Saturday, May 2
Lynchburg, Va.
2:00 PM ET
Liberty University
at
The Hill City Twilight
Michael Long's 1:46.77 800 on Saturday shattered the program record.
Long’s Record-Breaking 1:46.77 800 Headlines The Hill City Twilight
5/2/2026 10:06:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty's distance crew posted a number of noteworthy performances at The Hill City Twilight, Saturday evening at the University of Lynchburg's Dr. Jack M. Toms Track. But none shone brighter than Michael Long's men's 800 triumph in a program-record 1:46.77.
Katrina Schlenker was the Flames' other event champion at the one-day meet, clocking a facility-record 16:27.14 to run away with the women's 5K crown.
Men's Recap
Long, who had clocked a program-record 1:48.22 during his last 800 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17, shattered that mark on Saturday. The first-year Flame's 1:46.77 effort on Saturday marked the fastest 800 by a CUSA runner since 2018.
This is the second time in three years the Liberty men's 800 record has gone down at this meet. Brendan Pitcher ran a then program-best 1:48.26 at the 2024 The Hill City Twilight. Pitcher placed ninth in 1:51.18 this year.
Long entered the meet sitting on the bubble for NCAA Division I East First Rounds qualification, but will certainly be headed to Lexington, Ky., later this month now that he has moved into the East Region's top 20.
Dale Hall posted a slight personal best of 3:47.26 for 13th place in a stacked men's 1,500 invite section. The sophomore remains No. 9 in program history for the "metric mile."
Making his steeplechase debut, freshman Robbie Annett was the runner-up in 9:55.32.
Rounding out the night, Jack Cottrell paced the Flames with a fifth-place 5K finish in 14:23.59. Andrew Schultz followed in a personal-best 14:32.08 for eighth.
Women's Recap
At last season's The Hill City Twilight, Schlenker posted a 17:11.50 5K. That stood as the senior's personal best before she demolished it with a 16:27.14 on Saturday. Schlenker won the race by 36 seconds and eclipsed the facility record of 16:30.11 set by Montreat's Heather Murphy at this meet a year ago.
Schlenker now ranks No. 6 in program history, one spot behind Ava Gordon, who paced her through the first half of Saturday's race.
Behind Schlenker, Molly Lashley (17:23.57) and Isabela Ross (17:24.16) placed 3-4 for the Lady Flames. Meanwhile, Anna Fletcher (sixth, 17:39.62) and Sonja Semling (ninth, 17:49.85) each set personal bests, with Semling joining the sub-18:00 club for the first time.
The 800 invite was another big event, with Lady Flames finishing fourth (Rachel Hill, personal-best 2:06.98), fifth (Jessica Palisca, 2:07.80), sixth (Eden Alexander, outdoor-best 2:08.23) and seventh (Ryann Aycock, personal-best 2:11.63).
Hill, who had never run an 800 faster than 2:09.74 prior to Saturday, joins the Liberty all-time top 10 list at No. 7. Her effort pushes Coach Heather (Sagan) Zealand back to the No. 10 spot in program history with her 2:08.00 at Dr. Jack M. Toms Track in 2002.
Alexander's 2:08.23 is the second fastest outdoor 800 by a freshman in program history, trailing only the 2:07.31 Allie Zealand recorded at this meet a year ago.
Kate Loescher (4:30.91) and Raini Mayo (4:37.55) each cut multiple seconds off their personal bests in their respective sections of the women's 1,500.
The lone Liberty sprinter to compete on Saturday, Maddy Merritt clocked 24.56 into a headwind for third place in the women's 200 final.
Men's Event Winners
Michael Long – 800 Invite – 1:46.77
Women's Event Winners
Katrina Schlenker – 5K – 16:27.14
Other Men's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Robbie Annett – Steeplechase – 9:55.32
Other Women's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Jessica Palisca, Eden Alexander, Kate Loescher, Sophia Mast – 4 x 400 – 3:59.36
3rd – Molly Lashley – 5K – 17:23.57
3rd – Maddy Merritt – 200 – 24.56
Men's Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Michael Long – 800 – 1:46.77
Previous Record: 1:48.22 by Long at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17
Women's Record Breakers
Facility Record – Katrina Schlenker – 5K – 16:27.14
Previous Record: 16:30.11 by Heather Murphy of Montreat on May 2, 2025
New Men's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Michael Long – 800 – 1:46.77
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
800 – No. 1 – Michael Long – 1:46.77
1,500 – No. 9 – Dale Hall – 3:47.26
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
5K – No. 6 – Katrina Schlenker – 16:27.14
800 – No. 7 – Rachel Hill – 2:06.98
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.
