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 (19-8, 12-4)
The Lady Flames have finished their season, falling to No. 1 seed FGCU in the ASUN Championship Game, 84-62. 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, losing in the First Round.
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. 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 (9-1, 7-1)
Freshman forward Julie Daels scored the game-winning goal in the 77th minute, lifting the Lady Flames to a come from behind 3-2 victory over #12 Duke in double overtime in Durham, North Carolina. It was the first ever victory of the Blue Devils, dropping the first six contests. Liberty will return to Big East play this weekend playing at Old Dominion for a pair of games Friday and Saturday.
#14 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. 14 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 (4-4)
The Lady Flames fell at No. 4 Notre Dame, 19-5, on Friday. Liberty will travel to High Point to face the Panthers on Wednesday, with a home match scheduled for Friday against Delaware State.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (3-3-4, 2-2-2)
The Lady Flames lost at home to Lipscomb, 5-1, and tied North Alabama, 1-1. Liberty hosts Kennesaw State on Thursday and will play at Bellarmine on Sunday.
MEN’S SOCCER (6-2-1, 1-2)
The Flames finally got in the win column in conference play by defeating Bellarmine in overtime, 1-0, thanks to Seth Clark’s goal off a free kick with 16 seconds remaining. Liberty is back in action on Saturday at Lipscomb.
SOFTBALL (21-9, 3-0)
A weekend sweep in Louisville over Bellarmine to open conference play for the Lady Flames. Liberty got a shutout in all three games, winning 12-0, 3-0, and 2-0 in the series. The Lady Flames stay on the road this week with three games at Lipscomb on Saturday and Sunday and two games at Tennessee on Tuesday.
SWIMMING & DIVING (3-0, 3-0)
Senior Payton Keiner placed 49th in the 200 backstroke at the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. Keiner also finished 54th in the 100 backstroke. Freshman Maddie Freece placed 9th in the three-meter diving on day two of the NCAA Division I Women’s Diving Zone A Championships and Junior Lauren Chennault finished 22nd.
WOMEN’S TENNIS (12-3, 2-0)
After falling at Charlotte, the Lady Flames opened conference play with a pair of wins on the road at North Alabama and Lipscomb. This weekend, Liberty plays at Marshall on Saturday and at Bellarmine on Sunday.
MEN’S TENNIS (11-5, 2-0)
The men’s tennis team opened conference play by defeating North Alabama, 7-0, and Lipscomb, 5-2, both on the road. The Flames return home to host UNC Wilmington on Friday before hitting the road to play at Bellarmine Sunday.
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 opened the 2021 outdoor season at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this past weekend. Liberty won six events on Friday and seven events on Saturday. This week, Liberty travels to Austin, Texas to take place in the Texas Relays Thursday-Saturday.
VOLLEYBALL (5-8, 5-7)
The Lady Flames picked up a weekend sweep at home against North Alabama. Liberty has won three straight, all 3-0 sweeps. The ASUN Championship begins this weekend. Liberty will play at No. 2 North seed Kennesaw State in Georgia on Saturday in the Quarterfinals. The Lady Flames are 0-4 against KSU this season.
