2019-20 Athletics Excellence

YEAR IN REVIEW

Before the athletic year was halted prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, five Liberty teams had captured conference championships. Men’s basketball (regular season and tournament), women’s basketball (tournament co-champion), men’s indoor track & field, and women’s indoor track & field each earned ASUN Conference championships. Meanwhile, women’s swimming & diving won back-to-back Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) crowns. Football also made history with its first-ever bowl game victory. The Flames topped Georgia Southern 23-16 to win the 2019 Cure Bowl.

FOOTBALL

The Flames became just the third team ever to win a bowl game during their first season of bowl eligibility after moving up from FCS to FBS. Liberty finished 8-5, recording its most wins in a season since 2014. The Flames’ impressive season also featured a victory over Bahamas Bowl champion Buffalo. All-American wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden was a fourth-round pick of the Washington Football Team in the 2020 NFL Draft.

VOLLEYBALL

Liberty went 21-12, capped off by the first two postseason victories in program history. The Lady Flames won a pair of National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) matches to reach the tournament’s quarterfinal round. Liberty was 11-5 in conference play, setting a program standard for ASUN victories in a season.

MEN’S SOCCER

Midfielder Ruben Garcia became the Flames’ first CoSIDA Academic All-American since 2011 with his selection to the second team. The senior was also the program’s first ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year selection.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Liberty’s 10-7-2 record featured its first-ever win over an ACC opponent (Pitt). The Lady Flames yielded zero goals in regulation during ASUN Conference play and were the only ASUN team to defeat conference champion Lipscomb.

FIELD HOCKEY

The Lady Flames finished a 10-8 season with a No. 19 national ranking. For the first time, two Liberty players (Jill Bolton and Ashley Dykema) earned All-America honors in the same season.

CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD

The Flames swept the men’s and women’s team titles at the ASUN Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Liberty Indoor Track & Field Complex. Immediately after the meet, Brant Tolsma announced his retirement after 34 years coaching at Liberty. He finished his career with the Flames with 116 conference titles and 77 conference coach of the year awards. In cross country, Liberty finished as the men’s and women’s ASUN runners-up for the second year in a row.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Liberty won a school-record 30 games, tying for the second most victories in Division I for the 2019-20 season. For the second consecutive season, the Flames shared the ASUN regular-season title and cut down the nets as tournament champions. Liberty topped Lipscomb in the ASUN Championship title game, the final contest played at the Vines Center.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The 20-11 Lady Flames finished the season with an eight-game winning streak, reaching the ASUN Championship title game for the second year in a row. When the championship game was canceled, Liberty and FGCU were named ASUN co-champions.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING

Liberty successfully repeated as CCSA champion for the first time in program history, winning a program-record 14 CCSA events. Payton Keiner was named a CSCAA All-American when the 2020 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships were canceled, becoming the third All-American in program history.

MEN’S TENNIS

The Flames’ 8-6 mark was headlined by the team’s first-ever triumphs over Penn State and Virginia Tech. Chase Burton set the program record for singles victories during the Penn State match, finishing the year with 77 career wins.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

The Lady Flames ended up 7-4 during their abbreviated season. Individually, Kalani Soli went 16-5, including a 9-0 mark at No. 1 singles in the spring. Soli also topped No. 20 Asuka Kawai of Illinois at the Oracle ITA Masters during the fall.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Liberty won all three of its matches at Liberty Lacrosse Field, extending its home winning streak to eight. The Lady Flames finished No. 2 nationally for caused turnovers per game (14.83), while Anna Keebler racked up 24 goals in just six contests.

MEN’S GOLF

Led by GCAA/Ping All-Americans Kieran Vincent and Jonathan Yaun, Liberty closed the 2020 season with a No. 32 national ranking. The Flames bookended their year with impressive team performances, opening with a victory at the Island Resort Intercollegiate and finishing with a runner-up effort at the General Hackler Championship.

BASEBALL

The Flames’ 10-7 record included series wins over Seton Hall and Kent State. Noah Skirrow, Troy Britts, and Landon Riley combined for the fourth no-hitter in program history during a 6-4 home triumph over Marist.

SOFTBALL

Liberty topped No. 6 Michigan and No. 21 Ole Miss during its early-season gauntlet of a schedule. The Wolverines were tied for the highest-ranked opponent the Lady Flames have ever defeated. Liberty won its only four home games of the season and has now won 16 straight at Liberty Softball Stadium.