Friday, April 17
Charlottesville, Va.
9:30 AM ET
Liberty University
at
Virginia Challenge
Sophie Gonzalez won the open women's hammer with a season-best mark of 203-8.
Photo by: Photo by Cat Wofford
Liberty Wins 3 Virginia Challenge Events on Friday
4/17/2026 11:24:00 PM | Track and Field
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Liberty field event athletes recorded three event victories at the Virginia Challenge, Friday at Lannigan Field. The hammer duo of Kellen Kimes (personal-best 221-8) and Sophie Gonzalez (season-best 203-8) started off the day with triumphs, while Markus White dominated the men's long jump (25-6.25).
Men's Day 1 Recap
Throwing the hammer in a Liberty uniform for the first time since the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Kimes appeared quite capable of returning to Eugene this season. The junior produced the open section's four longest throws, including a personal-best 221-8 heave in round three.
That mark scared Jon Hart's program record of 222-4 from the 2008 IC4A Championship and will send Kimes back to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the third year in a row. Kimes' 221-8 effort was also the longest by a CUSA hammer thrower since 2017.
Trevor Veenstra backed up Kimes' effort with a 10th-place hammer finish (194-4) in the sophomore's first of two events on the day.
A year after making his Liberty debut at the 2025 Virginia Challenge, White long jumped 25-6.25 to win by 15 inches. He has now finished first in both of his long jump competitions this season, also including his program-record 25-10.25 effort at the Florida Relays.
Christian Hicks (11th, outdoor personal-best 57-11) and Veenstra (13th, 57-4.25) closed out the night with strong performances in the men's shot put. Hicks' distance moves him up to No. 8 on the Flames' all-time list.
Women's Day 1 Recap
Gonzalez prevailed in Friday's opening event, the open women's hammer, thanks to a season-best 203-8 heave. That ranks No. 4 in program history and was not far off Gonzalez's own Guatemalan national record of 204-4.
Freshman teammate Ellie Stine boosted her hammer best to 176-6 for a 16th-place finish.
Iyana Sherard (11.71) and Mahogany Mobley (11.77) were the Lady Flames' top performers on the track, placing fourth and sixth in the women's 100 final. Both set personal bests in the prelims, with Sherard's 11.64 (No. 6) and Mobley's 11.73 (No. 9) both ranking among the fastest clockings in Liberty history.
Freshman Lara DeFazio reached an outdoor personal-best 19-3.5 for 16th in the women's long jump and eighth in program history. Despite a headwind, Rebecca Allen jumped 18-11.75, her best performance since 2024, for 22nd place.
Katie Urbine equaled her season-best pole vault clearance of 12-9.5 to take runner-up honors in a 24-member open women's pole vault competition.
Men's Day 1 Event Winners
Kellen Kimes – Open Hammer – 221-8
Markus White – Long Jump – 25-6.25
Women's Day 1 Event Winners
Sophie Gonzalez – Open Hammer – 203-8
Other Women's Day 1 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Katie Urbine – Open Pole Vault – 12-9.5
New Men's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Kellen Kimes – Hammer – 221-8
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Hammer – No. 2 – Kellen Kimes – 221-8
Shot Put – No. 8 – Christian Hicks – 57-11
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Hammer – No. 4 – Sophie Gonzalez – 203-8
100 – No. 6 – Iyana Sherard – 11.64
Long Jump – No. 8 – Lara DeFazio – 19-3.5
100 – No. 9 – Mahogany Mobley – 11.73
Up Next
Liberty will divide its athletes between three different Saturday meets, including the WildCat Invitational (Lynchburg, Va.), Virginia Challenge (Charlottesville, Va.) and Bryan Clay Invitational (Azusa, Calif.).
Men's Day 1 Recap
Throwing the hammer in a Liberty uniform for the first time since the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Kimes appeared quite capable of returning to Eugene this season. The junior produced the open section's four longest throws, including a personal-best 221-8 heave in round three.
That mark scared Jon Hart's program record of 222-4 from the 2008 IC4A Championship and will send Kimes back to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the third year in a row. Kimes' 221-8 effort was also the longest by a CUSA hammer thrower since 2017.
Trevor Veenstra backed up Kimes' effort with a 10th-place hammer finish (194-4) in the sophomore's first of two events on the day.
A year after making his Liberty debut at the 2025 Virginia Challenge, White long jumped 25-6.25 to win by 15 inches. He has now finished first in both of his long jump competitions this season, also including his program-record 25-10.25 effort at the Florida Relays.
Christian Hicks (11th, outdoor personal-best 57-11) and Veenstra (13th, 57-4.25) closed out the night with strong performances in the men's shot put. Hicks' distance moves him up to No. 8 on the Flames' all-time list.
Women's Day 1 Recap
Gonzalez prevailed in Friday's opening event, the open women's hammer, thanks to a season-best 203-8 heave. That ranks No. 4 in program history and was not far off Gonzalez's own Guatemalan national record of 204-4.
Freshman teammate Ellie Stine boosted her hammer best to 176-6 for a 16th-place finish.
Iyana Sherard (11.71) and Mahogany Mobley (11.77) were the Lady Flames' top performers on the track, placing fourth and sixth in the women's 100 final. Both set personal bests in the prelims, with Sherard's 11.64 (No. 6) and Mobley's 11.73 (No. 9) both ranking among the fastest clockings in Liberty history.
Freshman Lara DeFazio reached an outdoor personal-best 19-3.5 for 16th in the women's long jump and eighth in program history. Despite a headwind, Rebecca Allen jumped 18-11.75, her best performance since 2024, for 22nd place.
Katie Urbine equaled her season-best pole vault clearance of 12-9.5 to take runner-up honors in a 24-member open women's pole vault competition.
Men's Day 1 Event Winners
Kellen Kimes – Open Hammer – 221-8
Markus White – Long Jump – 25-6.25
Women's Day 1 Event Winners
Sophie Gonzalez – Open Hammer – 203-8
Other Women's Day 1 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Katie Urbine – Open Pole Vault – 12-9.5
New Men's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Kellen Kimes – Hammer – 221-8
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Hammer – No. 2 – Kellen Kimes – 221-8
Shot Put – No. 8 – Christian Hicks – 57-11
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Hammer – No. 4 – Sophie Gonzalez – 203-8
100 – No. 6 – Iyana Sherard – 11.64
Long Jump – No. 8 – Lara DeFazio – 19-3.5
100 – No. 9 – Mahogany Mobley – 11.73
Up Next
Liberty will divide its athletes between three different Saturday meets, including the WildCat Invitational (Lynchburg, Va.), Virginia Challenge (Charlottesville, Va.) and Bryan Clay Invitational (Azusa, Calif.).
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Hammer
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Jumps
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