The Shadow
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mahogany Mobley provided Liberty’s performance of the day, Saturday at the Florida Relays. She blazed a 400 time of 52.76 to win her heat and shatter the program record on the second and final day of competition at Percy Beard Track.
Mobley set the Flames’ third school record of the two-day meet, following Friday’s performances by Isabella Frattura (women’s javelin – 166-1) and Markus White (men’s long jump – 25-10.25).
Women’s Day 2 Recap
Mobley entered her outdoor 400 season opener with a personal best of 54.08. But the senior’s 52.76 clocking smashed both that and the previous program record (Ty’Asia Dansbury’s 53.28 from the 2019 ASUN Championship in Jacksonville, Fla.). Mobley took first place in her section and tied for 10th overall in the one-lap event.
It marked the second consecutive season Mobley has taken down a program record in Gainesville. She was part of the Lady Flames’ record-setting 4 x 100 relay quartet which posted a 44.61 at the 2025 Florida Relays.
Mobley’s time will earn her a trip to next month’s NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in Lexington, Ky., where she began her collegiate career. Mobley will be the first Lady Flame to contest the 400 at the event since Dansbury in 2019.
Freshman Shelby Smith also notched a women’s 400 heat victory on Saturday, recording a personal-best time of 54.56 which sits No. 8 in program history.
Fellow freshman Alivia Rivera-Norman’s first 100 hurdles race as a Lady Flame resulted in a personal-best 13.79 for 14th in the prelims. She narrowly missed the Liberty freshman standard of 13.72 while claiming the No. 7 position on Liberty’s all-time top 10 list.
Bethany Tate closed out the Flames’ stay in Gainesville with a big personal-best 52-0.75 for runner-up honors in the open women’s shot put. She climbed to No. 3 all-time for the Lady Flames while obliterating her previous outdoor (49-9.25) and indoor (50-5.5) shot put bests.
The reigning CUSA indoor and outdoor women’s shot put champion will make her NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet debut as the first Liberty women’s shot putter to qualify since Naomi Mojica in 2022.
Men’s Day 2 Recap
Liberty’s throwers got Saturday off to a strong start, beginning with Beau Backes’ third-place finish in the open men’s discus with a season-best 173-8 effort.
Christian Hicks then came in fifth in the event’s invitational section, matching his discus personal best of 188-3 set at the 2025 Florida Relays. In the process, the redshirt senior punched his ticket to the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet for the fourth consecutive season.
Trevor Veenstra reached an outdoor personal-best 57-8.5 for seventh in the open men’s shot put and eighth all-time for the Flames.
A pair of first-year Flames excelled during their outdoor debuts in their specialty events. Tahj Brown’s 14.22 posting in the men’s 110 hurdles prelims ties him with Luke Anderson for sixth in program history. Meanwhile, Michael Long claimed the No. 4 spot all-time at Liberty with his 1:48.94 800.
Pole vaulting on his 21st birthday, Reagan Wise (fifth place, 16-10.75) paced a pair of Flames inside the top 10. Freshman Chase Johnson made it over 16-4.75 to share the ninth position in the final standings.
Women’s Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
2nd – Bethany Tate – Open Shot Put – 52-0.75
Men’s Day 2 Top 3 Finishers
3rd – Beau Backes – Open Discus – 173-8
Women’s Day 2 Record Breakers
Liberty Record – Mahogany Mobley – 400 – 52.76
Previous Record: 53.28 by Ty’Asia Dansbury at the 2019 ASUN Championship on May 11, 2019
New Women’s Day 2 NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Mahogany Mobley – 400 – 52.76
Bethany Tate – Shot Put – 52-0.75
New Men’s Day 2 NCAA Division I East First Rounds Qualifiers
Christian Hicks – Discus – 188-3
Day 2 Updates to Liberty’s All-Time Women’s Top 10 List
400 – No. 1 – Mahogany Mobley – 52.76
Shot Put – No. 3 – Bethany Tate – 52-0.75
100 Hurdles – No. 7 – Alivia Rivera-Norman – 13.79
400 – No. 8 – Shelby Smith – 54.56
Day 2 Updates to Liberty’s All-Time Men’s Top 10 List
800 – No. 4 – Michael Long – 1:48.94
110 Hurdles – Tie for No. 6 – Tahj Brown – 14.22
Shot Put – No. 8 – Trevor Veenstra – 57-8.5
Up Next
Liberty’s decathletes and heptathletes will fly to Azusa, Calif., for the Bryan Clay Multis, Thursday and Friday. The rest of the team will head across town to the University of Lynchburg to compete in the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic, Friday and Saturday.
