LIberty Track & Field Makes Strides At The Brant Tolsma Invitational

Multiple meet records and top performances highlighted Liberty’s track and field teams in the three-day Brant Tolsma Invitational Jan. 20-22. 

Sophomore Meredith Engle opened up the first day of competition in the pentathlon, scoring 3,722 points, which was good for second overall and the top collegiate finish at the meet. This new personal record puts her at No. 5 on the ASUN and Liberty all-
time lists.

Engle ended the day with lifetime personal records in the shotput and high jump. 

Competing as a sprinter and long jumper in high school, Engle had to improve in the throws and the high jump upon coming to Liberty.

“Shotput was the event I had the least experience with,” Engle said. “I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve come to really like it.”

Other standout performances for the Flames came in the distance events where Noel Palmer and Jamie Anderson swept the top two spots, running 17:09 and 18:05 respectively.

Cross country All-American Calli Doan showed her versatility on the track by winning the mile in a meet record time of 4:48.42.

Senior Janai Scott finished second in the 200m while Naomi Mojica won double gold for the Flames by winning the weight throw and shotput.

John Hicks made it a Liberty sweep of the weight throw as he bested the men’s competition with a heave of 59-10.5.

Sticking with the field events, Jeremy Davis claimed gold in the long jump with a new meet record of 24-3.5. This mark ranks as the second best in the ASUN this season, bested only by his teammate Quinten Clay.

Senior Brandon Letts continued the strong start to his senior season by winning the 60m dash in 6.80. He also finished second in the 200m with a time of 22.01.

Many of the men’s squad competed in the meet registered as “unattached” instead of as part of Liberty’s official squad.

This is a result of the ASUN’s new 30-athlete entry limit for the Indoor Track & Field Championships. These next few meets will serve as tryouts to help the coaching staff decide which athletes will help the program maximize points scored at the conference meet.

“We have people that will be sitting out conferences that can score,” Bingham said. “I have no doubt that we have 35, 37, guys that can score at conference.”

There we will be a lot on the line for the Flames at that conference meet, including a 25-season winning streak.

Many of those came under the recently-retired Coach Brant Tolsma after which both the Invitational and the indoor track facility are named. Bingham worked alongside Tolsma and holds Tolsma is high esteem.

“Scripture talks about giving honor to whom honor’s due. There’s not an equal when you start looking at how many conference titles, coaches of the year (and) all these things that he’s done through the years,” Bingham said.

The Brant Tolsma Indoor Track will be officially dedicated to the long-time former coach Feb. 12 at the Darius Dixon Invite. Before that, the Flames will take to the road again with an away meet at the Bob Pollock Invite at Clemson University Jan. 28.

Cosentino is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter