This spring is what many in college athletics have referred to as Super Spring. Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic and most sports shut down during the fall and winter, the spring has become home to most college teams’ seasons in 2021. For Liberty, 19 of the school’s 20 Division I programs are in competition this spring, and, if you include football going through spring practice, all of the 20 programs are in action.
We will provide weekly updates on all of Liberty’s NCAA Division I teams in action this spring, with the exception of football, men’s basketball, and baseball, as we cover those teams regularly.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (15-5, 10-2)
The Lady Flames had no ASUN games this week, but Liberty did play host to Division II Shepherd. Liberty fell behind by as many as 15 points before coming back to win, 73-65. The Flames are in 2nd place in the conference, just narrowly ahead of North Florida who is 9-3. The Lady Flames’ only two conference losses came at North Florida. FGCU is currently in first place at 12-0 in the conference standings. FGCU and Liberty are scheduled to meet in Fort Myers on March 5 and 6.
CROSS COUNTRY
The Men’s and Women’s cross country ASUN Championships are coming up on March 5th in Macon, Georgia. So far this season, the Men placed 3rd in the CSU Buccaneer Invitational, while the Women placed 1st. At the FSU Winter Cross Country Classic, the Men finished 17th while the Women finished 7th.
FIELD HOCKEY (3-0)
The Lady Flames defeated Villanova, 7-1, in both games this past weekend to open Big East Conference play. Conference play continues this week as Liberty hits the road for a pair at Temple in Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday, both games at noon.
#21 GOLF
The men’s golf team was ranked No. 21 in the first GolfStat national rankings of the spring. Alexandre Fuchs completed a wire-to-wire win this past Sunday at the Seminole Intercollegiate, claiming his second career medalist honors with the victory. The Flames finished fourth in the tournament with an 11-under par. Liberty has posted a top-five finish in each of its four tournaments this spring.
LACROSSE (0-2)
The women’s lacrosse team lost Sunday afternoon at Robert Morris, 9-8. Liberty is scheduled to host Cincinnati on Wednesday, Feb. 24 and then play at Furman on Saturday, Feb. 27.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (0-1-2)
The Lady Flames had a couple draws this weekend, first tying Old Dominion, 0-0, in Norfolk on Saturday, and then James Madison, 1-1, in Harrisonburg on Sunday. Liberty is scheduled for its home opener on Wednesday against Western Carolina before the ASUN opener on Sunday against Bellarmine.
MEN’S SOCCER (3-0-1)
The men continue their unbeaten start to the season and have yet to surrender a goal this season. The Flames blanked Radford, 4-0, on Wednesday and then ended in a 0-0 tie at James Madison on Sunday. This week, Liberty travels to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels on Thursday.
SOFTBALL (6-4)
The Lady Flames improved to 6-0 with a 3-1 win over previously unbeaten Troy on Wednesday. Liberty remained in Alabama for the Bama Bash with four straight games against top 10 Alabama and LSU, dropping all four. The Lady Flames led LSU 3-0 in the second game before the Tigers scored 4 straight to win. The scores of the games were 6-3 Alabama, 4-3 LSU, 8-1 Alabama, and 8-5 LSU.
This weekend, Liberty plays host to Notre Dame. The first time Notre Dame has ever played an athletic event at Liberty. Two games are scheduled to begin the Liberty Softball Classic, all to be televised by ESPN+. The Lady Flames play Notre Dame on Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30. Liberty also has a pair of games against Bucknell to close out the Liberty Softball Classic on Saturday and Sunday.
SWIMMING & DIVING (3-0, 3-0)
After 20 events and thousands of points scored, Liberty and Florida Gulf Coast finished as co-champions at the 2021 CCSA Women’s Swimming & Divining Championship. The Lady Flames have now claimed four CCSA titles in program history including three straight. FGCU now has 10 total CCSA titles and their first since 2018.
WOMEN’S TENNIS (6-2)
After beginning the season 6-0, the Lady Flames dropped two this weekend at FGCU and South Florida. The match with FGCU was a non-conference scheduled event. Liberty returns to action this coming Sunday at Richmond.
MEN’S TENNIS (6-5)
The men’s tennis team split their matches this weekend, falling at Old Dominion before bouncing back to beat William & Mary. The Flames have a brief break in their schedule until playing host to Richmond on March 4.
TRACK & FIELD
Liberty’s men’s and women’s track & field teams have competed in several events this spring including the Liberty Elite Invitational, Bob Pollock Invitational, Brant Tolsma Invitational, the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational, and the Virginia Tech Challenge this weekend. The ASUN Indoor Track Championships are being held in Lynchburg on Feb. 26 and 27. The outdoor season begins in late March.
VOLLEYBALL (2-5, 2-4)
The Lady Flames dropped a pair at home to Kennesaw State this past weekend. Now, Liberty has a week off before heading south to take on the Owls in Georgia on March 5 and 6.
