shot put at 40-2.75, her top mark in two years.

Men's Day 2 Recap
Competing in his first 400 hurdles race since winning the 2025 CUSA title, Blalock was victorious in 54.30. Wallace Tupper II added a fifth-place finish with a personal-best 55.73 clocking.

Backes (170-1) and Trevor Veenstra (160-1) came in first and third, respectively, in the men's discus.

Facing one of Saturday's strongest recorded headwinds (2.5 m/s), Simon Lamparelli (21.81) and Elijah Sherard (21.83) finished side-by-side in fourth and fifth places in the men's 200. For Sherard, it marked his first race in two months.

Competing unattached, Joshua Smith dominated the men's triple jump competition. In a common occurrence for him, Smith's best mark (50-0.75) came on his sixth and final attempt.

Women's Day 2 Event Winners
Mahogany Mobley – 100 – 11.95
Mahogany Mobley – 200 – 24.33
Rachel Hill – Steeplechase – 10:47.60
Bethany Tate – Discus – 163-9

Men's Day 2 Event Winners
Beau Backes – Discus – 170-1
Josh Blalock – 400 Hurdles – 54.30

Other Women's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2^nd – Iyana Sherard – 100 – 12.08
2^nd – Shelby Smith – 200 – 25.10
2^nd – Ellie Stine – Discus – 149-4
3^rd – Sophia Mast – Steeplechase – 11:15.33

Other Men's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
3^rd – Trevor Veenstra – Discus – 160-1

Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Steeplechase – No. 7 – Rachel Hill – 10:47.60
Discus – No. 8 – Bethany Tate – 163-9

Up Next
Liberty will head to the Florida Relays for the third consecutive season. The high-level meet is slated for April 3-4 at Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Fla., and will air on FloTrack.

Schedule

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Beau Backes

Josh Blalock

Patasha Bryan

Rachel Hill

Simon Lamparelli

Gracelyn Laudermilch

Sophia Mast

Raini Mayo

Mahogany Mobley

Sophia Park

Katrina Schlenker

Elijah Sherard

Iyana Sherard

Katie Sigerud

Joshua Smith

Shelby Smith

Ellie Stine

Bethany Tate

Wallace Tupper II

Trevor Veenstra