Selah Yearbook 2016-17

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

COLOSSIANS 2:6-7

Since 1971, Liberty University has undergone significant changes, both inwardly and outwardly. In the 2016-17 school year, Liberty’s administration reconfigured the school’s leadership structure while also revamping its outreach to new students and expanding educational programs. The university has evolved with a newly renovated campus featuring world-class academic and athletic facilities. Even in the midst of expansion, Liberty continues to build upon the Christian principles that guide the school. This book highlights some of the ways that the student body has preserved Liberty’s central values, and the administration continues to focus on Training Champions for Christ.

RESOUND

Among the new developments on Liberty’s campus in the 2016-17 year, the School of Music moved into a state-of-the-art facility. The Center for Music and the Worship Arts features a 1,600-seat concert hall as well as an academic wing. The unique and high-tech design of the concert hall is meant to accommodate all musical genres, including grand orchestral performances, amplified rock shows and intimate acoustic sets, making it one of the most versatile and advanced university music buildings in North America.

SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS

The School of Aeronautics NIFA Flight Team took home its twelfth straight first place title from the National Intercollegiate Flying Association Region X Championship in November.

The team overcame high winds at the Franklin (Va.) Municipal Airport to win multiple events, including the top three spots in the navigation competition. The team earned the top combined score for both flight and ground events and received the School Safety Award.

Individual team members earned first place in their respective events. William Hartley received honors for aircraft recognition and flight computer accuracy, Conor McCann for ground trainer-simulator flight, Brandon Harrison for power-off landings and Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation (SCAN), and Tristan Diepenbrock for short-field landings.

NIFA Flight Team: Stevie Andros, Coach Tony Cihak, Tristan Diepenbrock, Alex Gerena, Brandon Harrison, William Hartley, William Knight, Conner McCann, Peter McCord, Conner McMillin, Russel Page, Sam Rose, Peyton Smith, Katie Wagner, JD Wentworth.

Students in the Aviation Maintenance Technician Program (AMTP) participate in a routine analysis of airplane functions.

SETTING THE BAR HIGH

First-time test takers from the Liberty University School of Law had the second highest 2016 Virginia Bar Exam passage rate. The school also had the best passage rate for the July 2015 Bar Exam. In fact, every graduate who took the North Carolina Bar Exam for the first time in July 2016 passed.

SCHOOL OF LAW

“My experience with Liberty Law has been amazing! I have gotten to meet so many great people who will be in my life forever and I have had the opportunity to be involved in so many experiences that I will never forget!”

STEPHEN G. JONES, JR

Second year law students in downtown Lynchburg: Micah Long, Priscilla Nogueria da Silva, and Ben Allison.

Former U.S. Congressman Robert Hurt speaking to Law Students

Courtney Garrett (‘14); current graduate student

Misla David, who is majoring in biomedical science and minoring in psychology, came to Liberty from Puerto Rico and completed his research during an internship with the NIH. His goal is to create a preventive PTSD screening test for soldiers.

During his time at Liberty, Misla David also established a chapter of the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children, a national charity that brings health care to children in developing countries. He got his start in Liberty’s Eagle Scholars program during his freshman and sophomore years.

At Liberty, I have found professors who are genuinely interested in seeing students succeed . Through the Eagle Scholars Program and the biology department, I found students who were motivated and driven . Together, they created an environment that enabled me to find opportunities to grow .

- RAMON MISLA DAVID

Junior Ramon Misla David presented research on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at the National Institute of Health (NIH) conference in Maryland in November 2016.

Ramon Misla David, JR

On Dec. 28, 2016, a team of six Liberty University faculty members and students journeyed to Israel for a week and a half on a research expedition, looking for evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Led by Distinguished Research Professor Dr. Randall Price, the team explored a cave on the cliffs west of Qumran, Israel, by the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea.

The cave is one of 12 that housed the Dead Sea Scrolls at one time. Aptly named “Cave 12,” it was first discovered by Price in 2006. During the January 2017 expedition, the team found pottery, flint blades, arrowheads, and the semi-precious stone carnelian.

While no physical scrolls were found, the fragments of storage jars, scroll wrappings, and string found in “Cave 12” gave the team evidence that they had discovered an important historical area.

The dig was a part of a research effort to find evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls, titled “Operation Scroll.” The dig officially concluded on Jan. 30, 2017.

“The significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls is staggering and has served to firmly root countless people in the conviction that God will continue to use archaeology for His purpose and glory. By discovering Cave 12, our team was written into that plan, a blessing none of us could claim to be worthy of, yet all present were beyond grateful for. Truly, the expertise of Dr. Price, excellent company of the team, and hospitality of the Israelis made the task of digging in the dirt a complete treat!”

CASEY OLSON, JR

Graduate student, Christy Connell, holds box filled with charcoal from ancient fires.

Connell excavating in back tunnel of “Cave 12”

Dr. Randall Price examines base and rim of scroll jar.

RE -ENACT

The Tower Theatre’s 2016-17 mainstage season consisted of seven productions. “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” opened Sept. 16 in a live-action retelling of the Disney movie of the same name. “Quilters” was an academic workshop performance, which ran from Oct. 12-16. The show told the story of seven pioneer women through a series of short tales and musical numbers that act as “patches,” strung together to resemble the mosaic of a quilt.

The comedy “Over the River & Through the Woods,” which ran from Oct. 28-Nov. 6, offered a view into the life of a slightly dysfunctional Italian-

American family. The romantic comedy “Guys & Dolls” rounded out the fall semester, running from Dec. 2-11. “Seussical: The Musical” brought memorable Dr. Seuss characters to life and ran from Feb. 17-26.

“She Stoops to Conquer,” a comedy fi rst performed in 1773, ran from March 24-April 2, telling the story of a strong female character modeled after Shakespearean women. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” ended the season, running from April 28-May 14.

“One thing I love about being in the department is the friendships that we create. We are around each other 24/7. We have all the same classes, the same schedules sometimes, and then we are doing shows every afternoon and evening together. We have a very familial bond, and it makes being a part of this department very special.

The most memorable part of this year for me has been watching a new wave of incoming freshmen walk into this department. Being a graduating senior and knowing that we are leaving this department in capable and caring hands is one of the most comforting things for me.

My favorite production so far has been a show called “Over the River.” I was the stage manager for the show with an almost entirely freshman cast and crew, and the friendships and things I learned during the run of the show are things I wouldn’t trade for the world.“

JOHN CARTER, SR

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Guys and Dolls

Seussical: The Musical

Quilters Over the River and Through the Woods

CINEMATIC ARTS

The students and professors of the Cinematic Arts, Zaki Gordon Center worked on several professional fi lm sets in 2016-17. Over 60 Liberty students worked on the fi lm “Paper Football,” directed by Associate Professor Michael Torres. The crew also included other Liberty professors, alumni, and fi lm professionals.

The Cinematic Arts Department continues to produce both large and small fi lms for the purpose of providing students with practical, hands-on skills. “Texas Rein,” a feature produced by Assistant Professor Durrell Nelson, showcased the work of multiple students and alumni. The fi lm received wide recognition and multiple awards from fi lm festivals and has been viewed across the nation.

At the Cinematic Arts Department’s fifth annual film festival, both “Texas Rein” and “God’s Compass” were viewed by the public. “God’s Compass” was written and directed by Executive Director of the Cinematic Arts Department Stephan Schultze.

OUTDOOR

RECREATION

EMBRACE THE ADVENTURE

Liberty University’s Outdoor Recreation hosted nearly 50 events throughout the 2016-17 school year to encourage students to enjoy nature around campus. In October, the tenth annual Deep Hollow Half Marathon and 5k was hosted at the Hydaway Outdoor Recreation Center, where it was a part of the Virginia Commonwealth Games for the first time.

In April, kayaking was offered at the Jerry Falwell Library Lake and on the James River. Throughout the year, camping, hiking, kayaking, and fl y-fi shing trips were offered in Lynchburg, Va., and even West Virginia for students.

In March, the second annual Outdoor Rec Fest allowed students to participate in painting and photography workshops, enjoy a Vacation Manor concert, watch documentaries, and learn more about their natural surroundings.

Students participate in a challenge course at Hydaway Outdoor Recreation Center.

Students celebrate an amazing finish in the Deep Hollow 5k.

Horseback riding trip at Reba Farm Inn & Saddle Soar.

Students embark on the Easter Sunrise Hike at Cold Mountain.

Students enjoying the many attractions at Outdoor Rec Fest.

The start line of the Deep Hollow half marathon.

ONCE UPON A RUNWAY

On Saturday, April 8, Liberty’s Family & Consumer Sciences (FACS) Department hosted its 11th annual fashion show in the LaHaye Event Space. The show, titled “Once Upon a Runway,” featured fairytale-themed student designs that were inspired by popular stories, both modern and ancient. Student designers launched their designs in the new spring collection with the help of 54 professionally trained student models.

The magical show was comprised of designs from 32 designers, who drew their inspiration from their favorite fairytales, most of which have been adapted into films and novels. Some of the themes included “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Prince and the Pauper,” and “Snow White and the Huntsman.”

A portion of the proceeds from the show was donated to the nonprofit organization Fear2Freedom. The FACS fashion show partnered with the Virginia-based charity, which offers hope and healing to victims of sexual assault while bringing about positive change in the cultural understanding of the issue.

“My favorite part of the preparation for “Once Upon A Runway” was working with each and every one of our talented student designers and models, as well as my lovely assistant director, Savannah Griffin. The fashion show brings together a diverse group of people with the same passions for creativity. Those people made all the hard work worth it.”

JENNA ALIOTH, JR

“Designing for the fashion show was a creative outlet where I was able to get to know many of the students in my department. Being able to take part in something I love enhanced my time at Liberty and enabled me to enjoy learning even more. There was so much work leading up to the fashion show, but that night, watching my heart and soul come down the runway was the best part of the whole experience. In my time at Liberty, I have learned the importance of commitment, perseverance, and time management. All of these skills helped me in the process of designing and creating.”

ALAINA BREAUX, SR

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY ONLINE PROGRAMS

Liberty’s online programs have provided thousands of students with the opportunity and the resources they need to pursue an online degree. Liberty’s online programs offer a unique approach to online education that has been proven effective by students and alumni across the world. With flexible courses, easy academic support access, and encouragement in Christian faith, online students have gained the foundation they need to excel in their career and ministry. No matter where they are located in the world, Liberty’s online students are an important part of the student body and members of Liberty’s family of Champions for Christ

“LUO has been one of the best decisions I have made to further my career! The courses are relevant, engaging, and allow me flexibility to fit into my busy schedule. Being a husband, father, pastor, bandleader, and audio engineer, my calendar is all over the place, and LU fits in perfectly!”

JEREMIAH WOMACK, FR BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL STUDIES MESA, ARIZ.

