Wednesday, May 6
Lynchburg, Va.
11:00 AM ET
Liberty University
vs
Liberty Twilight Qualifier
Liberty recognized its 23 seniors during Wednesday's regular-season finale.
Freshman Hurdlers Steal Show on Senior Day
5/6/2026 11:38:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Freshman hurdlers Alivia Rivera-Norman (13.33) and Tahj Brown (13.78) notched the home team's most noteworthy performances at Wednesday's Liberty Twilight Qualifier, each winning their sprint hurdles race in Liberty freshman record fashion. The Flames totaled 10 first-place finishes on Senior Day, including victories by seniors Mahogany Mobley (women's 200) and Katrina Schlenker (women's 1,500).
Liberty's other victories went to Raini Mayo (women's steeplechase), Maddy Merritt (women's 400), Iyana Sherard (women's 100), Eva Whiteman (women's high jump), Nathan Haas (men's javelin) and Markus White (men's long jump).
Weather was a major storyline, with wind howling out of the southwest all day (up to a 7.0 m/s tailwind on one long jump attempt) and rain falling off and on through the first several events and Liberty's recognition of its 23-member senior class. As a result, the pole vault was contested at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.
Some events benefited from the wind's assistance, such as Rivera-Norman and Brown's hurdles efforts. Appropriate for the meet's name, Rivera-Norman was able to record a qualifying mark to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet with her record-breaking 100 hurdles clocking.
The day also featured new facility records in the women's 4 x 100 relay (Hampton – 45.17), women's javelin (Liberty redshirt Addilae Watts – 175-9) and men's shot put (unattached Chris Van Niekerk – 64-10).
Women's Recap
Rivera-Norman entered the day ranked No. 6 in program history for the women's 100 hurdles with a best mark of 13.76. She clocked 13.63 in the prelims to eclipse Jada Thomas' Liberty freshman standard of 13.72 set at the 2019 Liberty Twilight Qualifier.
Rivera-Norman then shattered that mark with her winning time of 13.33 about an hour later. In addition to punching her NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet ticket, the freshman catapulted to No. 2 in program history and No. 1 in CUSA this season.
On the opposite end of the experience spectrum, Schlenker's 1,500 triumph came in 4:22.76, a new personal best by 10 seconds and the No. 7 effort on Liberty's all-time list. Just four days earlier, she had slashed 44 seconds from her 5K best with her facility-record 16:27.14 clocking at The Hill City Twilight.
Four other Lady Flames also notched 1,500 bests on Wednesday, including Kate Loescher (fifth, 4:28.81), Ryann Aycock (sixth, 4:29.14), Rachel Hill (seventh, 4:29.15) and Eden Alexander (11th, 4:30.19).
Sherard (100 – 11.65), Mobley (200 – personal-best 23.76) and Merritt (400 – 56.07) produced a Lady Flames sweep of the sprinting events. Sherard's personal-best 11.62 time in the prelims moves the junior up to No. 5 in program history.
The Lady Flames' other two victories came late in the meet. Whiteman's first-attempt high jump clearance at 5-6 gave her the win over Hampton's DeAuna Louis.
Mayo (10:44.09) then ran away with the night's final race, the women's steeplechase. Anna Fletcher joined her on the podium in third place with a big personal-best 11:20.85 effort.
Lara DeFazio (outdoor best 19-4.25, No. 7 in program history) and Patasha Bryan (personal best-equaling 18-9.25) went 2-3 in a wind-aided long jump competition for the home team.
Sophie Gonzalez (199-9) finished as the women's hammer runner-up to All-American teammate Paola Bueno, who is redshirting this season. Bueno's winning heave of 207-10 landed just four inches shy of the facility record.
Watts' facility-record and personal-best 175-9 javelin bomb took down the oldest women's facility record on the books, Chris Stancliffe's 172-2 effort from April 15, 1995.
All-American Meredith Engle came in fourth in the women's javelin at 132-10 during one of her three events. The sixth-year senior also high jumped 5-2.25 (tie for fourth) and shot putted 41-11.5 (seventh) in her first competition since the 2025 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Men's Recap
Brown's 13.78 posting in the men's 110 hurdles final was superior to his own Liberty freshman record of 13.81 from the Penn Relays on April 24. The Bahamas native has set Liberty freshman standards at each of his last three competitions, beginning with a 13.87 at the Virginia Challenge.
White successfully defended his Liberty Twilight Qualifier men's long jump crown. His top effort of 25-2.5 defeated the runner-up (his brother Marquis White of Hampton) by nine inches.
Haas dominated a five-member men's javelin competition, reaching 195-10 to win by 45 feet.
Christian Hicks (190-2) was only denied a repeat win in the men's discus by former Flames All-American Kevin Nedrick's winning mark of 201-1. Beau Backes (personal-best 181-2) and Trevor Veenstra (176-6) also threw well for fifth and sixth places, respectively. Backes eclipsed his previous best from the 2022 season on Senior Day, while Veenstra was additionally the top collegiate performer in the men's shot put (second, 56-8).
