
Liberty Sweeps CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Team Titles
5/17/2026 1:58:00 AM | Track and Field
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Liberty closed out a spectacular Saturday at the 2026 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships by hoisting both the men's and women's team championship trophies.
A year after Kennesaw State snapped Liberty's 17-year streak of winning outdoor team championships, the Flames returned the favor in emphatic fashion. The Flames' 97-point margin of victory over the runner-up Owls (244-147) marked the largest in this meet's 30-year history, topping Houston's 96-point win from 2005.
Meanwhile, the Lady Flames also gained a measure of revenge against Kennesaw State after the Owls had defeated Liberty at the CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships in February. Liberty outdistanced the Owls by 40 points (161-121) to claim their third straight title at this meet. The Lady Flames are the first women's team to do so since UCF notched four straight CUSA women's outdoor crowns between 2010-13.
Liberty won nine events on the meet's third and final day, finishing with 12 total gold medals. Saturday's victors included Tahj Brown (men's 110 hurdles – 13.58), Christian Hicks (men's discus – 187-6), Michael Long (men's 800 – 1:47.88), Gilles Ouedraogo (men's triple jump – 52-4.5), Ben Shughart (men's javelin – 242-3), Ava Gordon (women's 5K – 16:28.52), Alivia Rivera-Norman (women's 100 hurdles – 13.32) and Allie Zealand (women's 800 – 2:05.26 and women's 1,500 – 4:14.63).
Three of Saturday's triumphs came in record-breaking fashion, including Brown's 13.58 in the men's 110 hurdles (program record and Liberty freshman record), Rivera-Norman's 13.32 in the women's 100 hurdles (Liberty freshman record) and Ouedraogo's 52-4.5 in the men's triple jump (tied his own program record).
The Flames also made history in the men's discus, becoming the first team ever to go 1-2-3 in the event at the CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Men's Day 3 Recap
Liberty's history-making men's discus trio consisted of Hicks, runner-up Beau Backes (personal-best 182-0) and third-place Trevor Veenstra (177-10). Backes' first career all-conference medal was nearly of the gold variety. But Hicks overtook him in round six to successfully defend his title from 2025. He is Liberty's first back-to-back men's discus conference champion since 2015 and 2016 (Fred Fulton – Big South).
Brown overtook No. 1 seed Oscar Smith of Louisiana Tech over the final two hurdles to earn the Flames' first CUSA men's 110 hurdles title. He became the first freshman to win the event since 2013 (Houston's Isaac Williams) and Liberty's first freshman conference champion in this event since 2017 (Jovaine Atkinson – Big South).
Brown, who had previously raced to the CUSA indoor men's 60 hurdles championship in February, lowered the Liberty freshman record for the fifth time this season and for the third consecutive race. His 13.58 effort eclipses the previous program record of 13.66 achieved by Prosper Ekporere during the 2023 Nigerian Championships.
Even with defending CUSA champion Joshua Smith redshirting this season, Liberty performed well in the men's triple jump. First-year Flame Gilles Ouedraogo completed a sweep of the CUSA indoor and outdoor triple jump championships. His 52-4.5 leap in round two won the competition by nearly a foot and equaled Ouedraogo's own Liberty record from last month's Penn Relays.
Two days after finishing as the men's long jump runner-up, Markus White recorded his best-ever outdoor triple jump (50-5.25, No. 7 in program history) for a fourth-place showing.
Shughart set the tone for the day in Saturday's opening event, the men's javelin. He uncorked a 242-3 missile (the longest throw at this meet since 2021) on his fifth attempt to leapfrog defending champion Blake Orr of FIU and win his second CUSA javelin crown in three years. Shughart is the first Liberty men's javelin thrower to claim multiple conference titles since Denzel Pratt won a trio (2017 Big South, 2018 Big South and 2019 ASUN).