“I am training to be a crisis counselor in a very critical time in our nation’s history. With many people of different opinions, being able to help the hurting people in the world gives me hope for the future.”

PATRICIA DEPAMPHILIS, GRAD STUDENT CRISIS COUNSELING WADSWORTH, OHIO

“I am employed as the enterprise digital site operations manager for CVS. My M.Div. degree has enabled me to be a more compassionate and effective leader, and I was blessed to minister to one of my staff members at a time of crisis. When her 19-year-old daughter died, I was privileged to minister to them in the name of Christ.”

MARC GREENWALD, GRAD STUDENT PASTORAL MINISTRIES CUMBERLAND, R.I.

“As a member of the armed forces, the ability to lead, mentor, and apply ethical values are essential to readiness, preparedness, and training. My pursuit of a Master of Arts in Executive Leadership has significantly enhanced my knowledge of what it takes to be a true leader. I have experienced growth in not only my education but my faith as well.”

JOSEPH

LYDDANE, GRAD STUDENT EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP VERSAILLES, KY.

“My Liberty University Online education gave me the encouragement that I can change and create change in my life and the lives of others. My career as a marriage and family therapist has been shaped with the inspiration of God’s Word and the psychological training to provide cognitive and behavioral healing for the mind, body, and soul.”

PATRICIA OSBORNE RANDOLPH, GRAD STUDENT COUNSELING: MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPY PHILADELPHIA, PA.

“Attending Liberty University has been wonderful for helping me in my career as an addiction counselor. I feel more confident when utilizing my counseling skills due to the help received from my professors and from the addiction and recovery courses taken at Liberty University.”

FELISSA LOWE, SR HUMAN SERVICES COUNSELING – ADDICTIONS AND RECOVERY LAPLACE,

“LU has provided me with the much-needed tools to utilize cognitive and analytical skills relating to the wide range of demographics in the community development and business arena.”

GODFREY MIHESO, GRAD STUDENT DIGITAL MARKETING AND ADVERTISING ORLANDO, FLA.

“I started Liberty Online not realizing just how special it would be to me. Liberty has literally changed my life. I have built up my confidence, made lifelong friends, and strengthened my relationship with HIM!”

JENNIFER HELMS, SR B.S. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CHARLOTTE, N.C.

QUICK FACTS

50 states represented

90 countries represented

3 largest online university

95,000+ students enrolled

78 undergraduate programs

162 graduate programs

162 doctoral programs

91% employed 6 months after graduation

LA.

“LU Online has become a vital part of my life as I have grown personally and professionally as I move toward my life’s calling in counseling. Attending Liberty University has sharpened my abilities and expanded my knowledge and people skills.”

CLIFFORD WOODS, SO CHRISTIAN COUNSELING AND CRISIS COUNSELING MUNCIE, IND.

“Since enrolling in the Masters of Arts in Executive Leadership, my salary has been impacted twice in a positive way because this degree program has added credibility to my professional pursuits. As an older online student, my drive to graduate this year has motivated my oldest daughter to complete her degree at Liberty University as well. We will graduate together.”

JOHN F. EDWARDS, GRAD STUDENT EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP BRISTOW, VA.

“Liberty University has done a lot for me these past few years, which includes helping me know God more, as well as leading me to go to law school. With the help of this wonderful online program, I have made lifelong friends and will be starting law school in the fall of 2017.”

TIFFANY GRAHAM, GRAD STUDENT AMERICAN LEGAL STUDIES SEATTLE, WASH.

“I have witnessed a profound increase in biblical knowledge, which includes a greater depth and understanding concerning practical day-to-day interactions with others. My desire to preach the Gospel to restore broken lives through the telling of the death and resurrection of Christ has also grown and, overall, I am able to take the congregation that I pastor to greater heights.”

JOSE SANTIAGO, JR BIBLICAL AND EDUCATIONAL STUDIES NEWARK, DEL.

“My Liberty University Online experience has increased my opportunities to serve my community through working in accounting for a not-for-profit organization that is federally funded to prevent child abuse and neglect. I also teach accounting in a community college where I received a Most Outstanding Teacher Award in 2015.”

MARY GIBSON, GRAD STUDENT DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION SENECA, S.C.

“Liberty’s online education has positively impacted my home life as well as my employment. I was able to take a financial literacy course, which put me on course to financial freedom. I am looking forward to continuing my education at Liberty to obtain my master’s degree in education.”

DONNA J. RANDELLS, JR CHRISTIAN COUNSELING / BIBLICAL AND EDUCATION STUDIES ORANGEBURG, S.C.

Jason McIlwain graduated from Liberty University on Sept. 2 in his bed in Grove City, Pa. McIlwain, 39, had been working toward his religion degree through Liberty’s online program when his cancer came out of remission. The father of two had gone into remission 10 times previously, but this time, McIlwain’s health quickly deteriorated.

McIlwain was one class away from graduating from Liberty and becoming a pastor, and his friend Tim Fair wanted to see McIlwain’s dreams of graduation realized. Fair sent an email to President Jerry Falwell asking if someone from Liberty could call to congratulate him on graduating.

Falwell decided to go above and beyond. He flew Ben Gutierrez, Liberty’s co-provost and vice president for academic affairs, to McIlwain’s home. Gutierrez conferred McIlwain’s degree — with Magna Cum Laude honors — at McIlwain’s bedside, then prayed over the family.

Two weeks after receiving his degree and reaching his lifelong goal of becoming a pastor, McIlwain passed away. “He truly exemplified what it means to be a Champion for Christ,” said Falwell.

Ben Gutierrez with McIlwain’s Family

Jason McIlwain with his children

Photos of Jason McIlwain

MREFRESH

ontview Student Union opened in Fall 2016 after two years of construction. The 168,000-square-foot addition, situated behind DeMoss Hall, provided new recreation and dining facilities as well as convenient spaces to study and relax.

Students were able to utilize the new Plus+ dining plan in the center’s six new dining locations, including Star Ginger’s Asian cuisine, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, Woodfire Pizza Company, and Argo Tea. Students were also able to enjoy the eight-lane bowling alley, billiards, table tennis tables, and video game consoles.

The building features several new event spaces, including the Alumni Ballroom, which houses a 21-piece collection of paintings called the Life of Christ. The paintings, created by Robert Wilson Sr. in 1963, were donated in honor of Dr. Troy L. Day and in memory of Alton H. Thigpen. The exhibit is in Liberty’s permanent collection.

RE CONVENE Student Activities Block Party

On Saturday, Sept. 3, students were welcomed to Liberty with the annual Block Party celebration. The parking lot was packed with food, fun, and fellowship, as well as live music from local band Vacation Manor, singer/songwriter Dave Barnes, and headliner Colony House.

Along with tables and booths for games and free merchandise, various student-led clubs provided informational displays to get students interested in membership. Students enjoyed food from local food trucks, including Lynchburg favorites like Mama Crockett’s Cider Donuts and

free carnival rides on a full-sized Ferris

Golf Park Coffee Company, as well as free carnival rides on a full-sized Ferris wheel.

Even with all of these activities, the majority of students agreed that the best part of the Block Party was reuniting with friends. Senior Sam Martin said, “My favorite moments of the Block Party happened when I got to catch up with friends that I hadn’t seen all summer! It was also a lot of fun to jam out to all of the great bands that came that night.” Colony House closed out the evening with a highenergy show and a finale of fireworks to kick off the 2016-17 school year.

“Every year I look forward to going to the Block Party because of the awesome music and food, which are two of my favorite things in life! The best part was definitely the music because it’s so much fun to be surrounded by people and to see everyone lost in the wonder of music. It connects us all, and it never gets old.”

SAM VAZQUEZ, SO KELSEY MARTIN, SR

“My chicken sandwich was great and Colony House was amazing, but the company of friends I had around me made it even better.”

RE VISIT

Homecoming Weekend 2016

Liberty’s 2016 Homecoming Weekend had one of the biggest turnouts the university has seen yet. To kick off the weekend, both students and alumni enjoyed a festival complete with food trucks, arcade games, live music, and hayrides.

The annual Homecoming Parade featured floats by Liberty students and an appearance by President Falwell and his wife, Becki. Former Liberty students got to reconnect with old friends and faculty at the Alumni Social. Finally, the weekend culminated in a Flames Football game, where alumni and students cheered the Liberty players on to victory.

“I thoroughly enjoyed Homecoming 2016! It was a great time to reconnect with college friends and see all of the changes at the university. I ran into a girl from my old dorm at the hockey game and got to catch up with another friend during the football game! The people and the kettle corn were by far the best part about the weekend.”

MELISSA JOHNSON ‘13

GAME DAY

TRADITIONS

GILLVILLE

Students enjoy camping outside Williams Stadium the night before a football game. Head Coach Turner Gill brings doughnuts for the dedicated fans the next morning.

“THE WALK”

Fans line the sidewalks of University Boulevard to welcome the team as they arrive on campus and make their way to the field to begin warming up.

TAILGATE

Residence halls host tailgatestyle cookouts, featuring food and games to bring students together and energize them before heading to the stadium.

FIGHT SONG

The Spirit of the Mountain marching band leads the crowd in the Flames fight song, which can be heard after each Liberty touchdown.

CHEERS

During the game, fans show their support by participating in student-led cheers, including the signature chant to “move those chains” after a first down.

4QF

Students who stay until the fourth quarter are rewarded with the chance to catch a “4 Quarters of Fury” T-shirt shot from a cannon.

BE BE EARLY LOUD WEAR RED

Throughout the year, LU Send Now teams responded to disasters across the country and around the world.

In the summer of 2016, students were sent to assist flooding victims in West Virginia.

In the fall, students were dispatched to Baton Rouge, La., to help the victims of another flood. When hurricanes rocked both Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Lumberton, N.C., students cleared away debris and prayed with residents.

In the first trip of its kind for Liberty, LU Send Now sent a group to Cuba to help with humanitarian efforts after the area was hit by a hurricane.

During the spring, tornadoes rocked both Albany, Ga., and Hattiesburg, Miss. Students were sent to help rebuild those communities and share the word of God. An LU Send Now team was also dispatched to Chile in late March to assist residents with the aftermath of intense wildfires.

The school year ended with a disaster relief trip to Lima, Peru. The team aided in clean-up efforts after severe flooding.

“I decided to go to Georgia simply because I wanted to serve God. It isn’t every day that you are presented with such a cool opportunity to serve people in another state and have the university’s full support. It was an amazing trip. We were able to spread the hope we have in Jesus with other people that I probably would have never met if I never went on this trip. We kept hearing, ‘Thank you for not forgetting about us.’ It was amazing that we could respond with the hope that Jesus already has for them.”

