Friday, April 3
Gainesville, Fla.
11:00 AM ET
Liberty University
at
Florida Relays
Markus White won the Florida Relays men's long jump invite section with a Liberty-record 25-10.25 leap.
White, Frattura Eclipse Liberty Records at Florida Relays
4/3/2026 10:17:00 PM | Track and Field
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Liberty opened the Florida Relays with a pair of program record-breaking performances, Friday at Percy Beard Track. Markus White won the men's long jump invite section with a program-record 25-10.25 leap, while freshman Isabella Frattura reached 166-1 to break the women's javelin standard for the second time in as many meets to begin her collegiate career.
Men's Day 1 Recap
Competing against a field which included Florida's Temoso Masikane (sixth place at the 2026 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships), White reached 25-6 into a headwind in round one to take the lead for good.
His record-breaking 25-10.25 effort came in round five, improving upon White's own 25-8 standard from the 2025 CUSA meet. It also marked the top wind-legal effort in Flames history, bettering Chad Wilson's 25-6.75 leap from the 2004 IC4A Championship.
White's distance from Friday ranks No. 4 nationally during the early stages of the 2026 outdoor campaign. It also earns him a trip to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the second year in a row.
Just prior to an approximately 90-minute weather delay, Josh Blalock lowered his 400 hurdles season best to 52.26. He took 19th place in the event, best among CUSA competitors on the day.
Women's Day 1 Recap
Frattura put an exclamation point on the Flames' day of competition, under the James G. Pressly Stadium lights. For the second meet in a row, her top javelin effort (166-1) came in round six.
The distance was good for fourth place in the competition and eclipsed her 163-4 heave from the March 21 Virginia Opener. Frattura became the Lady Flames' first member of the 50-meter club, reaching 50.62 meters on her final attempt of the night.
Sophie Gonzalez also found success in round six, posting a season-best 199-9 for sixth place in both the women's hammer competition and in program history.
Liberty got top-10 performances in both vertical jumps, courtesy of Katie Urbine (tied for eighth in women's pole vault, 12-9.5) and Eva Whiteman (tied for eighth in women's high jump, 5-3.75).
Long jumping in competition for the first time since January, Rebecca Allen finished a team-best 16th in the event's open section. Her best mark of 18-1.5 came into a considerable headwind.
Men's Day 1 Event Winners
Markus White – Long Jump Invite – 25-10.25
Men's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Markus White – Long Jump – 25-10.25
Previous Record: 25-8 by White at the 2025 CUSA Championship on May 16, 2025 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 166-1
Previous Record: 163-4 by Frattura at the Virginia Opener on March 21
New Men's Day 1 NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Markus White – Long Jump – 25-10.25
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Long Jump – No. 1 – Markus White – 25-10.25
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Javelin – No. 1 – Isabella Frattura – 166-1
Hammer – No. 6 – Sophie Gonzalez – 199-9
Up Next
Liberty will close out its stay at the Florida Relays on Saturday. The Flames' first event of the day will be the open men's discus at 9 a.m.
Men's Day 1 Recap
Competing against a field which included Florida's Temoso Masikane (sixth place at the 2026 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships), White reached 25-6 into a headwind in round one to take the lead for good.
His record-breaking 25-10.25 effort came in round five, improving upon White's own 25-8 standard from the 2025 CUSA meet. It also marked the top wind-legal effort in Flames history, bettering Chad Wilson's 25-6.75 leap from the 2004 IC4A Championship.
White's distance from Friday ranks No. 4 nationally during the early stages of the 2026 outdoor campaign. It also earns him a trip to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the second year in a row.
Just prior to an approximately 90-minute weather delay, Josh Blalock lowered his 400 hurdles season best to 52.26. He took 19th place in the event, best among CUSA competitors on the day.
Women's Day 1 Recap
Frattura put an exclamation point on the Flames' day of competition, under the James G. Pressly Stadium lights. For the second meet in a row, her top javelin effort (166-1) came in round six.
The distance was good for fourth place in the competition and eclipsed her 163-4 heave from the March 21 Virginia Opener. Frattura became the Lady Flames' first member of the 50-meter club, reaching 50.62 meters on her final attempt of the night.
Sophie Gonzalez also found success in round six, posting a season-best 199-9 for sixth place in both the women's hammer competition and in program history.
Liberty got top-10 performances in both vertical jumps, courtesy of Katie Urbine (tied for eighth in women's pole vault, 12-9.5) and Eva Whiteman (tied for eighth in women's high jump, 5-3.75).
Long jumping in competition for the first time since January, Rebecca Allen finished a team-best 16th in the event's open section. Her best mark of 18-1.5 came into a considerable headwind.
Men's Day 1 Event Winners
Markus White – Long Jump Invite – 25-10.25
Men's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Markus White – Long Jump – 25-10.25
Previous Record: 25-8 by White at the 2025 CUSA Championship on May 16, 2025 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Women's Day 1 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 166-1
Previous Record: 163-4 by Frattura at the Virginia Opener on March 21
New Men's Day 1 NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Markus White – Long Jump – 25-10.25
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
Long Jump – No. 1 – Markus White – 25-10.25
Day 1 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
Javelin – No. 1 – Isabella Frattura – 166-1
Hammer – No. 6 – Sophie Gonzalez – 199-9
Up Next
Liberty will close out its stay at the Florida Relays on Saturday. The Flames' first event of the day will be the open men's discus at 9 a.m.
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Javelin
/ Track and Field
Hammer
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
High Jump
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