If Kennesaw State had any hopes of mounting a comeback, they came to a screeching halt when Long (1:47.88) and Brendan Pitcher (season-best 1:48.75) swept the men's 800's top two positions. Long's winning time was the fastest at this meet since 2017, and Pitcher held off defending champion Caleb Anthony of Sam Houston for runner-up honors.
Long became the Flames' first outdoor men's 800 titlist since 2019 (Michael Todd – ASUN), and that was also the last time Liberty went 1-2 in the two-lap event (Todd and Ally Kipchirchir).
Josh Blalock made a strong bid to repeat as CUSA men's 400 hurdles champion before setting for second place in a season-best 52.12.
Ethan Stansbury closed out his collegiate career by garnering his first all-conference notation. He outleaned Middle Tennessee's Gabe Allen by three hundredths of a second in the men's 1,500, crossing the line in 3:55.07.
After battling injury for much of the year, Elijah Sherard finished off his sophomore campaign on a positive note. He took fourth in the men's 400 final with a season-best time of 46.71.
Redshirt freshman Andrew Schultz paced Liberty's trio of top-eight finishers in the men's 5K, posting a personal-best 14:31.26 for fifth place. Two nights earlier, he had notched a 10K personal-best time of 30:02.62 to come in fourth in that event.
Women's Day 3 Recap
Zealand became the first Lady Flame to race to conference titles in the 800 and 1,500 at the same meet since 2002, when her mother and coach (Heather [Sagan] Zealand) did so in the Big South Conference as a senior. But the sophomore All-American's victories came in very different ways.
Zealand set a speedy early pace in the women's 1,500 final and never relented. Her winning time of 4:14.63 was three seconds faster than that of runner-up Privillege Chikara of Middle Tennessee and just missed the meet record of 4:14.42. Zealand became the first back-to-back CUSA women's 1,500 champion since 2018 and 2019 (UTEP's Lilian Koech) and the first Lady Flame to collect consecutive conference titles in the "metric mile" since 2011 and 2012 (Jennifer Klugh – Big South).
An hour later, Zealand needed a stirring rally down the final straightaway to overtake Chikara late and win the women's 800 title by about a quarter of a second, 2:05.26 to 2:05.53. It marked her seventh career CUSA individual championship, five of which have come this academic year (previously cross country, indoor mile and indoor 3K).
Speaking of tight finishes, Liberty's final gold medal of the weekend was won by just five hundredths of a second. Ava Gordon edged defending champion Faith Nyathi of host Middle Tennessee, 16:28.52 to 16:28.57, in a memorable, back-and-forth women's 5K final under the lights in Murfreesboro.
Gordon's first career individual conference victory, which came a day after she celebrated her 22nd birthday, turned the tables from this same race in 2025. A year ago, Nyathi had outkicked Lady Flame Adelyn Fairley by 58 hundredths of a second for top honors in the 5K.
Conversely, Rivera-Norman claimed the women's 100 hurdles title in convincing fashion. She lowered her own Liberty freshman standard to 13.32, outpacing fellow freshman Tickia Sutton of Kennesaw State (13.64).
Rivera-Norman is the Lady Flames' first conference champion in this event since 2019, when Jada Thomas (also a freshman) took home the ASUN victory. The most recent CUSA freshman to win the women's 100 hurdles final was Charlotte's Kayla Moore in 2018.
Freshmen also excelled in the Lady Flames' opening event of the afternoon (women's javelin). Program record holder Isabella Frattura came in third at 163-3, while fellow rookie Emily Norris placed seventh in her Liberty debut. Norris' 147-10 mark sits No. 8 all-time for the Lady Flames.
Liberty's women's sprints crew also starred on Saturday. Iyana Sherard notched a pair of personal bests to come in a close second (to Women's High Point Scorer of the Meet Marlee Cavitt of New Mexico State) in the women's 200 (23.50) and sixth in the women's 100 (11.59).
The Lady Flames finished 3-5 in the women's 400 final, thanks to Mahogany Mobley (53.25) and Maddy Merritt (personal-best 53.71, No. 4 in program history).