DAVID ANTONIO, JR

“Dropping everything I was doing to live on mission for a week may have seemed selfless and impressive from the outside looking in. However, this trip to Peru opened my eyes to the reality of living missionally on a regular basis, not just while on a missions trip with LU Send Now. Too often, life responsibilities become excuses that make us too busy to live missionally. This trip taught me how to incorporate a missions-oriented mind and gospel-focused heart into my daily life.”

EMI OYAMA, SR

REVERBERATE

Tunnel Worship is a weekly, student-led gathering of worship, Scripture reading, and prayer that takes place in the East Tunnel under Highway 460. Beginning in 2014 on a Friday night, Tunnel Worship has become a weekly spiritual encounter that hundreds of students participate in.

Junior Braxton Mann was one of the founding members of Tunnel Worship. He plays the violin weekly and also helps to organize the ministry’s events. “At the beginning of freshman year, my roommate and I decided to play music in the East Campus tunnel,” said Mann. “What began as a few friends meeting weekly to worship together turned into something we never would have imagined. Ending every week in the tunnel has transformed my heart and revealed the simplicity and nearness of Jesus to whoever calls on His name. Wherever we are, He meets us there.”

Students all over campus have been impacted by the ministry of Tunnel Worship. Worshippers are able to praise God and share the Gospel with anyone passing through the East Tunnel on Friday nights.

“I have been a part of Tunnel Worship for about a year now, leading regularly alongside a great team of people. What I love about Tunnel Worship is the intimacy people have with God. We’re talking about people who choose to spend their Friday night worshipping Jesus, praising Him freely in song and fellowship. The vibe is very homey, relaxed, and the atmosphere is freeing. We believe that seeking God involves intentionality, sacrifice, and worship. I think that is what Tunnel Worship is all about.”

FIONA BARBOSU, SO

CHRISTMAS ON CAMPUS

Throughout the Christmas season, campus was enveloped with holiday cheer. Starting after Thanksgiving, speakers lining University Boulevard played festive music while 40 trees were decorated in string lights to illuminate the center of campus.

In December, nearly 1,000 students gathered around the 40-foot Christmas tree in front of DeMoss Hall for the annual Christmas in Lights celebration. A choir of students from the School of Music, accompanied by the university’s brass ensemble, led the crowd in carols before the tree was finally illuminated.

The School of Music also hosted two performances of Christmas on the Boulevard at the recently completed Concert Hall. Students got into the spirit of the season at Christmas Convocation and Christmas Coffeehouse by wearing holiday regalia, sweaters, and Santa hats. During the fun, the Liberty student body collected more than 1,000 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.

“Nothing rings in the Christmas season like singing carols with your friends and seeing the boulevard lit up in the most gorgeous Christmas lights. It’s my favorite event of the Christmas season!”

KATIE CLINEBELL, SR

“Christmas on the Boulevard was an incredible event that promoted fellowship between the students. The music department provided an incredible opportunity for us to get together and bring in the Christmas season with a great show!”

NATHAN SPENCER, FR

Hancock Welcome Center Nativity Display

School of Music students perform at Christmas on the Boulevard.

Christmas in Lights

“NEEDTOBREATHE is one of my favorite bands. The overall concert makes my top five list of concerts for sure. I sang and laughed with friends, and I will forever hold this concert as one of my favorite evenings of senior year.”

“The night I saw Ben Rector was hands-down one of the best of my time here at Liberty. I’ve been a fan of his music since high school and was thrilled when I heard he was coming to Liberty. It takes a pretty special artist to get everyone in the room on their feet and dancing, even if they don’t know the music.”

“The Switchfoot/Relient K concert was one of the best concerts I have been to! The energy was great and the bands were obviously having fun.”

“The concert lineup this year was amazing. Having the opportunity to see the Tour De Compadres this fall was absolutely fantastic, and I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun at a concert as I did that night.”

For KING & COUNTRY

Matt Kearney

Parachute

Meredith Andrews

NEEDTOBREATHE

Switchfoot

AMBER TILLER, SR

MICHELA DIDDLE, JR

JACK PANYARD, SO

CARRI GARBER, SR

TUNING IN

Student Activities once again delivered a fantastic lineup of concerts and events for the student body to enjoy throughout the 2016-17 school year.

On Oct. 20, the crowd was captivated by the alternative rock melodies of Switchfoot, joined by Relient K on their Looking For America Tour.

NEEDTOBREATHE performed their soulful songs on Nov. 12. The Vines Center was the final stop on the Tour De Compadres tour, which featured pop artist Mat Kearney and the band Parachute.

Ben Rector serenaded the audience on Feb. 18 with his honest and sincere lyrics, along with an opening performance by singer/songwriter Brady Toops.

Finally, the year was wrapped up by the Australian Christian music duo for KING & COUNTRY on April 8. The duo was joined by Liberty alum and worship leader Meredith Andrews.

Relient K

Ben Rector

NBA star Stephen Curry came to Liberty University’s campus March 1 to speak at Convocation and showcase the work of the Kick’n It Foundation.

Standing alongside alumnus Chris Strahan, the founder of Kick’n It, and Emmanuel Ntibonera, Curry talked about the need for every child to have a pair of shoes.

Ntibonera is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where his family runs a ministry called the Ntibonera Foundation. By partnering with Kick’n It, the group sought to provide the people of the DRC with shoes to help combat illness.

Both Nike and Under Armour each donated 500 pairs of shoes to the cause, and Curry also donated 500 pairs. Students

We all have a bunch of sneakers in our closets that we don’t use that are collecting dust,” Strahan told students at Convocation. “Why can’t we get one pair and send them over there and change somebody’s life?

brought their own new or gently used pairs of sneakers to Convocation, lining the court of the Vines Center with them.

At the end of Convocation, President Jerry Falwell joined Curry on the court, and both attempted to shoot baskets for donations to the Kick’n It Foundation. Jerry made his shot, and the university donated $10,000 to the cause.

During that night’s Campus Community, thousands of students boxed up the shoes to be shipped to the DRC and distributed by the Ntibonera Foundation.

Radio Drama Production

An original student-produced radio drama called “The Encounter”, aired on 90.9 FM The Light in January 2017. The drama, which is set in a dystopian future and features four main characters, has been in preproduction since 2012.

After years of prep work and writing, the first season aired from January to May 2017 and was also available on iTunes. Each of the first season’s 15 episodes are 15 minutes long, and the show is slated to have four complete seasons with an additional two-episode prequel.

During the Spring 2017 semester, students edited the drama’s second season, recorded the dialogue and scores for season three, and wrote scripts for season four. More than 100 students from multiple departments and disciplines have contributed to the making of the drama, which will continue to air for years to come.

The audio team for “The Encounter” was awarded first place in the 2017 Intercollegiate National Religious Broadcasters (iNRB) 24 CV Audio Challenge at the NRB convention in Orlando, Fla.

“The process has been fun. It put an excitement and passion in me to pursue voice acting as a career. The people I’ve gotten to know through ‘The Encounter’ are wonderful costars. I think read-throughs before the recordings started were my favorite thing because we’d get to be there with the writers and give our feedback and input. They listened to how we, as actors, saw our characters and what we thought they would do in certain situations, helping give Roy, Sam, Ann, and Violet personalities and life.”

HANNAH GLAVIN, SR

Intercollegiate National Religious Broadcasters Awards

SPECIAL CHAMPIONS

During Convocation on Oct. 5, 2016, the Vines Center became an Olympic arena, hosting more than 120 athletes from Special Olympics Virginia. Liberty students were divided into two teams, wearing either red or blue to show support for their Special Olympic athletes.

Announcers from the Liberty Flames Sports Network covered the event live. Athletes participated in basketball and powerlifting in the Vines Center, while prerecorded videos showed athletes swimming at the LaHaye Aquatics Center and competing in a wheelchair race at the Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex.

The president of Special Olympics Virginia, Rick Jeffrey, told the crowd he was amazed to see how Liberty’s student body supported the athletes.

“You are creating a model of the way the world should be — everybody together , rich in understanding , not judging,” Jeffrey said. “That is how the world should be.”

On Friday, April 28, Liberty’s final Convocation of the 2016-17 school year was held outdoors for the first time in decades. The back steps of the Montview Student Union were transformed into a stage and the lawn was lined with seating. The student body, along with faculty and staff, sang hymns that were reminiscent of the songs that Liberty students sang in Liberty’s earliest Convocation services.

Students, faculty, and staff were transported back in time as President Jerry Falwell reflected on the early days of Liberty University. Before buildings such as DeMoss Hall stood tall on campus, students used to meet in a giant

tent for Convocation—then called “Chapel.” Liberty Board of Trustees member William Graham gave advice from his grandfather, the Rev. Billy Graham. “Use every second of your time on Earth to glorify Jesus Christ,” he said. Finally, Board of Trustees member and alumnus Steve Snyder shared his amazement at what God has done on Liberty’s campus in the last 40 years—and his excitement at what He would continue to to.

Convocation on the Lawn ended in a historic moment as the newly mounted replica of the Liberty Bell rang out 71 times to commemorate the year that Liberty was founded.

“You don’t explain this without looking to the SOURCE because GOD put all of this here,” Snyder said. “None of you are here by accident. We all get to be part of this story. ”

UNWRAPPED

Christmas Coffeehouse

On Saturday, Dec. 3, students took a break from the chaos of finals week to celebrate Christmas together at one of Liberty’s most beloved holiday traditions — Christmas Coffeehouse. The staff of Student Activities outdid themselves once again with the theme of “Unwrapped” for the yearly talent show. The evening focused on the theme of popular Christmas toys from students’ childhood, adding a nostalgic touch to the evening’s mood of Christmas cheer.

Divine Call

Room 16

The Wet Bandits

Country Fried Reindeer

D-Trex

Nicole and Cole

“I really enjoyed the video parodies — they showcased the immense talent that is on Liberty’s campus, and they definitely made me laugh. The performances were great, and coupled with the exciting atmosphere that Coffeehouse brings, it was a great night.”

XAVIER BROWN, JR

“My favorite act at Christmas Coffeehouse this year was the reggae rendition of ‘Mary Did You Know?’ I loved the blend of sound and culture, and they created a version of the song that I had never heard. Each musician that performed was phenomenal.”

REID KOUSTAAL, SR

FEATURING:

Nicole & Cole - The Wet Bandits - Jolly Gaggers - Room 16

Country Fried Reindeer - Shine - The Ntiboneras

2 Sugar Cookies & A Glass of Chocolate Milk

Undecided Majors - Jake Ziegler & the Locals - Up to Snow Good

Vegan Llamas - Prior Knowledge - Divine Call - D-Trex

How did you draw parallels from the plot of “Stranger Things” to life at Liberty University?

“In the show, Will goes missing. What would happen if, at Liberty, baby Jesus goes missing from the Christmas nativity scene? Will Byers is found in the Upside Down, the creepy forbidden place in “Stranger Things”. What is Liberty’s creepy, forbidden place? The Annex. Students love throwing shade at the Annex. We wanted to recreate ‘Stranger Things’ scenes and incorporate Liberty jokes that answered the question, ‘What would never happen on campus?’”

RACHEL STAN, WRITER AND CO-DIRECTOR

What was the most rewarding part of creating and showing the film?

“The most exciting part of creating this film was anticipating the reaction the audience would have to each and every detail that we put in it. Working alongside talented people who have a drive and passion to create makes the late nights with endless hours of editing worthwhile. I couldn’t have been happier with the response that we received — it was overwhelming.”

COLLIN AUSBURY, CO-DIRECTOR AND CINEMATOGRAPHER

SPRING COFFEEHOUSE: THE 2000s

On Saturday, March 25, students were transported back in time at the Spring Coffeehouse talent show. Student Activities once again delivered an incredible lineup of acts, including music, dance, and video production, which celebrated the 2000s. Students were able to relive some of the greatest music hits and pop culture of the decade.

The evening’s entertainment gained inspiration from movies such as “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “High School Musical,” “Napoleon Dynamite,” and “Finding Nemo.” Musical acts covered songs from pop icons such as Beyoncé and the Jonas Brothers, as well as hip-hop legends like Eminem and Kanye West. The talent show also honored some of the decade’s most memorable TV shows, like “The Office” and “The Bachelor.”

Students attending Coffeehouse enjoyed dressing up as popular 2000s characters, such as The Incredibles family, Ron Burgundy from “Anchorman,” and characters from the “Harry Potter” movie series.

“I loved all the flashback videos that highlighted the 2000s because they reminded me of the little things I almost forgot about, like the songs I grew up listening to.“

APRIL DAVIS, FR

“As a graduating senior, I have been to most of the large events over the last four years, but my favorite this year was Spring Coffeehouse. I loved the 2000s theme. There were incredible solo performers and comedic acts. I was able to sit at a table with some friends which made the experience even more entertaining!”

KARA SANGREE, SR

PhD

Syndie & Earl

FEATURING:

The Vegan Llamas

Trouvere

D-Trex

25 Funs

Plaid Stripes

Bananas on the Roof

Pacers

Apologetics

Syndie & Earl P. Shermans PhD

Monday

Monday Night Rare

the

Jake Ziegler & the Locals

Trouvere

The Vegan Llamas

Jake Ziegler & the Locals

Plaid Stripes

FALL CONVOCATION

Mike Pence

On Oct. 12, 2016, students welcomed Indiana Governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence to Convocation. Pence rallied the audience, sharing his belief that Christians were under attack. He encouraged students to take action and stand up for what they believe in rather than retreat.

Pence challenged the students at Liberty to take ownership of their future and step off the sidelines and take action in the civic arena.

Kaká

The atmosphere of Convocation was electric on Oct. 26, 2016, as soccer star Kaká took the stage. In a Q & A setting, the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year shared the story of his rise to soccer fame, beginning with a life-threatening injury and eventually leading to his joining the Orlando City and being named MVP of the MLS All-Star Game in 2015.

Kaká used his speaking platform in Convocation to discuss the aftermath of the June 12 Orlando nightclub shooting and spoke of the importance of sharing God’s love with a hurting world.

Levi Lusko

Levi Lusko, author of the best-selling book “Through the Eyes of a Lion” and pastor of Fresh Life Church, spoke to the students in Convocation on Nov. 2, 2016. Lusko travels the world speaking about Jesus and sharing the story of the loss of his daughter. He told students about how God worked miracles in his family’s life, even through pain and hardship.

Lusko encouraged students to live a life focused on God and look at the world through the lens of faith.

Brian Littrell

On Oct. 19, 2016, Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys serenaded Convocation attendees with a medley of the band’s greatest hits and spoke about the importance of a relationship with God. With his wife, Leighanne, and son Baylee by his side, Littrell explained that faith helped him navigate the worldwide fame his band received.

Littrell encouraged students to remain strong in their faith and to be the person that God has called them to be.

SPRING CONVOCATION

Shawn Michaels

On Jan. 8, 2017, four-time pro wrestling world champion and WWE Hall of Fame member Shawn Michaels shared his testimony at Convocation. Michaels talked about how, at the peak of his pro wrestling career, he felt empty until his wife encouraged him to attend church. Shortly after, Michaels fell in love with God and took his faith public in the WWE arena.

Michaels encouraged students to keep their focus on God and not get tired in their faith.

Simone Biles

On Jan. 27, 2017, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles came to Convocation to answer students’ questions and talk about her experience competing in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 19-year-old won 19 medals — 14 gold — at the Olympics but chose to talk about her personal life, including her favorite food and television shows. Biles also shared with students how it felt to carry the United States’ flag at the closing ceremonies.

Biles told students to hold on to their faith even when things get difficult.

JOHNNYSWIM

On March 24, 2017, singer-songwriter duo Johnnyswim performed both on-stage and in the crowd. The group, made up of husband and wife Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano, also spoke about growing in God as a married couple while navigating the trials of everyday life.

Together, Ramirez and Sudano encouraged students to take their faith wherever they go and make Jesus a part of whatever they do in life.

The Robertsons

On April 7, 2017, the Robertson family of “Duck Dynasty” fame spoke to Convocation about their duck call business and the experience of being on reality television. The family shared anecdotes about their 11-season show and how being in the public eye not only deepened their collective faith, but also allowed them to have a platform for ministry.

The Robertson family reminded students not to worry about what the future holds and just let God direct their lives.

Election Day

On Nov. 8, 2016, 500 students lined up at the Vines Center at 6 a.m. to be among the first to cast their ballots in the 2016 presidential election. By the end of the day, 3,205 residential students had voted. After a rush of students from 6-8 a.m., the maximum wait time was 30 minutes.

Residential students living at the Annex voted at Sheffield Elementary School. Dean of Students Robert Mullen estimated that approximately 4,000 residential students voted between the two locations.

Liberty students made a powerful impact on the 2016 election not only with their votes, but also by encouraging others to get out and vote. Students took to social media to urge their peers to be a part of history and vote for the next president of the United States.

@hannahleigh997: Go vote today! ***but don’t steal the pen from the voting station....***

@trae.christian: Hey mom I voted!

@izzy_nicole928: Today I got to vote for the first time!

@hopecross: Proud to be an American //

Megan Merryman made history as the first triathlete from Liberty University to enter the NCAA Triathlete Championships in 2017. In April, she entered her third USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship and continues to break records.

The Fairfax, Va. native, who was named Liberty’s 2015-16 Club Sports Female Athlete of the Year, graduated in May with a degree in exercise science. As a student, her weeks were comprised of school and daily training, and her weekends were filled with competitions.

Merryman hopes to use her degree to help others in an exercise setting while continuing to do triathlons.

“ Training for triathlon pushed me to my limits almost every single day, which reminded me of my constant dependence on the Lord for strength and stamina . I have to give GOD the credit for supplying me with the motivation to work hard and do my best. I am trusting that He is using triathlons in my life to prepare me for my future beyond college, and I want to be able to serve Him to the best of my ability wherever He leads me.”

MEGAN MERRYMAN, SR

IONE FRESHMAN’S STORY OF VICTORY

n February 2017, 19-year-old freshman Katie Karp ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Orlando, Fla. Karp was diagnosed with bone cancer when she was 12 years old and was finally declared cancer-free in 2011. She navigated the 13-mile course at Walt Disney World with the two doctors who had treated her when she had cancer.

As a journalism student in the School of Communication & Creative Arts, Karp also served as an ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network, where she hoped to encourage others with her journey. She shared her story with other runners at the half marathon to raise awareness about the needs of children’s hospitals.

“By the grace of God, I am still here today,” Karp said in an interview with the Liberty University News Service. “I now have this beautiful outlook on life.”

Running the victory lap around Disney with my doctors was a very full circle moment for my family and me. It was amazing to know that the very people who helped to save my life were now watching me live it to the fullest!

- KATIE KARP

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

LibertyUniversity

1,728 posts 55.8k followers 322 following

Liberty University In the 2016-17 school year, Liberty University was recognized as the No. 1 university on Instagram in a digital strategy article by eCity Interactive. Liberty was celebrated for its use of the social media platform to emphasize people, and to inspire the world with school spirit.

1. Students enjoying Montview Student Union (Photo by Kaitlyn Becker Johnson) 2. A friendly face can always be found on campus (Photo by Meredith Boyce) 3. Flames fans celebrating a win over Longwood University (Photo by Kevin Manguiob) 4. Sunrise over campus on a brisk autumn morning (Photo by Kevin Manguiob) 5. Students enjoy the weather while studying at the new student union (Photo by Kaitlyn Becker Johnson) 6. The newly constructed Freedom Tower overlooking campus (Photo by Kevin Manguiob) 7. Club sport athlete enjoying the year-round slopes of Snowflex (Photo by Kevin Manguiob) 8. Students attending 2017 Commencement (Photo by Kevin Manguiob) 9. Baseball player preparing to exit the dugout (Photo by Joel Coleman)

ISERVE LYNCHBURG

MAKING AN IMPACT

n spite of the rain, more than 1,600 students, faculty, and staff participated in Liberty’s first Serve Lynchburg event on April 22. The event was a one-day community service initiative, where people from Liberty gave back to the city of Lynchburg.

Students’ service assignments included planting gardens at the Old City Cemetery, helping to harvest vegetables at Lynchburg Grows, making meals for the homeless at Lynchburg Daily Bread, picking up litter for the James River Association, and volunteering at the Lynchburg Humane Society.

Liberty’s staff and faculty also took part in the service blitz. LU Athletic Director Ian McCaw assisted in making meals at Lynchburg Daily Bread. Liberty’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Ron Hawkins, along with Senior Vice President for Spiritual Development David Nasser, visited the students at various sites throughout the day and offered a helping hand.

Lending a helping hand at Lynchburg Grows.

Aiding in the removal of renovation debris.

Students celebrate a successful day at the Lynchburg Humane Society.

Students enjoy tending to livestock while serving at a local farm

Volunteers extending care to animals at the Lynchburg Humane Society.

Students take on hefty renovation projects around Lynchburg.

Various athletic teams harvesting fresh vegetables.

In February, the NCAA approved Liberty University’s request to reclassify its football program to Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). By moving up the ranks in college football, Liberty will be able to play stronger NCAA teams. The reclassification process, which will take two years, begins with the 2017-18 academic year and will allow Liberty to play in bowl games starting with the 2019 season.

Liberty’s football program began in 1973 and has come a long way from its beginnings at the NCCAA level (National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association). In 1988, the team gained NCAA Division I status, and in 2002, it joined the Big South Conference where it won eight conference titles, including one in 2016. In a press release, President Jerry Falwell called this reclassification historic. “This university aspired to compete at the highest levels of NCAA competition and began working toward that dream and vision from the day of its founding in 1971.”

