Liberty’s fall sports are officially underway all over campus, and we will provide weekly updates on all of the teams throughout the semester.
CROSS COUNTRY
Competing in the first Conference USA Championships in any sport, the Liberty men’s and women’s cross country teams each came in second place this past Saturday at Hobson Grove Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
8 Flames finished inside the top 17 of the men’s 8K to earn All-CUSA honors, helping Liberty’s men’s team to finish inside the top two of its conference meet for the 21st year in a row including the Flames’ 10th consecutive runner-up showing. Middle Tennessee defeated Liberty by 16 points (37-53) for its fourth CUSA crown in seven years.
On the women’s side, Adelyn Fairley came in second for her fourth career first-team all-conference honor. Liberty finished with the same point total (61) as New Mexico State but won the tiebreaker for second place. Middle Tennessee tallied 52 points to complete a sweep of the team titles, taking home top honors for the fourth time in five seasons.
The NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships are next up for the Flames. The meet, which will determine the team and individual qualifiers for the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, is set for Nov. 10 at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
FIELD HOCKEY (16-1, 7-0 Big East)
No. 6 Liberty defeated Georgetown, 5-0, in its regular season finale on Friday to earn the outright Big East Conference regular season title. With the win, the Lady Flames have earned their second outright league title in the last three years.
Wrapping the regular season with a 16-1 overall record and 7-0 mark in conference play, the Lady Flames enter postseason play with an 11-game winning streak. With a .941 winning percentage, it is the best mark in school history.
Liberty is the No. 1 seed for the upcoming 2023 Big East Field Hockey Championship which will be held Friday through Sunday at Temple.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (14-2-1, 5-2-1 CUSA)
Liberty scored four first half goals in a 4-1 takedown of Louisiana Tech on the road Sunday to conclude the regular season. With the result, Liberty secured the No. 2 seed and a bye in the Conference USA Women’s Soccer Championship.
The CUSA Championship begins Wednesday with Liberty making its debut on Friday in the semifinals against the winner of Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech. The Lady Flames are the No. 2 seed. The tournament will be played at Louisiana Tech as the Flames make the trip back there for the second time in less than a week.
MEN’S SOCCER (9-6-2, 4-4-2 OVC)
Liberty’s Bryce Swinehart scored during the 86th minute to help the Flames tie Houston Christian, 1-1, on Thursday evening. On Sunday, in the regular season finale and to determine the No. 2 seed in the upcoming OVC Championship, Liberty lost to Incarnate Word, 2-0.
The Flames are the No. 3 seed for the tournament which begins on Sunday. Liberty will take on No. 6 seed Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. with the winner advancing to take on No. 2 seed UIW. The tournament will be played at Ralph Korte Stadium in Edwardsville, Illinois.
VOLLEYBALL (13-11, 6-6 CUSA)
The Lady Flames dropped the first set at Sam Houston but battled back to win the next three sets and take the first match in four sets over the Bearkats. It was a similar result on Saturday as Sam Houston jumped out to the 1-0 set lead before Liberty won the next three sets to claim the 3-1 victory.
Liberty returns to Lynchburg for their final two regular season home matches, taking on Louisiana Tech on Thursday and Friday at Liberty Arena.