Merritt, Sherard, CUSA heptathlon champion Patasha Bryan and Mobley then teamed up for second place in the women's 4 x 400 relay. They became the third fastest quartet in program history with a 3:37.60 clocking.
Final Men's Team Scores
1) Liberty – 244
2) Kennesaw State – 147
3) Western Kentucky – 109.5
4) Middle Tennessee – 97
5) Sam Houston – 64
6) Louisiana Tech – 58
7) UTEP – 45
8) FIU – 31.5
Final Women's Team Scores
1) Liberty – 161
2) Kennesaw State – 121
3) FIU – 118.5
4) New Mexico State – 82
5) Middle Tennessee – 61
6) Louisiana Tech – 59
7) Missouri State – 57.5
8) Delaware – 50.5
9) UTEP – 32.5
10) Sam Houston – 30
11) Western Kentucky – 23
12) Jacksonville State – 21
Men's High Point Scorer of the Meet
Mustapha Bokpin, Middle Tennessee
Women's High Point Scorer of the Meet
Marlee Cavitt, New Mexico State
Men's Freshman of the Meet
Leland Taylor, Western Kentucky
Women's Freshman of the Meet
Jermiya Winston, Kennesaw State
Men's Day 3 CUSA Champions
Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.58
Christian Hicks – Discus – 187-6
Michael Long – 800 – 1:47.88
Gilles Ouedraogo – Triple Jump – 52-4.5
Ben Shughart – Javelin – 242-3
Women's Day 3 CUSA Champions
Ava Gordon – 5K – 16:28.52
Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.32
Allie Zealand – 800 – 2:05.26
Allie Zealand – 1,500 – 4:14.63
Other Men's Day 3 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Beau Backes – Discus – 182-0
2nd – Josh Blalock – 400 Hurdles – 52.12
2nd – Brendan Pitcher – 800 – 1:48.75
3rd – Ethan Stansbury – 1,500 – 3:55.07
3rd – Trevor Veenstra – Discus – 177-10
Other Women's Day 3 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Iyana Sherard – 200 – 23.50
2nd – Maddy Merritt, Iyana Sherard, Patasha Bryan, Mahogany Mobley – 4 x 400 – 3:37.60
3rd – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-2
3rd – Mahogany Mobley – 400 – 53.25
Men's Day 3 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.58
Previous Record: 13.66 by Prosper Ekporere at the Nigerian Championships on July 6, 2023
Tied Liberty Record – Gilles Ouedraogo – Triple Jump – 52-4.5
Shared Record: 52-4.5 by Ouedraogo at the Penn Relays on April 25
Liberty Freshman Record – Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.58
Previous Record: 13.75 by Brown in the CUSA prelims on Thursday (May 14)
Women's Day 3 Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.32
Previous Record: 13.33 by Rivera-Norman at the Liberty Twilight Qualifier on May 6
Day 3 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 1 – 110 Hurdles – Tahj Brown – 13.58
No. 7 – Triple Jump – Markus White – 50-5.25
No. 8 – Discus – Beau Backes – 182-0
Day 3 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 2 – 100 Hurdles – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 13.32
No. 3 – 4 x 400 – Merritt, Sherard, Bryan, Mobley – 3:37.60
No. 4 – 200 – Iyana Sherard – 23.50
No. 4 – 400 – Maddy Merritt – 53.71
No. 5 – 100 – Iyana Sherard – 11.59
No. 8 – Javelin – Emily Norris – 147-10
Up Next
The NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet will be contested May 27-30 at the UK Outdoor Track & Field Complex in Lexington, Ky.
Both the official list of qualifiers for Lexington and the decathletes and heptathletes heading to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships (June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore.) will be announced on Thursday on NCAA.com.
