The top 5
A highlight reel of Fall sports at Liberty
With another semester in the books, the Champion sports office has decided to revisit the best highlights of Liberty Athletics from the fall. Preference was given to NCAA Division I sports, and the five chosen are listed in chronological order. Photos taken by Ruth Bibby and Jake Mitchell
Oct. 27 — Liberty Men’s DI Hockey upsets No. 1 Ohio University
What made this victory so remarkable was what led up to it. The men’s hockey team shot out to an 8-0 record to begin the season, but their remarkable start gave way to a frustrating six-game losing streak. Having been perched at the No. 7 spot in the ACHA national ranking, the Flames tumbled to No. 12. Conversely, Ohio University was the hottest hockey team in the business. Touting an 11-0 record, Ohio was the undisputed No. 1 in the nation.
Senior Rick Turner enjoyed a stellar night on the ice, scoring once and getting credited with two assists. In total, four different skaters scored for Liberty in their 4-3 victory.
Oct. 27 — Men and Women’s Cross-Country capture Big South crowns
In a display of dominance that we have only come to expect from one of the winningest athletic programs on campus, Head Coach Brant Tolsma’s crew took care of business at the conference meet in Rock Hill, S.C., earning a complete Liberty sweep of the cross- country events.
The top men’s finisher was senior David Ricksecker, who placed second. The top seven runners — those whose score matters in the meet’s scoring system — came in second, third, fourth, seventh, 12th, 13th and 14th.
The top women’s finisher was senior Jennifer Klugh, who won the women’s meet. The rest of the Lady Flames top seven finishers came in seventh, eighth, ninth, 15th, 18th and 23rd. Klugh went on to greater successes at the regional and national level of competition, finishing 93rd out of 253 runners who competed for the national title.
Brant Tolsma won both men and women’s Coach of the Year, giving him his 51st and 52nd title. It was his eighth year in a row winning in the men’s category.
Nov. 2 — Women’s Field Hockey wins eighth straight game
Still a new kid on the block in Liberty Athletics, the women’s field hockey team flexed its muscles in its second year of existence and produced a 16-6 overall record, including a program-best eight wins in a row from Oct. 12 to Nov. 2.
During the eight-game stretch, the Lady Flames outscored their opponents 29-5. The team went on to place second in the NorPac Championships. Natalie Barr, an Olympic torchbearer for her native Northern Ireland, led the team in goals with 16.
Nov. 10, — Football earns biggest win ever against No. 6 Stony Brook
The heavily-favored Seawolves became the highest-ranked team that the Flames have ever beaten. After a tumultuous first half of the season grounded by turnovers, numerous key injuries and close losses, Liberty finally put all the pieces together when it mattered most.
The defense enjoyed its best outing of the year, forcing five turnovers and scoring as many points as the offense. Junior linebacker Nick Sigmon returned an interception 21 yards for one score, and sophomore safety Jacob Hagen returned a fumble 44 yards for another.
The 28-14 victory all but assured the Flames a piece of their fifth Big South title in six years. The Flames officially clinched the title the following week with a 33-14 win over Virginia Military Institute.
Nov. 18 — Volleyball defeats Coastal Carolina for second straight Big South title
True to the Liberty moniker “ring by spring,” the ladies on the volleyball team will all be sporting some new bling when their conference championship rings arrive in the spring. The title is the fourth in six years and a conference record seventh title all-time. It has created an interesting problem: which finger do you put the second — or third or fourth — ring on?
The Lady Flames winning tradition continued as bright, new talent emerged to supplement a veteran-laden starting seven. Redshirt freshman Caroline Douglas, who was named to the Big South all-tournament team, recorded a team-high 454 kills in 33 matches in her first year of active duty.
