Thursday, April 16
Azusa, Calif.
10:00 AM ET/7:00 AM PT
Liberty University
at
Bryan Clay Invitational
Alivia Rivera-Norman is entered in the women's 400 hurdles at the Virginia Challenge and WildCat Invitational.
Liberty Track Set for Busy Week
4/15/2026 12:57:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty track & field is preparing for one of its busiest weeks of the season, including meets in California (Bryan Clay Invitational, Thursday through Saturday), Charlottesville (Virginia Challenge, Thursday through Saturday) and Lynchburg (WildCat Invitational, Saturday).
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
The Bryan Clay Invitational will air on FloTrack.
Live results will be available for all three meets, courtesy of Finished Results (Bryan Clay Invitational), Flash Results (Virginia Challenge) and SnapTiming (WildCat Invitational).
Weather Report
The weather forecast for Azusa calls for high temperatures increasing from the mid 70s on Thursday to the lower 80s on Saturday, with low rain chances throughout the meet.
Hot temperatures are expected in Charlottesville this week, with highs hovering around 90 degrees all three days. As in California, rain chances are low.
Lynchburg is also projected to see a high around 90 for Saturday, with increasing clouds in the afternoon.
Start Me Up
Liberty's two indoor All-Americans (Gilles Ouedraogo and Allie Zealand) are slated to open their 2026 outdoor campaigns this weekend.
Ouedraogo is entered in Saturday afternoon's men's triple jump competition at the Virginia Challenge.
Meanwhile, Zealand is scheduled to compete in the Bryan Clay Invitational women's 800 on Friday and women's 1,500 on Saturday.
Back to Bryan Clay
Liberty will have athletes competing at Azusa Pacific for the second week in a row. Last week, five decathletes and heptathletes took part in the Bryan Clay Multis, headlined by Patasha Bryan's program-record 5,567-point heptathlon. This time around, nine men's distance runners and nine women's distance runners are set to race in California.
The Flames have enjoyed considerable success at the Bryan Clay Invitational over the years. Last season, Liberty set one program record (Adelyn Fairley's 33:29.29 10K) and two freshman records (Dale Hall's 8:59.36 steeplechase and Allie Zealand's 4:15.67 1,500).
Flying High
Liberty is off to a strong start in the men's pole vault this season, with Reagan Wise clearing 17-0.75 at the Virginia Opener on March 21 and Chase Johnson making it over a Liberty freshman-record 17-1.5 last Friday at the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic.
Johnson (No. 5) and Wise (tied for No. 6) rank among the top men's vaulters in program history and are two of five CUSA competitors to go over 17 feet so far in 2026.
Johnson, Wise and Todd Benhase are all entered in the Virginia Challenge men's pole vault, Saturday at 1 p.m.
Hurdle Crew
Several of Liberty's 400 hurdlers will attempt a unique double this weekend, competing at the Virginia Challenge on Friday and the WildCat Invitational on Saturday.
The Flames and Lady Flames have gotten off to a strong start in this event in 2026. Defending CUSA champion Josh Blalock currently ranks No. 2 in the conference at 52.26.
Meanwhile, freshmen Alivia Rivera-Norman (1:00.76) and Adelle Schlotterback (1:01.89) both rank among CUSA's top five women. Schlotterback is the reigning CUSA Women's Freshman of the Week, and both are approaching the Liberty freshman record of 1:00.57 set by Ansley Gebben at the 2013 Big South Championship.
On this corresponding weekend a year ago, Jacob Torres excelled during the Virginia Challenge/WildCat Invitational 400 hurdles double. He set a personal best of 51.68 on day two, capturing the WildCat Invitational men's 400 hurdles crown.
Record Breakers
Liberty has taken down program records in five different events during the first four weekends of the 2026 outdoor season, with freshman Isabella Frattura breaking the women's javelin mark twice.