REDEFINED

HELMETS AND HONORS

The Liberty Flames Division I football team had its 11th consecutive winning season in 2016, posting a 6-5 record and becoming one of five FCS programs nationally to have had a winning season for over 10 seasons in a row. This was the Flames fifth season under Head Coach Turner Gill and first under the new Special Teams Coordinator Scott Downing.

Thirteen Flames earned All-Big South honors, tying Charleston Southern for the most all-conference honorees in 2016. Four players were also named to the HERO Sports All-American teams.

Multiple players set school football records this season, including Alex Probert, who finished his first season with 78 points — the most by a freshman in Liberty’s history. Stephen Calvert also finished his rookie season with 1,931 passing yards, marking the third most passing yards a freshman has achieved in the program’s history.

Liberty had its first return for a touchdown since 2011, and Frankie Hickson finished the season with 707 total kickoff return yards, the second most in school history. Lucas Holder, who finished his undergraduate degree in three years, was named the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the year while holding a 3.9 GPA in his master’s degree program.

The Flames finished off the season with a record of 4-1 within the Big South, sharing the conference title with Charleston Southern.

“Our team’s greatest success was our coming together after both tough defeats and victories. Even when I would miss a kick during a game, my teammates would give me a high-five and encourage me to keep working on my craft. I felt our team grow stronger as a unit in our weight room and on the field when we prayed after each loss and each win. There are few communities in life that will build bonds like that of a football team experiencing the highs and lows of a season together.”

ALEXANDER PROBERT, FR

“The biggest life lesson I learned in football was that no matter how many thousands are watching you, the greatest response comes from the desire you have to excel, the work you put in at practice, and the effort you put forth on game day. This season has taught me to enter situations calmly, whether professional or athletic, and keep a level head for the task at hand.”

AHAROWN CAMPBELL, SR

LIBERTY 41, ROBERT MORRIS 7

23 Frankie Hickson

LIBERTY 58, MONMOUTH 28

12 Stephen Calvert

LIBERTY 55, JACKSONVILLE 7 7 Ceneca Espinoza Jr.

Football: 43 Benjamin Alexander, 78 Ernst Andersen, 55 Tolen Avery, 93 Collin Bailey, 31 Elijah Benton, 59 Damian Bounds, 44 Dia’Vante Brown, 88 Isaac Brown, 90 Will Brown, 63 Aidan Borroughs, 12 Stephen Calvert, 79 Aharown Campbell, 53 Joshua Carlin, 46 Khaleel Carrington, 86 Michael Chorowicz, 32 Jermaine Copeland, 17 Kendall Couamin, 66 Ethan Crawford, 69 Devin Crisp, 80 Joshua Cruz, 3 Rion Davis, 42 Erwin Dessources, 26 Joseph Dixon, 56 Dontae Duff, 96 Chris Escamilla, 7 Ceneca Espinoza Jr., 13 Korell Evans, 82 B.J. Farrow, 8 Jimmy Faulks, 95 Devin Fisher, 81 Marquis Fitzgerald, 40 Zac Foutz, 91 Javon Frazier, 11 Antonio Gandy-Golden, 11 Cole Gibson, 25 Aaron Glover, 1 DeCarlo Hamilton, 68 Tanner Hartman, 67 Michael Henderman, 23 Frankie Hickson, 70 Lucas Holder, 6 Tyrin Holloway, 5 Lucas Irons, 73 Sam Isaacson, 28 Corbin Jackson, 38 Alpha Jalloh, 29 David Jeremiah, 19 Will Johnson, 27 Cameron Jones, 16 Spencer Jones, 36 Thomas Kennedy, 7 Damian King, 48 David King, 21 Mitchell Lewis, 74 Julio Lozano, 22 Todd Macon, 3 Stephon Masha, 24 Malik Matthews, 11 Lionell McConnell, 20 Solomon McGinty, 4 Jaylyn McKinney, 33 Didier Moncion, 34 Carrington Mosley, 18 Josh Newman, 9 Nick Newman, 1 Zac Parker, 72 James Passmore, 2 Jeremy Peters, 49 Jason Pitts, 10 Alex Probert, 87 Cephas Reddick, 45 Josh Reichenbach, 30 Dexter Robbins, 94 John Roughton, 99 Ralfs Rusins, 94 Sean Russell, 65 Thomas Sargeant, 21 Wesley Scott, 8 Dante’ Shells, 89 Canon Smith, 75 Gregg Storey, 41 Ryan Taylor, 29 Elijah Temple, 47 Ben Thomas, 15 T.J. Tillery, 12 Brandon Tillmon, 83 Josh Tully, 39 Chris Turner, 35 Trey Turner, 37 Casey Vick, 97 Aaron Waller, 54 Juwan Wells, 57 Hunter Winstead, 13 Rudiger Yearick, and 77 Daniel Zapata. STAFF: Head Coach Turner Gill, Associate Head Coach/Wide Receivers Ron Brown, Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Dennis Wagner, Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Scott Downing, Assistant Coach – Tight Ends & Fullbacks Aaron Stamn, Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Robert Wimberly, Co-Def. Coordinator/Defensive Line Vantz Singletary, Assistant Coach – Defensive Backs Marshall Roberts, Assistant Coach – Linebackers Josh Bookbinder, Assistant Coach – Defensive Tackles Bryant Lewellyn, Offensive Quality Control Kyle DeArmon, Defensive Quality Control Aaron Wilkins, Director of Spiritual Development Dr. Ed Gomes, Assistant AD for Football Administration Paul Rutigliano, Football Operations – Graduate Assistant Matt Young, Assistant Director of Player Personnel/Pro Scout Liaison Brett Thiesen, Video Coordinator – Football Danny Wenger, Senior Assistant Athletic Trainer – Football Barry Finke, Head Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Bill Gillespie, Associate Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Dave Williams, and Senior Administrative Assistant Carol Bapst.

A BANNER YEAR

The Lady Flames soccer team reached new heights and set new records for Liberty in the 2016-17 season. The team claimed its conference-leading sixth Big South title, which was the first for new Head Coach Nate Norman.

One of the season’s highlights was senior Holly Van Noord finishing her Liberty soccer career by being named the 2016 Big South Defensive Player of the year. The goalkeeper led the Big South Conference in goals-against average and in save percentage. Van Noord completed her time at Liberty ranked second on the program’s list with 407 total career saves.

Also in her first year on the team, Isabella Habuda received All-Southeast Region team honors, was named to the 2016 Big South All-Conference first team, and led the Big South Conference in goals. Forward Gabrielle Farrell was named 2016 Big South Freshman of the Year and to the all-conference first team. Along with Van Noord, Habuda, and Farrell, forward Jennifer Knoebel and defender Jordan Kestel were all named to the 2016 Big South All-Tournament Team.

Head Coach Nate Norman, in his first year coaching, became Liberty’s first women’s soccer coach to lead the team to a Big South Championship as well as a double-digit win during his first season. The Lady Flames achieved a 7-2 conference record and a 14-8 overall record.

“In the beginning of the season we washed the feet of all the newcomers, meaning transfers, new coaches, and freshmen. It brought us not only closer with one another but also closer to the Lord. It was one of the best feelings of my career so far.”

“When we lost to Gardner-Webb, we really had to evaluate ourselves to see what everyone could do to help propel the team forward in a winning direction. It worked, because we ended up winning our next seven games and the Big South Championship game.” JORDAN

LIBERTY 3, APPALACHIAN STATE 2 31 Isabella Habuda

LIBERTY 2, UNC ASHEVILLE 0 8 Gabrielle Farrell

Women’s Soccer: 30 Molly Andres, 12 Amanda Barrett, 17 Caroline Boone, 28 Abigail Bridge, 26 Tori Collar, 0 Kristen Darragh, 8 Gabrielle Farrell, 6 Baylee Gillmore, 2 Mickayla Green, 29 Julia Guarini, 31 Isabella Habuda, 11 Aly Hill, 4 Ashleigh Hill, 10 Devon Jones, 22 Hadley Jones, 19 Lizz Kappler, 23 Kayleigh Kardos, 9 Jordan Kestel, 20 Jennifer Knoebel, 5 Sierra Lam, 16 Bertha Martinez, 3 Kailey Neef, 27 Abigail Persson, 13 Emma Pirro, 7 Anna Roach, 24 Ashley Sannicolas, 15 Sami Santos, 18 Morgan Tabor, 14 Erika Troutman, 1 Holly Van Noord, 25 Elisa Warren, and 21 Lauren Weygandt;

STAFF: Head Coach Nate Norman, Assistant Coach Josh Rife, Assistant Coach Kristin Eggert, Director of Operations Courtney Hall, and Strength & Conditioning Coach Karyl Weise.

F OR MORE THAN JUST KICKS

The Flames Men’s Soccer team played with serious dedication during the 2016-17 season. Several team members proved their skills by gaining honors and recognition for their hard work and determination.

Tresor Mbuyu became the first Liberty player to be selected as the Big South Attacking Player of the Year, and the second to be named a Big South Player of the Year, despite this being his first year as a Flame. Mbuyu, Kevin Mendoza, and Kyle Carr were all selected to play on the 2016 Big South AllConference first team.

Mbuyu also garnered first team honors for the 2016 Virginia Sports Information Directors Men’s Soccer All-State University Division team, with both Mendoza and Carr receiving second team honors. Mbuyu was one of the nation’s top 20 players in both goals and assists, scoring a career-high five points, two goals, and an assist against Winthrop Sept. 24.

Rigoberto Rojas completed 2016 with six assists, making him one of the top freshman in the nation in assists. Additionally, Mbuyu and Geovanny Murillo were the only players to start all 18 games this season, with Murillo leading the team in minutes played. The Flames scored 32 goals on the year, earning the team an 18th rank nationally.

The team finished the season with a 7-9-2 overall score and a 4-3-1 in Big South Conference Play.

Men’s Soccer (7-9-2)

“Our team is especially unique this year because of all the new faces in the program, myself included. Around half of our team is new to Liberty this year, and it has been really great getting to know all of the amazing backgrounds and cultures, as well as getting to witness how God has allowed our team to come together in unity.”

CORBAN CROSLEY, FR

LIBERTY 2, HOWARD 0 14 Kurt Meyers

LIBERTY 2, CAMPBELL 0 6 Geovanny Murilo

Men’s Soccer: 9 Martin Agredo, 7 Alan Arellano, 22 Kyler Beal, 2 Nico Bellarde, 25 Carter Burris, 19 Kyle Carr, 16 Tucker Chasteen, 5 Jovanni Chavez, 24 Corban Crosley, 20 Dre Diouf, 4 Alex Dominguez, 3 Shalom Dutey, 27 Chase Hansen, 21 Logan Hatter, 23 Chase Hovious, 1 James Knoebel, 15 Oluwatomiwa Kosoko, 28 Jeremy Lee, 18 Brady Mazzei, 11 Tresor Mbuyu, 10 Kevin Mendoza, 14 Kurt Meyers, 6 Geovanny Murillo, 17 Edgaro Reyes, 12 Rigoberto Rojas, and 8 Pepe Segarra; STAFF: Head Coach Jeff Alder, Assistant Coach Jose Gomez, and Assistant Coach A.J. Madero.