Katrina Schlenker was the Flames' other event champion at the one-day meet, clocking a facility-record 16:27.14 to run away with the women's 5K crown.
Men's Recap
Long, who had clocked a program-record 1:48.22 during his last 800 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17, shattered that mark on Saturday. The first-year Flame's 1:46.77 effort on Saturday marked the fastest 800 by a CUSA runner since 2018.
This is the second time in three years the Liberty men's 800 record has gone down at this meet. Brendan Pitcher ran a then program-best 1:48.26 at the 2024 The Hill City Twilight. Pitcher placed ninth in 1:51.18 this year.
Long entered the meet sitting on the bubble for NCAA Division I East First Rounds qualification, but will certainly be headed to Lexington, Ky., later this month now that he has moved into the East Region's top 20.
Dale Hall posted a slight personal best of 3:47.26 for 13th place in a stacked men's 1,500 invite section. The sophomore remains No. 9 in program history for the "metric mile."
Making his steeplechase debut, freshman Robbie Annett was the runner-up in 9:55.32.
Rounding out the night, Jack Cottrell paced the Flames with a fifth-place 5K finish in 14:23.59. Andrew Schultz followed in a personal-best 14:32.08 for eighth.
Women's Recap
At last season's The Hill City Twilight, Schlenker posted a 17:11.50 5K. That stood as the senior's personal best before she demolished it with a 16:27.14 on Saturday. Schlenker won the race by 36 seconds and eclipsed the facility record of 16:30.11 set by Montreat's Heather Murphy at this meet a year ago.
Schlenker now ranks No. 6 in program history, one spot behind Ava Gordon, who paced her through the first half of Saturday's race.
Behind Schlenker, Molly Lashley (17:23.57) and Isabela Ross (17:24.16) placed 3-4 for the Lady Flames. Meanwhile, Anna Fletcher (sixth, 17:39.62) and Sonja Semling (ninth, 17:49.85) each set personal bests, with Semling joining the sub-18:00 club for the first time.
The 800 invite was another big event, with Lady Flames finishing fourth (Rachel Hill, personal-best 2:06.98), fifth (Jessica Palisca, 2:07.80), sixth (Eden Alexander, outdoor-best 2:08.23) and seventh (Ryann Aycock, personal-best 2:11.63).
Hill, who had never run an 800 faster than 2:09.74 prior to Saturday, joins the Liberty all-time top 10 list at No. 7. Her effort pushes Coach Heather (Sagan) Zealand back to the No. 10 spot in program history with her 2:08.00 at Dr. Jack M. Toms Track in 2002.
Alexander's 2:08.23 is the second fastest outdoor 800 by a freshman in program history, trailing only the 2:07.31 Allie Zealand recorded at this meet a year ago.
Kate Loescher (4:30.91) and Raini Mayo (4:37.55) each cut multiple seconds off their personal bests in their respective sections of the women's 1,500.
The lone Liberty sprinter to compete on Saturday, Maddy Merritt clocked 24.56 into a headwind for third place in the women's 200 final.
Men's Event Winners
Michael Long – 800 Invite – 1:46.77
Women's Event Winners
Katrina Schlenker – 5K – 16:27.14
Other Men's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Robbie Annett – Steeplechase – 9:55.32
Other Women's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Jessica Palisca, Eden Alexander, Kate Loescher, Sophia Mast – 4 x 400 – 3:59.36
3rd – Molly Lashley – 5K – 17:23.57
3rd – Maddy Merritt – 200 – 24.56
Men's Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Michael Long – 800 – 1:46.77
Previous Record: 1:48.22 by Long at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17
Women's Record Breakers
Facility Record – Katrina Schlenker – 5K – 16:27.14
Previous Record: 16:30.11 by Heather Murphy of Montreat on May 2, 2025
New Men's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Michael Long – 800 – 1:46.77
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
800 – No. 1 – Michael Long – 1:46.77
1,500 – No. 9 – Dale Hall – 3:47.26
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
5K – No. 6 – Katrina Schlenker – 16:27.14
800 – No. 7 – Rachel Hill – 2:06.98
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.
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