A year after Kennesaw State snapped Liberty's 17-year streak of winning outdoor team championships, the Flames returned the favor in emphatic fashion. The Flames' 97-point margin of victory over the runner-up Owls (244-147) marked the largest in this meet's 30-year history, topping Houston's 96-point win from 2005.
Meanwhile, the Lady Flames also gained a measure of revenge against Kennesaw State after the Owls had defeated Liberty at the CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships in February. Liberty outdistanced the Owls by 40 points (161-121) to claim their third straight title at this meet. The Lady Flames are the first women's team to do so since UCF notched four straight CUSA women's outdoor crowns between 2010-13.
Liberty won nine events on the meet's third and final day, finishing with 12 total gold medals. Saturday's victors included Tahj Brown (men's 110 hurdles – 13.58), Christian Hicks (men's discus – 187-6), Michael Long (men's 800 – 1:47.88), Gilles Ouedraogo (men's triple jump – 52-4.5), Ben Shughart (men's javelin – 242-3), Ava Gordon (women's 5K – 16:28.52), Alivia Rivera-Norman (women's 100 hurdles – 13.32) and Allie Zealand (women's 800 – 2:05.26 and women's 1,500 – 4:14.63).
Three of Saturday's triumphs came in record-breaking fashion, including Brown's 13.58 in the men's 110 hurdles (program record and Liberty freshman record), Rivera-Norman's 13.32 in the women's 100 hurdles (Liberty freshman record) and Ouedraogo's 52-4.5 in the men's triple jump (tied his own program record).
The Flames also made history in the men's discus, becoming the first team ever to go 1-2-3 in the event at the CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Men's Day 3 Recap
Liberty's history-making men's discus trio consisted of Hicks, runner-up Beau Backes (personal-best 182-0) and third-place Trevor Veenstra (177-10). Backes' first career all-conference medal was nearly of the gold variety. But Hicks overtook him in round six to successfully defend his title from 2025. He is Liberty's first back-to-back men's discus conference champion since 2015 and 2016 (Fred Fulton – Big South).
Brown overtook No. 1 seed Oscar Smith of Louisiana Tech over the final two hurdles to earn the Flames' first CUSA men's 110 hurdles title. He became the first freshman to win the event since 2013 (Houston's Isaac Williams) and Liberty's first freshman conference champion in this event since 2017 (Jovaine Atkinson – Big South).
Brown, who had previously raced to the CUSA indoor men's 60 hurdles championship in February, lowered the Liberty freshman record for the fifth time this season and for the third consecutive race. His 13.58 effort eclipses the previous program record of 13.66 achieved by Prosper Ekporere during the 2023 Nigerian Championships.
Even with defending CUSA champion Joshua Smith redshirting this season, Liberty performed well in the men's triple jump. First-year Flame Gilles Ouedraogo completed a sweep of the CUSA indoor and outdoor triple jump championships. His 52-4.5 leap in round two won the competition by nearly a foot and equaled Ouedraogo's own Liberty record from last month's Penn Relays.
Two days after finishing as the men's long jump runner-up, Markus White recorded his best-ever outdoor triple jump (50-5.25, No. 7 in program history) for a fourth-place showing.
Shughart set the tone for the day in Saturday's opening event, the men's javelin. He uncorked a 242-3 missile (the longest throw at this meet since 2021) on his fifth attempt to leapfrog defending champion Blake Orr of FIU and win his second CUSA javelin crown in three years. Shughart is the first Liberty men's javelin thrower to claim multiple conference titles since Denzel Pratt won a trio (2017 Big South, 2018 Big South and 2019 ASUN).
If Kennesaw State had any hopes of mounting a comeback, they came to a screeching halt when Long (1:47.88) and Brendan Pitcher (season-best 1:48.75) swept the men's 800's top two positions. Long's winning time was the fastest at this meet since 2017, and Pitcher held off defending champion Caleb Anthony of Sam Houston for runner-up honors.
Long became the Flames' first outdoor men's 800 titlist since 2019 (Michael Todd – ASUN), and that was also the last time Liberty went 1-2 in the two-lap event (Todd and Ally Kipchirchir).