LIBERTY 2, PRESBYTERIAN 0 10 Kevin Mendoza

HUSTLE, HIT, NEVER QUIT

The Flames NCAA Division I Field Hockey Team had a season full of honors, for both the team and individual players. Despite this being their first year as an affiliate member in the BIG EAST, the Lady Flames earned a No. 2 seed in the conference championship. They also finished 5-2 in the BIG EAST Conference. Both Allison Schaefer (Freshman of the Year) and Serena Barr (Defensive Player of the Year) received awards. Bethany Barr, Serena Barr, and Agueda Moroni each earned spots on the NFHCA All-South Region teams.

New program records were made, including Schaefer’s 124 saves — the most saves in a single season. Moroni also became the program’s fastest player to record a hat trick. Bethany Barr was ranked No. 9 in the country in assists per contest, leading the Lady Flames in assists with 12. Moroni led the team in goals, scoring 10.

Head Coach Jodi Murphy assisted the team in posting an 8-10 season score. Overall, the team outscored their opponents 49-42 this season, outscoring them 31-12 in seven BIG EAST matches.

“I loved the season. It was so much fun and so exciting all the time. It made me grow a lot as a person through all the challenges! This is by far the best team that I have ever had. I love each person that is part of it, and I am more than thankful for them.”

AGUEDA MORONI, FR

“The team has made me a better athlete by showing me that I can glorify God through athletics. It’s not only the score that matters, but also how we evangelize to other teams, show them love, and worship God through the talents and able bodies He’s given us.”

ALYNN RICHARDSON, SO

LIBERTY 7, TEMPLE 0 10

Field Hockey: 23 Sydney Baffone, 12 Bethany Barr, 9 Serena Barr, 18 Pippa Best, 16 Cassidy Bremner, 15 Mallory Fortenbaugh, 11 Merich Frizzell, 1 Rebecca Hamlett, 86 Monica Hernick, 7 Kendra Jones, 10 Abby Julius, 20 Jenny Kurlej, 27 Carrie Logie, 17 Agueda Moroni, 6 Summer Parker, 3 Lindsay Pratt, 28 Alynn Richardson, 4 Annika Roberts, 8 Zosia Roberts, 00 Allison Schaefer, and 30 Rachel Suter; STAFF: Head Coach Jodi Murphy, Associate Head Coach Tilly Brampton, Assistant Coach Nikki Parsley, Graduate Assistant Coach Natalie Barr, Director of Operations Courtney Hall, Strength & Conditioning Coach Karyl Wiese, and Athletic Trainer Joey Lyons.

Cross Country: Kat Bouton, Lindsey Bray, Victoria Clinton, Danny de Nijs, Gabriella Delbo, Tanner Ealum, Jessica Eaton, Cameron Francis, Erin Hansel, Graham Hansel, Alexis Hinman, Kaitlyn Hutchins, Elizabeth Hutton, Luke Jelen, Alyssa Karle, Azaria Kirwa, Kammi Kurtz, Stanley Langat, Delaney McDowell, Louis Paone, Kylie Polsgrove, Jessie Proehl, Lacie Robinson, Torree Scull, Kelly Shaffer, Josh Showalter, Jack Tidball, Brooke Turner, Anna Van Wyk, Megan Versen, Valerie Wierenga, James Zentmeyer, and Terrill Zentmeyer.

STAFF: Head Cross Country Coach Brant Tolsma and Assistant Coach Rebekah Ricksecker.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

The Flames Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams made big strides this year in regional conferences. The Lady Flames won their first team title since 2012 at the 2016 Big South Cross Country Championships, helped by Terril Zentmeyer, who placed fifth. The men’s cross country team finished second at the Big South Cross Country Championships. The team was ranked No. 12 in the Southeast Region by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, trailing behind Louisville.

At the women’s cross country championship, Head Coach Brant Tolsma secured his 100th title as head coach after 31 years with the Flames. Additionally, Tolsma was awarded Women’s Coach of the Year, his 63rd Big South Coach of the Year award.

The Flames notched their 14th consecutive top-two win in the Big South Championship. Kat Bouton (Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Women’s All-Academic Team), Stanley Langat (Men’s Freshman of the Year), and Graham Hansel (Men’s All-Academic Team) all received accolades at the Big South ceremony.

“The Cross Country team this season was a unique sisterhood, where we were always encouraging each other and building each other up. There was a beautiful balance of competitive spirit that pushed us in workouts, coupled with a love for each other and genuine desire for each one to be the best runner she can be. We were each other’s competition, yet also each other’s greatest cheerleaders. The atmosphere on this team has pushed me to become a better athlete, but more importantly, on this team I have built Christ-centered friendships that will last. From cheering each other on in workouts, to having heart-to-heart conversations on long runs, we have grown close and grown better together.”

TERRILL ZENTMEYER, JR

Cross Country

UVA DUALS

Cameron Francis

VT ALUMNI INVITE

Lacie Robinson

CAN YOU

DIG IT?

The 2016 season saw the Lady Flames volleyball team achieve the most conference wins it has had since 2012. The team continued to excel and break records. For the first year in the program’s history, two Liberty freshmen (Leah Clayton and Anna Willey) were voted to the Big South AllConference volleyball team.

During the Big South Volleyball Championship, held at the Vines Center, the Lady Flames had an eight-match winning streak. This was also the 10th year in a row that three or more Liberty players were placed on the Big South All-Conference team.

Anna Gragg set a new freshman record with 108 blocks during her first season with the team, and Margaret Latchford achieved 876 career digs, the most of any Lady Flame during her first two seasons. Due to overwhelming support by Flames fans, four of the top six single-match attendance figures for the volleyball team were set this season at the Vines Center.

The season finished with an overall score of 16-13 and an 11-5 record in Big South play.

“Being on the Lady Flames volleyball team has made me a better athlete by helping me realize how God’s gift of athletic talents can help me further His mission and kingdom on this earth. As a team, we had great chemistry and it made playing the games a ton of fun! Our bench always had so much energy that translated to the people on the court in an infectious way.

The most influential aspect of the season for me was the middle school camp we held after our home game against High Point. It was so impactful to help train the next generation of volleyball players and share the joy of competition.”

MARGARET LATCHFORD, SO

Women’s Volleyball: 24 Payton Carter, 15 Leah Clayton, 4 Casey Goodwin, 2 Anna Gragg, 19 Margaret Latchford, 23 Michelle Melendez, 8 Hannah Morris, 7 Sydney Morris, 20 Gabrielle Vess, 21 Sirena Vorster, 5 Hannah Weidner, 1 Anna Willey, 10 Kainah Williams, and 22 Meegan Williams; STAFF: Head Coach Shane Pinder, Assistant Coach Cassie Crumal, Assistant Coach Macey Gardner, and Strength & Conditioning Coach Solomon Tat.

LIBERTY 3, HAMPTON 0 1 Anna Willey

LIBERTY 3, GARDNER-WEBB 0 23 Michelle Melendez

The Liberty men’s tennis team distinguished itself in the 2016-17 season, both on and off the court. The Flames’ dedication to improvement led them to the quarterfinals of the Big South Men’s Tennis Championship this season in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Freshman Chase Burton was selected to the Big South Conference First Team AllConference Singles list. Junior team captain Diego Castano earned a spot on the Big South AllAcademic team.

Men’s tennis finished the season with an overall record of 7-15, with a 0-7 in conference play.

CAUSING A RACKET

The Liberty Women’s Tennis team continued to excel on the court in the 2016-17 season. For the second straight year, Liberty earned a share of the conference’s regular season title.

The Big South Conference’s regular season crown was clinched by victories from junior Evangeline Crist and freshman Eugenia Camacho. Crist, along with sophomore Anna Dollar, was named to the Big South Conference Second Team All-Conference Singles list.

Under Head Coach Jeff Maren’s leadership, the Lady Flames finished strong and posted a 7-1 record in the Big South.

“We had two really tough opponents in Florida that made us more mentally tough and helped us to see what we needed to work on. But during that same trip, apart from the tough losses, I had so much fun bonding with the girls! Every team member got along so well, which made playing that much more enjoyable because I’m not only playing for myself, but my teammates as well.”

Women’s Tennis (12-12-0)

The Liberty Swimming & Diving team made great strides in the 2016-17 season. Head Coach Jake Shellenberger led the Lady Flames to a second-place finish at the 2017 Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Championships.

Sophomore Alicia Finnigan was selected to compete in the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships held in Indianapolis, Ind. She placed 50th in 100 fly and placed 31st in the 200 fly. Finnigan was the fourth Lady Flame in program history to participate at the NCAA Division I championships.

The Lady Flames achieved an overall record of 10-2 in dual-meet competition this season, with a 5-1 conference record against CCSA opponents.

MAKING A SPLASH DRIVING AMBITION

“My favorite moment this season was qualifying for the NCAA Division I National Championships at a last chance qualifying meet. When I made that meet, I knew I had done it with and for my whole team. It was so special to get to represent them and the school at a meet like that, and I look forward to more moments like it in the future.”

The Liberty golf team achieved high honors in the 2016-17 season. The Flames entered the 2017 Big South Men’s Golf Championship as the No. 1 seed and finished the championship with runner-up honors.

The Flames tied for 11th place in the NCAA Austin Regional with a 27-over par 879 score. The 2017 NCAA Regional was Liberty’s sixth NCAA Regional competition in the last seven years of program history.

“This year, I was able to see growth in my personal life as well as my golf game. I was able to strengthen my golf game this season by placing more emphasis on the practice time, as well as having the opportunity to play in the tournament.”

LIBERTY 205, CAMPBELL 57 Ashley Mauzy

LIBERTY 205, CAMPBELL 57 Daniella Jordan

ISAIAH LOGUE, JR

ALICIA FINNIGAN, SO

Golf: Zachary Biscardi, Zach Ginsburg, Jeremy Miekley, Jesse Miller, Taylor Nicol, Ryan Shumate, Gregory Stienbarger, Devin Swartz, Hunter Thomas, Joshua White, Christian Wilborn, Isaaz Wilson, and Jon Younce; STAFF: Head Coach Steve Bowman.

ACCOLADES

The Lady Flames were fueled by the youthfulness of their team in the 2016-17 season. Not only did the team collectively see numerous accomplishments throughout the season, but there were also many notable achievements from individual players.

The Lady Flames recorded their 18th straight season with 10 or more Big South Conference victories. The team was ranked No. 7 nationally for offensive rebounds, and No. 9 in rebound margin, making this the 15th consecutive year that they were among the nation’s top 10 teams in rebounding.