Reagan Wise (tied for fourth), Todd Benhase (sixth) and Chase Johnson (seventh) all notched lofty finishes in the indoor men's pole vault competition with matching 16-8 clearances. For Benhase, it marked the sophomore's top clearance at an outdoor meet.
Dale Hall (9:05.72) overtook Flames signee William Zealand (9:09.71) late for a steeplechase runner-up showing.
Seniors Josh Blalock (400 hurdles – 52.47) and Ethan Stansbury (1,500 – 3:51.58) both crossed the line third in their final races at their home track.
Four days after his impressive program-record 1:46.77 800 at The Hill City Twilight, Michael Long ran 48.34 for fourth place in his first 400-meter contest as a Flame.
Women's Event Winners
Raini Mayo – Steeplechase – 10:44.09
Maddy Merritt – 400 – 56.07
Mahogany Mobley – 200 – 23.76
Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.33
Katrina Schlenker – 1,500 – 4:22.76
Iyana Sherard – 100 – 11.65
Eva Whiteman – High Jump – 5-6
Men's Event Winners
Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.78
Nathan Haas – Javelin – 195-10
Markus White – Long Jump – 25-2.5
Other Women's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Lara DeFazio – Long Jump – 19-4.25
2nd – Sophie Gonzalez – Hammer – 199-9
3rd – Patasha Bryan – Long Jump – 18-9.25
3rd – Tabby DeJong – Shot Put – 44-11.5
3rd – Anna Fletcher – Steeplechase – 11:20.85
3rd – Stephanie Robson – Triple Jump – 39-4
3rd – Sonja Semling – 5K – 18:07.69
3rd – Bethany Tate – Discus – 163-3
Other Men's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Dale Hall – Steeplechase – 9:05.72
2nd – Christian Hicks – Discus – 190-2
2nd – Trevor Veenstra – Shot Put – 56-8
3rd – Josh Blalock – 400 Hurdles – 52.47
3rd – Ethan Stansbury – 1,500 – 3:51.58
Women's Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.33
Previous Record: 13.72 by Jada Thomas on May 1, 2019 at the Liberty Twilight Qualifier
Men's Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.78
Previous Record: 13.81 by Brown on April 24 at the Penn Relays
New Women's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.33
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
100 Hurdles – No. 2 – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 13.33
100 – No. 5 – Iyana Sherard – 11.62
200 – No. 6 – Mahogany Mobley – 23.76
1,500 – No. 7 – Katrina Schlenker – 4:22.76
Long Jump – No. 7 – Lara DeFazio – 19-4.25
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
110 Hurdles – No. 3 – Tahj Brown – 13.78
Discus – No. 8 – Beau Backes – 181-2
Pole Vault – No. 10 – Todd Benhase – 16-8
Up Next
For the second year in a row, the CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn., May 14-16. The Liberty women's squad is two-for-two in winning team titles at this event since joining CUSA.
Liberty's other victories went to Raini Mayo (women's steeplechase), Maddy Merritt (women's 400), Iyana Sherard (women's 100), Eva Whiteman (women's high jump), Nathan Haas (men's javelin) and Markus White (men's long jump).
Weather was a major storyline, with wind howling out of the southwest all day (up to a 7.0 m/s tailwind on one long jump attempt) and rain falling off and on through the first several events and Liberty's recognition of its 23-member senior class. As a result, the pole vault was contested at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.
Some events benefited from the wind's assistance, such as Rivera-Norman and Brown's hurdles efforts. Appropriate for the meet's name, Rivera-Norman was able to record a qualifying mark to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet with her record-breaking 100 hurdles clocking.
The day also featured new facility records in the women's 4 x 100 relay (Hampton – 45.17), women's javelin (Liberty redshirt Addilae Watts – 175-9) and men's shot put (unattached Chris Van Niekerk – 64-10).
Women's Recap
Rivera-Norman entered the day ranked No. 6 in program history for the women's 100 hurdles with a best mark of 13.76. She clocked 13.63 in the prelims to eclipse Jada Thomas' Liberty freshman standard of 13.72 set at the 2019 Liberty Twilight Qualifier.
Rivera-Norman then shattered that mark with her winning time of 13.33 about an hour later. In addition to punching her NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet ticket, the freshman catapulted to No. 2 in program history and No. 1 in CUSA this season.
On the opposite end of the experience spectrum, Schlenker's 1,500 triumph came in 4:22.76, a new personal best by 10 seconds and the No. 7 effort on Liberty's all-time list. Just four days earlier, she had slashed 44 seconds from her 5K best with her facility-record 16:27.14 clocking at The Hill City Twilight.
Four other Lady Flames also notched 1,500 bests on Wednesday, including Kate Loescher (fifth, 4:28.81), Ryann Aycock (sixth, 4:29.14), Rachel Hill (seventh, 4:29.15) and Eden Alexander (11th, 4:30.19).
Sherard (100 – 11.65), Mobley (200 – personal-best 23.76) and Merritt (400 – 56.07) produced a Lady Flames sweep of the sprinting events. Sherard's personal-best 11.62 time in the prelims moves the junior up to No. 5 in program history.
