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 (17-5, 12-2)
The Lady Flames took care of business this past weekend against Stetson, picking up wins 62-58 and 66-55, to close out Liberty Arena with a 12-0 mark this season. Liberty hits the road this week, travelling to Fort Myers, Florida to take on Florida Gulf Coast. FGCU is currently in first place in the ASUN standings with a 14-0 mark. The Lady Flames would need to sweep the weekend series to earn a share of the regular season title and earn the 1-seed in next week’s ASUN Tournament.
CROSS COUNTRY
The men’s and women’s cross country ASUN Championships are on the schedule this weekend 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 (5-0, 4-0)
The Lady Flames continue their dominating play, knocking off Temple, 2-0, in both games this past weekend in Philadelphia. Liberty returns home this weekend for a pair of conference games against Old Dominion.
#16 GOLF
The Liberty golf team did not compete this past week, but that didn’t keep the Flames from moving up five spots to No. 16 in the most recent Golf Stat national rankings. Alexandre Fuchs grabbed ASUN golfer of the week honors following his impressive outing in the Seminole Intercollegiate a week ago. The Flames will hit the course March 14-16 at the General Hackler Championship in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
LACROSSE (1-3)
The Lady Flames picked up their first win of the season last Wednesday, defeating Cincinnati 14-10 at home. Liberty then lost at Furman, 10-8, on Saturday. Liberty hosts Radford Wednesday at 4 pm.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (1-2-2, 0-1)
The Lady Flames picked up their first win of the season with a 1-0 shutout at home over Western Carolina last Thursday. Liberty would then suffer a disapointing home loss to Bellarmine, 1-0, to open ASUN play.
#15 MEN’S SOCCER (5-0-1)
For the first time in program history, the Flames defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels, picking up a 1-0 win at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill last Wednesday. Forward Noah Holmes scored the game winning goal during the 52nd minute. The Flames also picked up a 1-0 win Monday night over High Point. Liberty has not allowed a goal this season, recording six straight shutouts, setting a new program record. The Flames open ASUN play on Saturday at Bellarmine. With their strong start, the Flames’ debuted in the Soccer Wire Top 25 poll this week at No. 15.
SOFTBALL (9-5)
The Lady Flames had an impressive showing in the Liberty Softball Classic this past weekend, finishing with a 3-1 mark in the games played. Liberty began with a 3-2 win over Notre Dame, and a 4-3 win in extra innings over Villanova, both in walk-off fashion. On Saturday, the Lady Flames got the best of Villanova in a slugfest, 18-13, before falling to the Irish, 3-1. Liberty keeps a busy schedule this week, hosting Radford Wednesday, with the Liberty Softball Invitational beginning Friday. The Lady Flames have games scheduled against East Carolina (x2), James Madison, and Longwood. On Tuesday, after the conclusion of the Liberty Softball Invitational, the Lady Flames host Longwood for two additional games.
SWIMMING & DIVING (3-0, 3-0)
Liberty swimmers completed their regular season schedule by competing at the fourth annual Liberty Last Chance meet this past weekend. Selections for the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships are expected to be released this week. Payton Keiner is on the bubble in the 200 backstroke. Freshman Maddie Freece and junior Lauren Chennault have been selected to compete in the 2021 NCAA Division I Zone Diving Championships which will be hosted March 11-13 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.
WOMEN’S TENNIS (7-2)
The Lady Flames picked up a 4-3 win at Richmond last Wednesday in their only match of the week. Liberty will be back in action on Saturday as they host William & Mary.
MEN’S TENNIS (6-4)
The men’s tennis team did not compete over the past week, but they will be back in action over the next couple of days. The Flames host Richmond on Thursday at 3 pm and Radford on Saturday at 1pm.
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 (2-5, 2-4)
The Lady Flames did not have any contests over the past week. They return to action this coming weekend with two matches at Kennesaw State.