The team saw three players — Keyen Green, Iva Ilic, and Ola Makurat — make the Big South All-Freshman Team for only the second time in program history. Green in particular was Liberty’s first Big South Freshman of the Year since 2001-02, as well as the second player on the team to receive All-Big South honors. Green was also the first player in conference history to win eight total Big South Freshman of the Week honors. Audrey Rettstatt was named a Big South All-Academic Team member, and Nene Johnson tied for sixth in the Big South for assists.

The Lady Flames finished the season with 13-17 overall, including a 12-6 record in Big South play.

LIBERTY 92, LONGWOOD 47

35 Ola Makurat

“My favorite part about coaching the Lady Flames this season was the enthusiastic attitude that the players had daily. Practice after practice, and even after tough games, they always returned the next day with the same enthusiastic attitude toward learning, competing, and developing into a better team. The team remained hungry and enthusiastic during the entire season. As a team, their greatest strength was the unity as well as perseverance through the learning and developing process as a young team. I am proud to see this team continue to grow as winners and learners for Christ.”

HEAD COACH CAREY GREEN

Women’s Basketball: 00 Kaila Ballard, 30 KK Barbour, 4 Tatyana Crowder, 21 Keyen Green, 24 Iva Ilic, 3 Nene Johnson, 10 Kierra JohnsonGraham, 35 Ola Makurat, 5 Stephanie Patton, 40 Molly Reagan, 12 Audrey Rettstatt, 14 Lela Sellers, 33 Kaitlyn Stovall, 20 Sheana Vega, and 32 Jordan Woods.

STAFF: Head Coach Carey Green, Assistant Coach Andrea Bloodworth, Assistant Coach Brittany Hoyt, Assistant Coach Alexis Sherard, Director of Operations Sarah Boruta, Strength and Conditioning Coach Solomon Tat, Athletic Trainer Ben Galley, Office Administrator Katie Garlick, and Graduate Assistant Kevin Clark II.

LIBERTY 81, HIGH POINT 74

14 Lela Sellers

LIBERTY 64, WEST LIBERTY 38

4 Tatyana Crowder

LIBERTY 70, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 55

1 Caleb Homesley

LIBERTY 61, CAMPBELL 54

11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz

LIBERTY 81, CAIRN 53 34 Josiah Talbert

WINNING

DEFENSE

The Liberty Flames set new records in the 2016-17 season. Under Head Coach Ritchie McKay, the team finished the season with a tie for second place in the Big South Conference.

The season began with a challenging nonconference schedule, which paid off when Liberty reached conference play. The team won a record 14 games in the Big South during the regular season, as well as a record seven straight road games. The Flames achieved the best scoring defense in conference play.

Individual players made great contributions to the Flames’ success this season. Junior Ryan Kemrite was named to the second team All-Big South, as well as to the Big South All-Academic team. Senior John Dawson achieved Big South allhonorable mention honors for the second year in a row. Two freshmen, Myo BaxterBell and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz, were named to the Big South All-Freshman team.

The success of Liberty’s 20-win season awarded the team with national attention and Coach McKay with several award nominations. McKay was a finalist for the Ben Jobe award and was also nominated for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award, an acknowledgement of both his success on the court and his integrity off the court.

“We had many strengths this season, but the biggest strength was our togetherness. Our team chemistry was huge for us, as everyone on the team genuinely liked each other. This helped us in close games, as we trusted each other and came together to pull out big wins.”

RYAN KEMRITE, JR

“My favorite part of the season was the beginning of our conference season. I felt like we were clicking on all cylinders and we were having fun. What made it great was that we were winning, so that was a lot of fun.”

Men’s

STAFF:

Basketball: 4 Xzavier Barmore, 0 Myo Baxter-Bell, 3 Lovell Cabbil, 13 Ray Chen, 22 John Dawson, 15 Zach Farquhar, 12 Brock Gardner, 44 Ryan Hiepler, 1 Caleb Homesley, 31 Scottie James, 5 Ryan Kemrite, 11 Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz, 2 A.C. Reid, 24 Ezra Talbert, and 34 Josiah Talbert.

Head Coach Ritchie McKay, Assistant Coach Kyle Getter, Assistant Coach Vic Sfera, Assistant Coach Brad Soucie, Director of Operations Chelsea Mangino, Director of Performance Henry Barrera, Athletic Trainer Aaron Schreiner, Office Administrator Rebekah Ray, Graduate Assistant Marcus Conrad, and Graduate Assistant Alex McLean.

“Winning the series against Campbell was one of my favorite memories. I just remember how fun it was to be surrounded by my teammates, enjoying our passion together in the heat of conference competition. I believe that series win was a defining moment in our team family. We were more united than ever, as we witnessed how good this team actually was and how great we could be.”

KENZIE FRIESEN, SR

STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT

The Liberty softball team completed a record-breaking season in 2016-17. The Lady Flames claimed their first postseason title by winning the 2017 National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC). After five straight wins in elimination games, the Lady Flames took the title with a 3-1 win at their own Liberty Softball Stadium.

The Lady Flames earned a program-record 17 postseason honors from the Big South. Sophomore Julia DiMartino won Pitcher of the Year, Amber Bishop was named Freshman of the Year, and the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award was given to senior Kenzie Friesen. Liberty placed four players each on the Big South All-Conference first and second teams.

Sophomore infielder Sarah Robertson recorded her 100th career hit and Head Coach Dot Richardson earned her 100th career victory during the season. Richardson is the third softball head coach to have earned 100 career victories in Liberty’s history. Among the Lady Flames’ many postseason honors, Richardson also won the Coach of the Year award.

Fans turned out in record numbers to support the Lady Flames. Three out of the top four single-game attendance totals in stadium history were set this year, helping the Lady Flames to achieve a new program record of 22-8 in home wins.

The Lady Flames finished the season posting a 46-24 program record, with a 16-5 record in conference play.

Softball: 23 Jaclyn Amader, 72 Amber Bishop, 61 Autumn Bishop, 5 Chase Cassady, 6 Jessica Cicerchia, 18 Madi Clarke, 19 Jasmeen Click, 7 Channing Cox, 27 Julia DiMartino, 21 Amanda Dobner, 8 Elizabeth Engler, 17 Kenzie Friesen, 2 Cassie Gingerich, 20 Kayla Harris, 11 Taylor Hoffman, 12 Stephanie Marlowe, 15 Kaitlin McFarland, 44 Rylee Reynolds, 1 Sarah Robertson, 14 Deidra See, 9 Emily Sweat, 22 Alexia Taylor, and 10 Tori Zavodny; STAFF: Head Coach Dot Richardson, Assistant Coach Paige Cassady, Assistant Coach Bob Pinto, Volunteer Assistant Coach John Cassady, and Graduate Assistant Ronnie Gajownik.

GOING, GOING, GONE

The Liberty baseball team saw its hard work pay off in the 2016-17 season. The Flames were the No. 2 seed for the Big South Baseball Championship, where they made their 21st appearance and successfully made it to the semifinals.

Prior to the championship, the Flames won two out of three games in a conference series against Presbyterian. This season, the skill of individual players contributed to the success of the team. Sophomore D.J. Artis received national recognition for his walks and on base percentage. He set a new program record for bases on balls in a season. Artis was named to the 2017 Baseball America All-America team. Senior Sammy Taormina finished the regular season as the Big South leader in runs batted in.

The Flames finished the season with an overall record of 32-23 and a conference record of 16-8.

LIBERTY 5, KENTUCKY 4 18 Cam

“Our team’s greatest strength this season definitely centered around our coaching staff and our senior core. Our new coaching staff had a ton of knowledge about the game of baseball, and they bring with them a culture of winning. Along with that, we have a veteran group of guys who have all played together for a while now and who all bring their own depth, skill, and experience to the program. It was exciting to see how far we could go with the brotherhood that we all formed.”

“We were able to come back and win close games because of our resilience to never give up. My favorite part of the season has been our two walk off wins. They were by far our most exciting games and it was awesome to be able to win in a walk off fashion in front of our home crowd.”

JOSH

LIBERTY 3, BRYANT 1 34 Will Shepherd

Baseball: 33 Dylan Allen, 14 Matt Allen, 1 D.J. Artis, 20 Jake Barbee, 3 Josh Barrick, 36 Jackson Bertsch, 25 Blake Brady, 6 Zach Clinton, 15 Zander Clouse, 35 Jack DeGroat, 48 Torey DeMare, 11 Jonathan Embry, 40 Caleb Evans, 16 Cody Gamble, 9 Hunter Gore, 22 Eric Grabowski, 21 Zack Helsel, 24 Ben Highfill, 12 Andrew Kowalo, 27 Josh Latta, 28 Jon Letchworth, 18 Cam Locklear, 5 Trey McDyre, 17 Evan Mitchell, 13 Jack Morris, 49 Garret Price, 4 Shane Quarterley, 2 Payton Scarbrough, 34 Will Shepherd, 19 Michael Stafford, 7 Sammy Taormina, 26 Vinnie Tarantola, 44 Kemper Terry, and 39 Andrew Yacyk; STAFF: Head Coach Scott Jackson, Assistant Coach Tyler Cannon, Assistant Coach Bryant Gaines, Volunteer Assistant Coach Blake Hunt, and Director of Baseball Operations Daniel Brown.

ZACH CLINTON, SO

BARRICK, JR

LAX TO THE MAX

The Liberty women’s lacrosse team finished the 2016-17 season showing its strength and determination. The No. 4 seed Lady Flames persevered to the Big South Women’s Lacrosse Championship semifinals.

Six Lady Flames players received Big South recognition honors. Carly White was named Big South Conference Women’s Lacrosse Freshman of the Year, becoming the second consecutive Freshman of the Year player from Liberty. Freshman Kayla Foster received the honor in 2016. Other players recognized by the Big South were senior Courtney Brown, senior Victoria Tickle, sophomore Brianna McCaffrey, and junior Lindsey McNamara.

Following the conclusion of the season, seniors Courtney Brown and Victoria Tickle were named to the Big South All-Tournament team.

The Lady Flames finished the 2016-17 season with a conference record of 4-3, and an overall record of 6-13.

BRIANNA MCCAFFREY, SO

Women’s Lacrosse: 30 Ashlyn Altieri, 31 Eden Bayuk, 8 Molly Blake, 24 Abby Britton, 20 Paige Britton, 1 Courtney Brown, 17 Kaitlyn Cassidy-Fischetti, 13 Grace Fletcher, 23 Kayla Foster, 19 Rachel Johnson, 15 Jenna Joyal, 6 Brianna McCaffrey, 29 Lindsey McNamara, 11 Hannah Quast, 18 Michaela Rich, 26 Caroline Smith, 5 Sarah Steenson, 32 Nikki Stumpf, 46 Aubrie Tarris, 14 Casey Thate, 4 Brittany Tickle, 16 Victoria Tickle, 2 Lexi Ulmer, 3 Melanie Via, 10 Faith Wells, 7 Carly White, 55 Katherine Widrick, and 21 Emily Wilhelm; STAFF: Head Coach Kelly Nangle, Assistant Coach Nina Dunay, Assistant Coach Meghan Harkey, Director of Operations Courtney Hall, and Lacrosse Strength & Conditioning Coach Karyl Wiese.