Josh Blalock made a strong bid to repeat as CUSA men's 400 hurdles champion before setting for second place in a season-best 52.12.
Ethan Stansbury closed out his collegiate career by garnering his first all-conference notation. He outleaned Middle Tennessee's Gabe Allen by three hundredths of a second in the men's 1,500, crossing the line in 3:55.07.
After battling injury for much of the year, Elijah Sherard finished off his sophomore campaign on a positive note. He took fourth in the men's 400 final with a season-best time of 46.71.
Redshirt freshman Andrew Schultz paced Liberty's trio of top-eight finishers in the men's 5K, posting a personal-best 14:31.26 for fifth place. Two nights earlier, he had notched a 10K personal-best time of 30:02.62 to come in fourth in that event.
Women's Day 3 Recap
Zealand became the first Lady Flame to race to conference titles in the 800 and 1,500 at the same meet since 2002, when her mother and coach (Heather [Sagan] Zealand) did so in the Big South Conference as a senior. But the sophomore All-American's victories came in very different ways.
Zealand set a speedy early pace in the women's 1,500 final and never relented. Her winning time of 4:14.63 was three seconds faster than that of runner-up Privillege Chikara of Middle Tennessee and just missed the meet record of 4:14.42. Zealand became the first back-to-back CUSA women's 1,500 champion since 2018 and 2019 (UTEP's Lilian Koech) and the first Lady Flame to collect consecutive conference titles in the "metric mile" since 2011 and 2012 (Jennifer Klugh – Big South).
An hour later, Zealand needed a stirring rally down the final straightaway to overtake Chikara late and win the women's 800 title by about a quarter of a second, 2:05.26 to 2:05.53. It marked her seventh career CUSA individual championship, five of which have come this academic year (previously cross country, indoor mile and indoor 3K).
Speaking of tight finishes, Liberty's final gold medal of the weekend was won by just five hundredths of a second. Ava Gordon edged defending champion Faith Nyathi of host Middle Tennessee, 16:28.52 to 16:28.57, in a memorable, back-and-forth women's 5K final under the lights in Murfreesboro.
Gordon's first career individual conference victory, which came a day after she celebrated her 22nd birthday, turned the tables from this same race in 2025. A year ago, Nyathi had outkicked Lady Flame Adelyn Fairley by 58 hundredths of a second for top honors in the 5K.
Conversely, Rivera-Norman claimed the women's 100 hurdles title in convincing fashion. She lowered her own Liberty freshman standard to 13.32, outpacing fellow freshman Tickia Sutton of Kennesaw State (13.64).
Rivera-Norman is the Lady Flames' first conference champion in this event since 2019, when Jada Thomas (also a freshman) took home the ASUN victory. The most recent CUSA freshman to win the women's 100 hurdles final was Charlotte's Kayla Moore in 2018.
Freshmen also excelled in the Lady Flames' opening event of the afternoon (women's javelin). Program record holder Isabella Frattura came in third at 163-3, while fellow rookie Emily Norris placed seventh in her Liberty debut. Norris' 147-10 mark sits No. 8 all-time for the Lady Flames.
Liberty's women's sprints crew also starred on Saturday. Iyana Sherard notched a pair of personal bests to come in a close second (to Women's High Point Scorer of the Meet Marlee Cavitt of New Mexico State) in the women's 200 (23.50) and sixth in the women's 100 (11.59).
The Lady Flames finished 3-5 in the women's 400 final, thanks to Mahogany Mobley (53.25) and Maddy Merritt (personal-best 53.71, No. 4 in program history).
Merritt, Sherard, CUSA heptathlon champion Patasha Bryan and Mobley then teamed up for second place in the women's 4 x 400 relay. They became the third fastest quartet in program history with a 3:37.60 clocking.
