Saturday, April 18
Charlottesville, Va.
11:30 AM ET
Liberty University
at
Virginia Challenge
Tahj Brown's Liberty freshman-record time of 13.87 was good enough to win the Virginia Challenge men's 110 hurdles title.
Photo by: Photo by Cat Wofford
Brown Wins Virginia Challenge 110 Hurdles in Freshman-Record 13.87
4/18/2026 5:02:00 PM | Track and Field
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Tahj Brown raced to victory in the Virginia Challenge men's 110 hurdles final on Saturday, lowering Liberty's freshman record to 13.87 in the process. Christian Hicks also excelled on day two at Lannigan Field, throwing a big personal-best 194-7 to finish as the men's discus runner-up.
Men's Day 2 Recap
Brown's wind-legal 13.87 clocking broke Jovaine Atkinson's freshman record of 13.93 set at the 2017 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet. The Bahamas native became the third Flame ever to clock a sub-14.00 time and now ranks No. 3 in program history.
Liberty enjoyed a strong showing in the men's discus, with current and former Flames grabbing four of the top eight positions. Hicks' 194-7 throw in round six added six feet to the redshirt senior's previous best and moved him up to No. 4 in program history. Hicks finished second to former Flames All-American Kevin Nedrick (198-1) on Saturday.
Beau Backes (season-best 177-0) and Trevor Veenstra (personal-best 173-9) finished sixth and eighth, respectively. Backes' performance should be sufficient to send him to his fourth NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet.
Returning to the site of his 17-0.75 personal best from the March 21 Virginia Opener, Reagan Wise was the men's pole vault runner-up at 16-5.5.
Aided by a strong tailwind, Elijah Sherard raced to a season-best 21.11, earning seventh place in the invitational men's 200.
Women's Day 2 Recap
Alivia Rivera-Norman started off Liberty's Saturday by winning her heat and placing third overall in the women's 100 hurdles. The freshman's personal-best 13.76 effort sits No. 6 in program history.
A day after setting personal bests in the 100, Iyana Sherard (23.74) and Mahogany Mobley (23.81) both did the same during the invitational women's 200. Sherard's 23.74 was fifth in the competition and all-time for the Lady Flames, while Mobley's 23.81 posting took seventh in the event and sixth on Liberty's all-time top 10 chart.
Stephanie Robson's season-best 40-4.75 performance paced the Lady Flames in the triple jump. The senior joined Liberty's top 10 list at No. 8 and came in 11th on Saturday.
Men's Day 2 Event Winners
Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.87
Other Men's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Christian Hicks – Discus – 194-7
2nd – Reagan Wise – Pole Vault – 16-5.5
Women's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
3rd – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.76
Men's Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.87
Previous Record: 13.93 by Jovaine Atkinson at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet, May 26, 2017 in Lexington, Ky.
New Men's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Beau Backes – Discus – 177-0
Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.87
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
110 Hurdles – No. 3 – Tahj Brown – 13.87
Discus – No. 4 – Christian Hicks – 194-7
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
200 – No. 5 – Iyana Sherard – 23.74
200 – No. 6 – Mahogany Mobley – 23.81
100 Hurdles – No. 6 – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 13.76
Triple Jump – No. 8 – Stephanie Robson – 40-4.75
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.
Men's Day 2 Recap
Brown's wind-legal 13.87 clocking broke Jovaine Atkinson's freshman record of 13.93 set at the 2017 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet. The Bahamas native became the third Flame ever to clock a sub-14.00 time and now ranks No. 3 in program history.
Liberty enjoyed a strong showing in the men's discus, with current and former Flames grabbing four of the top eight positions. Hicks' 194-7 throw in round six added six feet to the redshirt senior's previous best and moved him up to No. 4 in program history. Hicks finished second to former Flames All-American Kevin Nedrick (198-1) on Saturday.
Beau Backes (season-best 177-0) and Trevor Veenstra (personal-best 173-9) finished sixth and eighth, respectively. Backes' performance should be sufficient to send him to his fourth NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet.
Returning to the site of his 17-0.75 personal best from the March 21 Virginia Opener, Reagan Wise was the men's pole vault runner-up at 16-5.5.
Aided by a strong tailwind, Elijah Sherard raced to a season-best 21.11, earning seventh place in the invitational men's 200.
Women's Day 2 Recap
Alivia Rivera-Norman started off Liberty's Saturday by winning her heat and placing third overall in the women's 100 hurdles. The freshman's personal-best 13.76 effort sits No. 6 in program history.
A day after setting personal bests in the 100, Iyana Sherard (23.74) and Mahogany Mobley (23.81) both did the same during the invitational women's 200. Sherard's 23.74 was fifth in the competition and all-time for the Lady Flames, while Mobley's 23.81 posting took seventh in the event and sixth on Liberty's all-time top 10 chart.
Stephanie Robson's season-best 40-4.75 performance paced the Lady Flames in the triple jump. The senior joined Liberty's top 10 list at No. 8 and came in 11th on Saturday.
Men's Day 2 Event Winners
Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.87
Other Men's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Christian Hicks – Discus – 194-7
2nd – Reagan Wise – Pole Vault – 16-5.5
Women's Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
3rd – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.76
Men's Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.87
Previous Record: 13.93 by Jovaine Atkinson at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet, May 26, 2017 in Lexington, Ky.
New Men's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Beau Backes – Discus – 177-0
Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.87
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
110 Hurdles – No. 3 – Tahj Brown – 13.87
Discus – No. 4 – Christian Hicks – 194-7
Day 2 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
200 – No. 5 – Iyana Sherard – 23.74
200 – No. 6 – Mahogany Mobley – 23.81
100 Hurdles – No. 6 – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 13.76
Triple Jump – No. 8 – Stephanie Robson – 40-4.75
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
Throws
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Hurdles
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Throws
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Sprints
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Hurdles
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Jumps
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Sprints
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Sprints
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Throws
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Pole Vault
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