his 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 (19-8, 12-4)
The Lady Flames finished their season over the weekend, falling to No. 1 seed FGCU in the ASUN Championship Game, 84-62, on Sunday. Liberty defeated No. 7 Bellarmine, 88-59, and No. 3 North Florida, 65-52, to advance to the program’s 22nd conference tournament final in the past 25 years. FGCU ended up with an 11 seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.
CROSS COUNTRY
After winning the ASUN Women’s Cross Country Championship, the Lady Flames advanced to the program’s first ever appearance at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships on Monday. Liberty posted a 27th place finish while Adelyn Ackley (66th place) and Calli Doan (85th place) each notched top 100 individual finishes.
#5 FIELD HOCKEY (8-1, 7-1)
The Lady Flames earned a split in Philadelphia against Connecticut, losing on Saturday, 3-2, and winning on Sunday, 4-0. Sunday’s win marked the program’s first ever victory over the Huskies, handing eight-time defending Big East champion UConn its first loss in conference play since Oct. 25, 2013. Liberty will face Duke in Durham on Sunday.
The Lady Flames garnered a No. 5 national ranking in Tuesday’s first Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll of the season. It’s the highest national ranking for any Liberty Athletics sport at the Division I level. The field hockey team was previously ranked No. 8 in 2015.
Prior to the No. 5 national ranking for field hockey this week, the men’s indoor track & field team held the highest national ranking in Liberty Athletics history when they were ranked No. 7 in January 2008.
#18 GOLF
The Liberty golf team did not compete this past week, as the Flames continue to be ranked in the Golf Stat national rankings, checking in at No. 18 this week. The Flames are scheduled to hit the course March 28-29 at the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida at the Hayt.
LACROSSE (4-3)
The Lady Flames knocked off Old Dominion, 14-8, and William & Mary, 20-16, over the past week. Liberty will face No. 4 Notre Dame in Indiana on Friday.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (3-2-3, 2-1-1)
The Lady Flames played to a 0-0 tie last Thursday at Lipscomb. Liberty will host Lipscomb on Thursday this week.
MEN’S SOCCER (5-2-1, 0-2)
After such a strong start to the season, the Flames have suffered two overtime losses to begin conference play. Liberty lost to Lipscomb, 3-2, in overtime on Saturday. The Flames welcome Bellarmine to Lynchburg this coming Saturday, hoping to avenge the loss to the Knights from March 6, 2-1, in overtime.
SOFTBALL (18-9)
Liberty’s softball team has had a busy week, beginning in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame Classic in Stillwater. The Lady Flames battled No. 5 Oklahoma State to a couple of tough losses, 9-4 and 3-0, to begin the classic on Friday. On Saturday, Liberty picked up a walk-off win thanks to Blake Gibson’s two-run homer in the 7th inning to defeat Kansas City, 4-3. To conclude their time in Oklahoma, Liberty faced No. 1 Oklahoma twice on Sunday. The Lady Flames were tied with the Sooners before the top ranked team in the nation scored a run in the 6th and held on to a 5-4 win. Oklahoma then picked up a 16-0 win in the double-header.
On Tuesday night, Liberty was able to pick up a big win at No. 13 Arkansas in Fayetteville thanks to Denay Griffin’s pinch-hit, game-winning two-run homer in the 10th inning as the Lady Flames won 2-0.
Liberty opens conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Bellarmine in Louisville, Kentucky beginning Friday. The Lady Flames then return home to play host to Virginia on Tuesday.
SWIMMING & DIVING (3-0, 3-0)
Senior Payton Keiner has been selected to compete in the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships which will be hosted March 17-20 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. Freshman Maddie Freece placed 9th in the three-meter diving on day two of the NCAA Division I Women’s Diving Zone A Championships on Friday in Greensboro. Junior Lauren Chennault finished 22nd.
WOMEN’S TENNIS (10-2)
The Lady Flames defeated Charleston Southern, 4-2, and College of Charleston, 4-2, this past weekend in South Carolina. Liberty looks to continue its strong season this week at Charlotte on Wednesday. Conference play begins this weekend at North Alabama Friday and at Lipscomb Sunday.
MEN’S TENNIS (9-5)
The men’s tennis team lost at No. 34 South Florida, 4-3, last Wednesday before bouncing back with a 5-2 win in Boca Raton against Florida Atlantic. Conference play begins this weekend with the men playing at North Alabama on Friday and at Lipscomb on Sunday, like the women.
TRACK & FIELD
For the third consecutive year, the Liberty men’s indoor track & field squad claimed the team championship on its home track at the 2021 ASUN Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Lady Flames finished second and just five points behind women’s team champion Kennesaw State.
With the 2021 indoor track & field season now complete, Liberty will now turn its attention to the outdoor campaign. The Flames and Lady Flames are currently scheduled to open the 2021 outdoor season at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational, March 19-20, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
VOLLEYBALL (3-8, 3-7)
The Lady Flames split their contests in Louisville against Bellarmine, losing on Friday, 3-1, before responding with a 3-0 win on Saturday. Liberty’s regular season finale is scheduled for this weekend as the Lady Flames play host to North Alabama Friday and Saturday.