Women's 400 – Mahogany Mobley – 52.76
Women's Javelin – Isabella Frattura – 166-1
Women's Heptathlon – Patasha Bryan – 5,567
Men's Long Jump – Markus White – 25-10.25
Men's Javelin – Ben Shughart – 253-11
CUSA's Best
The following Flames and Lady Flames rank No. 1 in Conference USA in their events at this stage of the 2026 outdoor track & field season. The 2026 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium, May 14-16 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Women's Shot Put – Bethany Tate – 52-1
Women's Heptathlon – Patasha Bryan – 5,567
Men's 800 – Michael Long – 1:48.94
Men's Steeplechase – Dale Hall – 9:20.73
Men's 5K – Jack Cottrell – 14:18.44
Men's Long Jump – Markus White – 25-10.25
Men's Shot Put – Trevor Veenstra – 57-8.5
Men's Discus – Christian Hicks – 188-3
Men's Javelin – Ben Shughart – 253-11
Men's Decathlon – Gabriel Willis – 7,341
Pack Your Bags for Lexington
The 2026 NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet will be contested at the University of Kentucky Outdoor Track & Field Facility, May 27-30 in Lexington, Ky. The following Flames and Lady Flames appear to be qualified for the meet, based upon historical results.
Isabella Frattura – Women's Javelin
Sophie Gonzalez – Women's Hammer
Mahogany Mobley – Women's 400
Katrina Schlenker – Women's Steeplechase
Bethany Tate – Women's Shot Put
Christian Hicks – Men's Discus
Chase Johnson – Men's Pole Vault
Ben Shughart – Men's Javelin
Markus White – Men's Long Jump
Reagan Wise – Men's Pole Vault
Mapping Out the Multis
Heptathlon and decathlon are the two events which are not contested at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet. The nation's top 24 competitors in each event qualify directly to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, slated for June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore.
Although Liberty has a rich history of success in these two events, the Flames have not sent a heptathlete to the NCAA national meet since 2005 (Danielle McNaney) and have not qualified a decathlete since 2018 (Markus Ballengee).
At this point in the season, a pair of Flames rank among the top 24 nationally.
No. 17 – Patasha Bryan – Heptathlon – 5,567
No. 19 – Gabriel Willis – Decathlon – 7,341
Up Next
Liberty will head to the Penn Relays for the first time since 2023. The event's 130th running is slated for April 23-25 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, and events will air on FloTrack.
The Flames will also send a group of athletes to the Charlotte Invitational, April 24-25 at the Irwin Belk Track and Field Center.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
The Bryan Clay Invitational will air on FloTrack.
Live results will be available for all three meets, courtesy of Finished Results (Bryan Clay Invitational), Flash Results (Virginia Challenge) and SnapTiming (WildCat Invitational).
Weather Report
The weather forecast for Azusa calls for high temperatures increasing from the mid 70s on Thursday to the lower 80s on Saturday, with low rain chances throughout the meet.
Hot temperatures are expected in Charlottesville this week, with highs hovering around 90 degrees all three days. As in California, rain chances are low.
Lynchburg is also projected to see a high around 90 for Saturday, with increasing clouds in the afternoon.
Start Me Up
Liberty's two indoor All-Americans (Gilles Ouedraogo and Allie Zealand) are slated to open their 2026 outdoor campaigns this weekend.
Ouedraogo is entered in Saturday afternoon's men's triple jump competition at the Virginia Challenge.
Meanwhile, Zealand is scheduled to compete in the Bryan Clay Invitational women's 800 on Friday and women's 1,500 on Saturday.
Back to Bryan Clay
Liberty will have athletes competing at Azusa Pacific for the second week in a row. Last week, five decathletes and heptathletes took part in the Bryan Clay Multis, headlined by Patasha Bryan's program-record 5,567-point heptathlon. This time around, nine men's distance runners and nine women's distance runners are set to race in California.
The Flames have enjoyed considerable success at the Bryan Clay Invitational over the years. Last season, Liberty set one program record (Adelyn Fairley's 33:29.29 10K) and two freshman records (Dale Hall's 8:59.36 steeplechase and Allie Zealand's 4:15.67 1,500).
Flying High
Liberty is off to a strong start in the men's pole vault this season, with Reagan Wise clearing 17-0.75 at the Virginia Opener on March 21 and Chase Johnson making it over a Liberty freshman-record 17-1.5 last Friday at the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic.
