Liberty University’s track and field teams led the way on May 16 during the second day of the 2026 Conference USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The men’s team built a significant lead, while multi-event athletes set new records and achieved personal bests.
The event highlighted strong performances by Liberty’s decathletes and heptathletes. Gabriel Willis posted a personal best of 7,550 points to win the men’s decathlon, helping Liberty sweep the top four spots in that event for a second consecutive year. Patasha Bryan set a program record with 5,591 points to secure her second Conference USA heptathlon title.
The Liberty men’s squad holds a commanding advantage in team standings with 128 points, leading defending champion Kennesaw State by 51 points after eight events. In addition to Willis’s performance, Sean Aiken won the men’s steeplechase with a time of 9:31.30. Other notable finishes included Jake Nicholson’s runner-up spot in the decathlon (7,282 points), Hunter Bleam taking third (6,463), and Samuel O’Regan finishing fourth (6,339). Trevor Veenstra placed second in shot put with an outdoor personal best of 58-2.5.
On the women’s side, Bryan not only claimed her heptathlon victory but also broke her own school record from last month’s Bryan Clay Multis meet. Meredith Engle battled back from an early fall to finish fourth overall in the heptathlon with 5,039 points. Paige Greenhagel recorded a sixth-place finish and achieved one of Liberty’s all-time top long jumps at 19-3.25.
Team standings show Liberty women currently sit second behind FIU after placing athletes on the podium in four out of five Friday finals events; FIU leads with 75.5 points compared to Liberty’s 68 through eight disciplines.
The championships will conclude Saturday with finals across multiple events beginning at noon Eastern Time and coverage available on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m.
