Liberty track and field team claims first CUSA title

The Liberty Flames men’s and women’s indoor track teams both ran away with the conference title at the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 23-24, held at Liberty’s Indoor Track Complex. 

The men’s team remains undefeated in Division I conference meets, extending the nation’s longest active championship streak to 27 in a row spanning over three leagues (21 Big South, five ASUN and one CUSA). Moreover, the Lady Flames became the first women’s indoor track and field team to claim the Conference USA title during their first year as conference members. “This is special,” Flames Head Coach Lance Bingham said. “I think it’s more special just because the character of this team has persevered through a lot, and we had several injuries (during the season). We had several people just step up and perform very well.” 

The Flames won 17 of 34 events during the two-day meet and topped the men’s and women’s team leaderboards with a combined 148 points. The Lady Flames posted a 70-point triumph (169-99) over runner-up UTEP, marking the largest margin of victory in the meet’s 29-year history. On the men’s side, Liberty finished 78 points (215.5-137.5) ahead of second-place Sam Houston for the largest margin of victory at this meet in 20 years. 

 

Liberty continues its amazing home-track advantage, as the Flames and Lady Flames have now won 29 of a possible 30 men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor team titles in Lynchburg all-time. Bingham also claimed the CUSA Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year honors, increasing his conference Coach of the Year tally to 12. 

Freshman runner Edwin Kiprop, who arrived on the Mountain just weeks ago, swept the men’s 3K (8:15:26) and 5K (14:07:46) titles to earn the CUSA Men’s Freshman of the Meet trophy in just the second meet of his collegiate career. 

In addition to winning half of the meet’s events, the Flames saw seven program records set, two CUSA meet records broken and a pair of facility records shattered on Friday and Saturday combined. The Flames’ additions to those totals on Saturday included redshirt sophomore Katelyn Locker’s meet record in the women’s 800-meter (2:06.99), redshirt senior Makenzy Mizera’s meet record in the women’s triple jump (39-10.75) and sophomore Reese Webster’s meet record in the women’s 60 (7.32). Program standards were set by redshirt junior Indea Cartwright (women’s 60 hurdles — 8.16), Webster (women’s 200 — 23.27) and sophomore Omari Lewis (men’s 60 — 6.67). 

The Flames showed tremendous resiliency throughout the entire tournament, but the program and meet records only matter for a season. The main thing that matters to Bingham is how his players will be in their walks with Christ years from now. 

“We had a retreat way back in September,” Bingham said. “It’s more like a revival, but it was a retreat, and we established our core values. Those core values are gospel-centered identity in Christ, team unity, mission-focused and excellence-driven. We’re seeing that the team really embraced these values, and that character that’s created from that is what you see as a result. Those are the things that are going to make an impact on their lives 15 years from now, not this performance.”

The Flames may have broken a ton of program and Conference USA records over the course of two days, but for Liberty redshirt junior mile runner Kyle Harkabus, who took home the men’s 1-mile title, coming to Liberty has helped him realize that there is more to life than just running track. 

“I learned that I can’t do it all on my own,” Harkabus said. “Like, before races I always remember that I need to pray and trust the Lord in his guidance and wisdom. At the end of the day, it’s just running, and it’s not the end of the world if I don’t perform well.”

The 2024 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships will take place March 8-9 at The TRACK at New Balance in Boston, Massachusetts. The only Liberty Flame who is in the running for an NCAA berth in the men’s shot put is redshirt senior Warren Barrett, and this would be his second season in a row. Most of Liberty’s athletes will turn their attention to the outdoor track and field season. The Flames’ first outdoor meet will be the 49er Classic, taking place March 14-16 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  

Clingman is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on X.