Friday, August 29
Lynchburg, Va.
6:30 PM ET
Liberty University
vs
Liberty Challenge
Nicholas Kiprotich (left) and Edwin Kiprop (right) swept the top two places in Friday's men's 6K.
Kiprop, Flames & Lady Flames Victorious in XC Season Opener
8/29/2025 9:42:00 PM | Cross Country
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The host team opened the 2025 cross country season in impressive fashion at the 2025 Liberty Challenge, Friday evening. Liberty swept the men's and women's team titles with perfect scores, while Edwin Kiprop notched his first career cross country victory in the men's 6K.
Allie Zealand and Jessica Palisca finished side-by-side in third and fourth place in the women's 4K, pacing nine Lady Flames in the top 11. As a result, defending CUSA champion Liberty topped crosstown foe Lynchburg, 15-50.
The reigning CUSA champion Liberty men's squad also recorded a 15-50 victory over Lynchburg, who is ranked No. 20 nationally in NCAA Division III. Kiprop and Nicholas Kiprotich made it a 1-2 finish for the Flames, who accounted for seven of the first nine runners to cross the line.
Race Reactions
Liberty will not return to the course for three weeks. For the second consecutive season, the Flames and Lady Flames will compete in the adidas XC Challenge, Sept. 19 in Cary, N.C. Liberty captured the men's team title at this meet in 2024.
Allie Zealand and Jessica Palisca finished side-by-side in third and fourth place in the women's 4K, pacing nine Lady Flames in the top 11. As a result, defending CUSA champion Liberty topped crosstown foe Lynchburg, 15-50.
The reigning CUSA champion Liberty men's squad also recorded a 15-50 victory over Lynchburg, who is ranked No. 20 nationally in NCAA Division III. Kiprop and Nicholas Kiprotich made it a 1-2 finish for the Flames, who accounted for seven of the first nine runners to cross the line.
Race Reactions
- Zealand posted a lofty finish at the Liberty Challenge for the second year in a row, finishing third with a 4K time of 14:40.7. Last season, Zealand finished a close second to teammate Adelyn Fairley in her collegiate debut.
- Competing unattached in her first post-collegiate cross country race, Fairley successfully defended her Liberty Challenge title from 2024. Her winning time of 14:06.1 was 36 seconds faster than Fairley ran at this meet a year ago.
- Palisca was one of the Lady Flames' most impressive performers on Friday, taking fourth in the women's 4K with a 14:40.7 clocking. Last season, she ran 15:19.8 for eighth place.
- Lady Flames Kate Loescher (eighth place, 15:14.5) and Gracelyn Laudermilch (11th, 15:59.3) both opened their collegiate careers on Friday and were the first two freshmen across the finish line.
- Kiprop made a successful return to the cross country course after an injury shortened his freshman season to two races in 2024. He outdistanced teammate Nicholas Kiprotich by five seconds in a 6K time of 18:53.4.
- Kiprotich, who entered as the two-time defending Liberty Challenge men's 6K champion (2022 and 2024), ran faster for second place on Friday (18:58.5) than he did to win a year ago (19:04.8).
- Two Flames made their first appearance in a Liberty uniform on Friday, and they were both part of the Flames' blanket finish for fifth through eighth places. True freshman Zane Lindquist took fifth in 20:04.7, while redshirt freshman Eli Julian was seventh in 20:04.8.
- Friday's perfect score marked the Lady Flames' first time doing so since Jan. 23, 2021 at the CSU Buccaneer Invitational. The Flames had not scored 15 since posting a 15-40 win over Norfolk State at the UVA Duals on Sept. 2, 2017.
Liberty will not return to the course for three weeks. For the second consecutive season, the Flames and Lady Flames will compete in the adidas XC Challenge, Sept. 19 in Cary, N.C. Liberty captured the men's team title at this meet in 2024.
Players Mentioned
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