The Lady Flames' other two victories came late in the meet. Whiteman's first-attempt high jump clearance at 5-6 gave her the win over Hampton's DeAuna Louis.
Mayo (10:44.09) then ran away with the night's final race, the women's steeplechase. Anna Fletcher joined her on the podium in third place with a big personal-best 11:20.85 effort.
Lara DeFazio (outdoor best 19-4.25, No. 7 in program history) and Patasha Bryan (personal best-equaling 18-9.25) went 2-3 in a wind-aided long jump competition for the home team.
Sophie Gonzalez (199-9) finished as the women's hammer runner-up to All-American teammate Paola Bueno, who is redshirting this season. Bueno's winning heave of 207-10 landed just four inches shy of the facility record.
Watts' facility-record and personal-best 175-9 javelin bomb took down the oldest women's facility record on the books, Chris Stancliffe's 172-2 effort from April 15, 1995.
All-American Meredith Engle came in fourth in the women's javelin at 132-10 during one of her three events. The sixth-year senior also high jumped 5-2.25 (tie for fourth) and shot putted 41-11.5 (seventh) in her first competition since the 2025 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Men's Recap
Brown's 13.78 posting in the men's 110 hurdles final was superior to his own Liberty freshman record of 13.81 from the Penn Relays on April 24. The Bahamas native has set Liberty freshman standards at each of his last three competitions, beginning with a 13.87 at the Virginia Challenge.
White successfully defended his Liberty Twilight Qualifier men's long jump crown. His top effort of 25-2.5 defeated the runner-up (his brother Marquis White of Hampton) by nine inches.
Haas dominated a five-member men's javelin competition, reaching 195-10 to win by 45 feet.
Christian Hicks (190-2) was only denied a repeat win in the men's discus by former Flames All-American Kevin Nedrick's winning mark of 201-1. Beau Backes (personal-best 181-2) and Trevor Veenstra (176-6) also threw well for fifth and sixth places, respectively. Backes eclipsed his previous best from the 2022 season on Senior Day, while Veenstra was additionally the top collegiate performer in the men's shot put (second, 56-8).
Reagan Wise (tied for fourth), Todd Benhase (sixth) and Chase Johnson (seventh) all notched lofty finishes in the indoor men's pole vault competition with matching 16-8 clearances. For Benhase, it marked the sophomore's top clearance at an outdoor meet.
Dale Hall (9:05.72) overtook Flames signee William Zealand (9:09.71) late for a steeplechase runner-up showing.
Seniors Josh Blalock (400 hurdles – 52.47) and Ethan Stansbury (1,500 – 3:51.58) both crossed the line third in their final races at their home track.
Four days after his impressive program-record 1:46.77 800 at The Hill City Twilight, Michael Long ran 48.34 for fourth place in his first 400-meter contest as a Flame.
Women's Event Winners
Raini Mayo – Steeplechase – 10:44.09
Maddy Merritt – 400 – 56.07
Mahogany Mobley – 200 – 23.76
Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.33
Katrina Schlenker – 1,500 – 4:22.76
Iyana Sherard – 100 – 11.65
Eva Whiteman – High Jump – 5-6
Men's Event Winners
Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.78
Nathan Haas – Javelin – 195-10
Markus White – Long Jump – 25-2.5
Other Women's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Lara DeFazio – Long Jump – 19-4.25
2nd – Sophie Gonzalez – Hammer – 199-9
3rd – Patasha Bryan – Long Jump – 18-9.25
3rd – Tabby DeJong – Shot Put – 44-11.5
3rd – Anna Fletcher – Steeplechase – 11:20.85
3rd – Stephanie Robson – Triple Jump – 39-4
3rd – Sonja Semling – 5K – 18:07.69
3rd – Bethany Tate – Discus – 163-3
Other Men's Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Dale Hall – Steeplechase – 9:05.72
2nd – Christian Hicks – Discus – 190-2
2nd – Trevor Veenstra – Shot Put – 56-8
3rd – Josh Blalock – 400 Hurdles – 52.47
3rd – Ethan Stansbury – 1,500 – 3:51.58
Women's Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.33
Previous Record: 13.72 by Jada Thomas on May 1, 2019 at the Liberty Twilight Qualifier
Men's Record Breakers
Liberty Freshman Record – Tahj Brown – 110 Hurdles – 13.78
Previous Record: 13.81 by Brown on April 24 at the Penn Relays
New Women's NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Alivia Rivera-Norman – 100 Hurdles – 13.33
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Women's Top 10 List
100 Hurdles – No. 2 – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 13.33
100 – No. 5 – Iyana Sherard – 11.62
200 – No. 6 – Mahogany Mobley – 23.76
1,500 – No. 7 – Katrina Schlenker – 4:22.76
Long Jump – No. 7 – Lara DeFazio – 19-4.25
Updates to Liberty's All-Time Men's Top 10 List
110 Hurdles – No. 3 – Tahj Brown – 13.78
Discus – No. 8 – Beau Backes – 181-2
Pole Vault – No. 10 – Todd Benhase – 16-8
Up Next
For the second year in a row, the CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn., May 14-16. The Liberty women's squad is two-for-two in winning team titles at this event since joining CUSA.
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