Saturday, May 2
Lynchburg, Va.
5:00 PM ET
Liberty University
at
The Hill City Twilight
Brendan Pitcher will race at The Hill City Twilight, two years after setting the Liberty 800 record there.
Photo by: Photo by Cat Wofford
The Hill City Twilight Next for Liberty Track
4/30/2026 1:30:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty men's and women's outdoor track & field squads will wrap up the regular season with back-to-back meets in the Hill City, beginning with Saturday's The Hill City Twilight at the University of Lynchburg.
The entirety of the meet at Dr. Jack M. Toms Track is slated for Saturday afternoon and evening, with a heavy distance focus.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
The Hill City Twilight will air on FloTrack.
Live results will be available, courtesy of Blue Ridge Timing.
Weather Report
Saturday is expected to be a cool, damp day in Lynchburg with a chance of rain showers and the high temperature remaining in the 50s.
On the Bubble
A number of Liberty athletes will be looking to solidify qualification to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet as the regular season draws to a close.
The top 48 declared athletes in each individual event will compete in the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet, and several of Saturday's entries are currently on the bubble.
Michael Long – No. 43 in men's 800 – 1:48.22
Christian Hicks – No. 42 in men's shot put – 57-11
Trevor Veenstra – No. 45 in men's shot put – 57-8.5
Looking Back
Liberty has set five records during its two previous The Hill City Twilight appearances (2024 and 2025).
Two years ago, Kyle Harkabus clocked a Liberty and facility-record 1,500 time of 3:40.78, while Brendan Pitcher lowered the Liberty 800 standard to 1:48.26.
Last season, Iyana Sherard's 200 time of 23.84 eclipsed the facility record, while Allie Zealand's 2:07.31 800 set a Liberty freshman standard.
Record Breakers
Liberty has taken down program records in eight different events during the first six 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 5K – Allie Zealand – 15:26.38
Women's Javelin – Isabella Frattura – 166-1
Women's Heptathlon – Patasha Bryan – 5,567
Men's 800 – Michael Long – 1:48.22
Men's Long Jump – Markus White – 25-10.25
Men's Triple Jump – Gilles Ouedraogo – 52-4.5
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 1,500 – Allie Zealand – 4:10.57
Women's 5K – Allie Zealand – 15:26.38
Women's Shot Put – Bethany Tate – 52-1
Women's Heptathlon – Patasha Bryan – 5,567
Men's 800 – Michael Long – 1:48.22
Men's Steeplechase – Dale Hall – 9:00.61
Men's Long Jump – Markus White – 25-10.25
Men's Triple Jump – Gilles Ouedraogo – 52-4.5
Men's Shot Put – Christian Hicks – 57-11
Men's Discus – Christian Hicks – 194-7
Men's Hammer – Kellen Kimes – 221-8
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
Allie Zealand – Women's 800, 1,500 & 5K
Beau Backes – Men's Discus
Tahj Brown – Men's 110 Hurdles
Christian Hicks – Men's Discus
Chase Johnson – Men's Pole Vault
Kellen Kimes – Men's Hammer
Gilles Ouedraogo – Men's Triple Jump
Ben Shughart – Men's Javelin
Trevor Veenstra – Men's Discus
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, Patasha Bryan ranks among the top 24 nationally.
No. 23 – Patasha Bryan – Heptathlon – 5,567
Up Next
Liberty will close out the regular season on Wednesday with its lone home meet of the outdoor season, the Liberty Twilight Qualifier. The one-day competition at the Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex will feature a senior day recognition.
The entirety of the meet at Dr. Jack M. Toms Track is slated for Saturday afternoon and evening, with a heavy distance focus.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
The Hill City Twilight will air on FloTrack.
Live results will be available, courtesy of Blue Ridge Timing.
Weather Report
Saturday is expected to be a cool, damp day in Lynchburg with a chance of rain showers and the high temperature remaining in the 50s.
On the Bubble
A number of Liberty athletes will be looking to solidify qualification to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet as the regular season draws to a close.
The top 48 declared athletes in each individual event will compete in the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet, and several of Saturday's entries are currently on the bubble.
Michael Long – No. 43 in men's 800 – 1:48.22
Christian Hicks – No. 42 in men's shot put – 57-11
Trevor Veenstra – No. 45 in men's shot put – 57-8.5
Looking Back
Liberty has set five records during its two previous The Hill City Twilight appearances (2024 and 2025).
Two years ago, Kyle Harkabus clocked a Liberty and facility-record 1,500 time of 3:40.78, while Brendan Pitcher lowered the Liberty 800 standard to 1:48.26.
Last season, Iyana Sherard's 200 time of 23.84 eclipsed the facility record, while Allie Zealand's 2:07.31 800 set a Liberty freshman standard.
Record Breakers
Liberty has taken down program records in eight different events during the first six 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 5K – Allie Zealand – 15:26.38
Women's Javelin – Isabella Frattura – 166-1
Women's Heptathlon – Patasha Bryan – 5,567
Men's 800 – Michael Long – 1:48.22
Men's Long Jump – Markus White – 25-10.25
Men's Triple Jump – Gilles Ouedraogo – 52-4.5
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 1,500 – Allie Zealand – 4:10.57
Women's 5K – Allie Zealand – 15:26.38
Women's Shot Put – Bethany Tate – 52-1
Women's Heptathlon – Patasha Bryan – 5,567
Men's 800 – Michael Long – 1:48.22
Men's Steeplechase – Dale Hall – 9:00.61
Men's Long Jump – Markus White – 25-10.25
Men's Triple Jump – Gilles Ouedraogo – 52-4.5
Men's Shot Put – Christian Hicks – 57-11
Men's Discus – Christian Hicks – 194-7
Men's Hammer – Kellen Kimes – 221-8
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
Allie Zealand – Women's 800, 1,500 & 5K
Beau Backes – Men's Discus
Tahj Brown – Men's 110 Hurdles
Christian Hicks – Men's Discus
Chase Johnson – Men's Pole Vault
Kellen Kimes – Men's Hammer
Gilles Ouedraogo – Men's Triple Jump
Ben Shughart – Men's Javelin
Trevor Veenstra – Men's Discus
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, Patasha Bryan ranks among the top 24 nationally.
No. 23 – Patasha Bryan – Heptathlon – 5,567
Up Next
Liberty will close out the regular season on Wednesday with its lone home meet of the outdoor season, the Liberty Twilight Qualifier. The one-day competition at the Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex will feature a senior day recognition.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
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Heptathlon
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Javelin
/ Track and Field
Hammer
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Mid-distance
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Mid-distance
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Throws
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Throws
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Mid-Distance
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Sprints
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Jumps
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Mid-distance
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Distance
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Sprints
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Javelin
/ Track and Field
Throws
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Throws
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Mid-Distance
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