Final Men's Team Scores
1) Liberty – 244
2) Kennesaw State – 147
3) Western Kentucky – 109.5
4) Middle Tennessee – 97
5) Sam Houston – 64
6) Louisiana Tech – 58
7) UTEP – 45
8) FIU – 31.5
Final Women's Team Scores
1) Liberty – 161
2) Kennesaw State – 121
3) FIU – 118.5
4) New Mexico State – 82
5) Middle Tennessee – 61
6) Louisiana Tech – 59
7) Missouri State – 57.5
8) Delaware – 50.5
9) UTEP – 32.5
10) Sam Houston – 30
11) Western Kentucky – 23
12) Jacksonville State – 21
Men's High Point Scorer of the Meet
Mustapha Bokpin, Middle Tennessee
Women's High Point Scorer of the Meet
Marlee Cavitt, New Mexico State
Men's Freshman of the Meet
Leland Taylor, Western Kentucky
Women's Freshman of the Meet
Jermiya Winston, Kennesaw State
Men's Day 3 CUSA Champions
Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.58
Christian Hicks – Discus – 187-6
Michael Long – 800 – 1:47.88
Gilles Ouedraogo – Triple Jump – 52-4.5
Ben Shughart – Javelin – 242-3
Women's Day 3 CUSA Champions
Ava Gordon – 5K – 16:28.52
Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.32
Allie Zealand – 800 – 2:05.26
Allie Zealand – 1,500 – 4:14.63
Other Men's Day 3 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Beau Backes – Discus – 182-0
2nd – Josh Blalock – 400 Hurdles – 52.12
2nd – Brendan Pitcher – 800 – 1:48.75
3rd – Ethan Stansbury – 1,500 – 3:55.07
3rd – Trevor Veenstra – Discus – 177-10
Other Women's Day 3 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Iyana Sherard – 200 – 23.50
2nd – Maddy Merritt, Iyana Sherard, Patasha Bryan, Mahogany Mobley – 4 x 400 – 3:37.60
3rd – Isabella Frattura – Javelin – 163-2
3rd – Mahogany Mobley – 400 – 53.25
Men's Day 3 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.58
Previous Record: 13.66 by Prosper Ekporere at the Nigerian Championships on July 6, 2023
Tied Liberty Record – Gilles Ouedraogo – Triple Jump – 52-4.5
Shared Record: 52-4.5 by Ouedraogo at the Penn Relays on April 25
Liberty Freshman Record – Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.58
Previous Record: 13.75 by Brown in the CUSA prelims on Thursday (May 14)
Women's Day 3 Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.32
Previous Record: 13.33 by Rivera-Norman at the Liberty Twilight Qualifier on May 6
Day 3 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
No. 1 – 110 Hurdles – Tahj Brown – 13.58
No. 7 – Triple Jump – Markus White – 50-5.25
No. 8 – Discus – Beau Backes – 182-0
Day 3 Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
No. 2 – 100 Hurdles – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 13.32
No. 3 – 4 x 400 – Merritt, Sherard, Bryan, Mobley – 3:37.60
No. 4 – 200 – Iyana Sherard – 23.50
No. 4 – 400 – Maddy Merritt – 53.71
No. 5 – 100 – Iyana Sherard – 11.59
No. 8 – Javelin – Emily Norris – 147-10
Up Next
The NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet will be contested May 27-30 at the UK Outdoor Track & Field Complex in Lexington, Ky.
Both the official list of qualifiers for Lexington and the decathletes and heptathletes heading to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships (June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore.) will be announced on Thursday on NCAA.com.
Players Mentioned
Paola Bueno: Representing Liberty and Mexico
Thursday, January 29
The Sherard Family: On the Court and on the Track
Wednesday, January 21
Allie Zealand Talks About The Cross Country & Indoor Track Season
Friday, December 12
Coach Zealand & Ryann Aycock Give An Update On The Cross Country Season
Wednesday, September 17

