Johnson (No. 5) and Wise (tied for No. 6) rank among the top men's vaulters in program history and are two of five CUSA competitors to go over 17 feet so far in 2026.
Johnson, Wise and Todd Benhase are all entered in the Virginia Challenge men's pole vault, Saturday at 1 p.m.
Hurdle Crew
Several of Liberty's 400 hurdlers will attempt a unique double this weekend, competing at the Virginia Challenge on Friday and the WildCat Invitational on Saturday.
The Flames and Lady Flames have gotten off to a strong start in this event in 2026. Defending CUSA champion Josh Blalock currently ranks No. 2 in the conference at 52.26.
Meanwhile, freshmen Alivia Rivera-Norman (1:00.76) and Adelle Schlotterback (1:01.89) both rank among CUSA's top five women. Schlotterback is the reigning CUSA Women's Freshman of the Week, and both are approaching the Liberty freshman record of 1:00.57 set by Ansley Gebben at the 2013 Big South Championship.
On this corresponding weekend a year ago, Jacob Torres excelled during the Virginia Challenge/WildCat Invitational 400 hurdles double. He set a personal best of 51.68 on day two, capturing the WildCat Invitational men's 400 hurdles crown.
Record Breakers
Liberty has taken down program records in five different events during the first four weekends of the 2026 outdoor season, with freshman Isabella Frattura breaking the women's javelin mark twice.
Women's 400 – Mahogany Mobley – 52.76
Women's Javelin – Isabella Frattura – 166-1
Women's Heptathlon – Patasha Bryan – 5,567
Men's Long Jump – Markus White – 25-10.25
Men's Javelin – Ben Shughart – 253-11
CUSA's Best
The following Flames and Lady Flames rank No. 1 in Conference USA in their events at this stage of the 2026 outdoor track & field season. The 2026 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium, May 14-16 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Women's Shot Put – Bethany Tate – 52-1
Women's Heptathlon – Patasha Bryan – 5,567
Men's 800 – Michael Long – 1:48.94
Men's Steeplechase – Dale Hall – 9:20.73
Men's 5K – Jack Cottrell – 14:18.44
Men's Long Jump – Markus White – 25-10.25
Men's Shot Put – Trevor Veenstra – 57-8.5
Men's Discus – Christian Hicks – 188-3
Men's Javelin – Ben Shughart – 253-11
Men's Decathlon – Gabriel Willis – 7,341
Pack Your Bags for Lexington
The 2026 NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet will be contested at the University of Kentucky Outdoor Track & Field Facility, May 27-30 in Lexington, Ky. The following Flames and Lady Flames appear to be qualified for the meet, based upon historical results.
Isabella Frattura – Women's Javelin
Sophie Gonzalez – Women's Hammer
Mahogany Mobley – Women's 400
Katrina Schlenker – Women's Steeplechase
Bethany Tate – Women's Shot Put
Christian Hicks – Men's Discus
Chase Johnson – Men's Pole Vault
Ben Shughart – Men's Javelin
Markus White – Men's Long Jump
Reagan Wise – Men's Pole Vault
Mapping Out the Multis
Heptathlon and decathlon are the two events which are not contested at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet. The nation's top 24 competitors in each event qualify directly to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, slated for June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore.
Although Liberty has a rich history of success in these two events, the Flames have not sent a heptathlete to the NCAA national meet since 2005 (Danielle McNaney) and have not qualified a decathlete since 2018 (Markus Ballengee).
At this point in the season, a pair of Flames rank among the top 24 nationally.
No. 17 – Patasha Bryan – Heptathlon – 5,567
No. 19 – Gabriel Willis – Decathlon – 7,341
Up Next
Liberty will head to the Penn Relays for the first time since 2023. The event's 130th running is slated for April 23-25 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, and events will air on FloTrack.
The Flames will also send a group of athletes to the Charlotte Invitational, April 24-25 at the Irwin Belk Track and Field Center.
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Heptathlon
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Hammer
/ Track and Field
Mid-distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Mid-Distance
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