“This year was so unique because our team just clicked so much faster, on and off the field. Together, we were able to build deeper relationships with girls on the team.”

OUTRUNNING THE COMPETITION

The Liberty track & field team swept the competition in the 2016-17 season. For the third consecutive year, Liberty captured the men’s and women’s team titles at the 2017 Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The men’s team earned 279 points at the championships, winning by a landslide and achieving the Flames’ largest margin of victory since 2001. The Lady Flames also distinguished themselves, defeating the competition 253-162 and scoring the most points at the championships since 1999. The third consecutive women’s title was Liberty’s 16th all-time Big South outdoor crown.

In his 31st year of coaching, Head Coach a 67-time Big South Coach of the Year recipient. Under Tolsma’s leadership, the Flames and Lady Flames won the championship with a combined 240 points, taking 16 first-place finishes.

“I think one of our biggest strengths as a team this season was that we weren’t afraid to compete hard and leave it all out there. I think the higher the stakes of a meet, the better we performed.”

DELANEY MCDOWELL, SO

“My favorite part of the season was the daily workouts with the team. I love hanging out with distance girls and the rest the team as well. They’re always a joy to be around. The spring break trip to Myrtle Beach was also a blast!”

ANNA VAN WYK, FR

Track & Field: Aklesso Agama, Samuel Arter, Jovaine Atkinson, Isaiah Aviles, Markus Ballengee, Jacob Burke, Andrew Crowell, Jeremy Davis, Ryan Davis, Zach Davis, Jahquez Durham, Greg Edwards, Michael Fairfax, Cameron Francis, Andrew Garrett, Marquis Gilchrist, Matthew Gille, Zach Gilroy, Michael Griffith, Hudson Hall, Graham Hansel, Caleb Hart, Alexander Hoffsmith, Jeff Jacobs, Spencer Jamison, Luke Jelen, Darrel Jones, Ashton King, Azaria Kirwa, Benjamin Klemmeck, Blake Kohring, Stanley Langat, Seth Lewis, Levi Mack, Chukwuma Maduka, Ryan McCann, Jeremy Miekley, Luke Moffett, Samson Moore, Lacroy Nixon, Dean Palmer, Louis Paone, Denzel Pratt, Bradley Prentice, Stephen Racanelli, Caleb Rider, Jonny Saintil, Colin Schultz, Dylan Slaughter, Brad Smalley, Reilly Stroot, Jack Tidball, Michael Todd, Carson Waters, Andre Wright, and James Zentmeyer; STAFF: Head Coach Brant Tolsma, Assistant Coach Clendon Henderson, Assistant Coach Andrew McFadden, Assistant Coach Rebekah Ricksecker, Assistant Coach Shawn Venable, and Director of Operations Ashley Bookbinder.

Track and Field

SYKES-SABOCK CHALLENGE CUP MEN-3RD, WOMEN-4TH

BIG SOUTH INDOOR TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS MEN-1ST, WOMEN-1ST

ECAC/IC4A INDOOR TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS MEN-4TH, WOMEN-2ND

FSU RELAYS MEN-2ND, WOMEN-3RD

TURNIN’ UP THE

HEAT

The Spirit of the Mountain had an exciting season in 2016-17. A Flames Football favorite, the marching band performed an exciting show celebrating the theme of fire and flames. The show, entitled “On Fire,” featured recent pop music as well as excerpts from Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.

“I enjoyed my time during the four years I was in the Liberty University Marching Band because it taught me how to wisely manage my time, be an effective leader, and to discipline myself to do my best in all aspects. I also made many lifelong friends and grew in my relationship with God.”

JACK HOOVER, SR

Bethany Federico, Jordan Frese, Abbey Hawthorne, Alex Hughes, Sierra Mitchell, and Emily Naegel; CLARINET: Kassie Baumann, Elizabeth Boger, Kirstin Burgard, Josh Chung, Hannah Coyle, Madison Ertel, Kelly Foley, Nicole Hill, Jordan Robinson, Lauren Ross, Jessica Rydelski, Alexis Stubbs, and Darby West; COLOR GUARD: Madison Ballenger, Alison Basney, Jennell Cannon, Kayla Coghlan, Cassandra Cooper, Rebecca DeLee, Hope Dimanche, Gioanni Galan, Mollie Gandy, Sarah Glinski, Taylor Griffin, Holly Hawkins, Stacey Hoogerheyde, Sara Hostetter, McKayla Kinsey, Crystal Mayerchak, Asia McKnight, Amanda Neagle, Claire Shields, Brittany Smith, Dani Smith, Karina Solivan, Kayla Sturgeon, Alexandra Tallent, Felicia Tran, Ashleigh Tuck, Danielle Waardenburg, Emily Wilson, Samantha Wilson, and Alex Yarbrough; CYMBALS: Spencer Bryant, Anthony Griffin, Dustin Perry, Dalton Reese, Michael Saul, Jacob Stalnaker, and Elayna Wilson; DRUM MAJORS: Ashley Cypher, Andrew Jordan, Mark McDonald, and Christian Salyer; FIELD CREW: Brian Akumah, Jon Bryant, Natalie Fuller, Rachel Green, Jacob Sherrill, and Abbey Webb; FRONT ENSEMBLE: Margaret Curry, Kayla Davis, Anna Deneault, Preston Forrest, Jack Hoover, Gracella Martin, Tim Sanderson, Alexandria Simmons, Caleb Towe, Hailey Tyree, and Kara Witt; MELLOPHONE: Arianna Angles, Courtney Anthony, Brandon Chopp, Haley Huff, Alyssa Hurley, Houston McCorquodale, Dylan Price, Kristen Solivan, Jordan Stevens, Abigail Summers, and Hannah Tuckwiller; PICCOLO: Elizabeth Anderson, Keiko Bernard, Shelby Cotone, Rebecca Coyle, Allie Daniel, Morgan Davis, Alonna Dixon, Sara Green, MaKayla Harvey, Kristin Hurley, Angel Johnson, Lauren Lucadano, Traci Maistros, Janalyn Miklas, Aliza Nogueras, Rebecca Plourd, Heidi Reinhart, Abbey-Grace Reynolds, Karah Rushing, Hannah Shimmel, Megan Stuckey, Katie Trimble, Jameka Tuppince, Analiza Vallejo, Meagan Veacock, Olivia Vogel, Sarah Walker, and Kaitlyn Williams; SAXOPHONE: Kathryn Abdallah, Alyssa Bavar, David Brendle, Quincey Brouillette, Brad Crown, Jordan Elliott, Alexis Fountain, Caeden Goering, Daniel Gregory, Nathan Hartley, Jackson Hill, Michael Holmes, Matthew Horchak, Jessica Houseknecht, Steven James, Felicity Jenkins, Matthew Klein, Caleb Martin, Bethany McDonald, Quentin Palmer, Madison Renaud, Daniel Serban, Tyler Simmons, Rachel Tu, Rebekah Warnstrom, and Christian Wilborn; SNARE: Wyatt Blakely, Tyler Crocker, Logan Damery, Erik Detweiler, Jamaal Farrow, Trent Harris, Charlie Partridge, Gabe Slane, and Brian Wheeler; TENORS: Benjamin Hill, Tyler Jackson, Nathan Kiss, Andrew Kuenzi, Elijah Romick, and Alex Thurston; TROMBONE: Becky Armstrong, Dustin Bjerre, Isaac Davis, Jonathan Hiley, Garrett Johnson, Josh LaBrie, Stephen Lightner, Ryan MacKay, Caleb Mahan, Louis Ortiz, and Victoria Simmons; TRUMPET: Seth Bare, Sarah Beery, Tyler Crown, Tyler Cypher, Megan Doolittle, Evan Downing, Austin Esquirell, Amy Eustace, Lydia Hansen, Landon Holt, Josh Kirk, Joseph Marple, Josiah Marsh, Jacob Moyer, Timothy Murphy, Aaron Parlier, Leah Plummer, David Renfroe, Marissa Riley, Meghan Schrad, Ben Shaibley, Christian Sprout, Thomas Stone, Dakota Strasinger, Brandan Sushko, Adam Tates, Gabriella Thomas, Stephen Thomas, Andrew VanderLugt, Ian Whaley, and Stephen Zarriello; TUBA: Christopher Carty, Logan Dingus, Jordan Homa, Connor Howell, Evan Keene, Lauren Mordecai, Alan Payan, Daniel Reid, Tess Stansell, and Daniel Tomlin; STAFF: Director Dr. Stephen Kerr, Assistant Director Shelby Jones, Assistant Director of Athletic Bands and Percussion, Tyler Loftin, Color Guard Instructor Bryanna Tester, Front Ensemble Technician Josh Detwiler, Low Brass Technician Jeremy Cantu, High Brass Technician Cameron Monari, Mid-Winds Technician Kaleb Gooden, Drill/Low Battery Technician Jeremy Williams, Battery Technician Guy Mavinga, Sound Technician Andrew Connor, Videographer Blair Detweiler, Videographer Angelica Salvador, Photographer Hope Yang, and Seamstress Zenoba Powell.

On Fire

“Burn” by Ellie Goulding

“I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran

“INFERNO” BY ROBERT W. SMITH

“Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele

“Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys

“JUST LIKE FIRE” BY P!NK

“Stop, Drop & Roll” by Tyler Loftin

“Firebird Suite” by Igor Stravinsky

BACK ENSEMBLE: Seth Frazer, Kaila Griffith, David Keller, Isaiah Ssemanda, and Isaac Wilson; BARITONE: Robert Bach, Jerome Harris, Jake McMasters, Montana Montgomery, Kaitlynn Nauman, Timothy Nguyen, Joshua Parker, Brooke Reynolds, Elizabeth Rupert, Sam Thrasher, and Abigail Zehr; BASS: Jacob Brooks,

COLOR GUARD

Danielle Smith

TRUMPET

Dakota Strasinger

COLOR GUARD

Emily Wilson

“Being on the Cheerleading team has challenged my self-discipline and character. I am expected to meet certain standards and perform to the best of my ability at all times, and upholding those standards has developed my character and the way I interact with others as a Christian D1 athlete. Cheerleading has also personally strengthened me in the way that I approach adversity. I have been taught to be mentally, physically, and spiritually ready for anything that comes my way.”

KARINA CACERES, SO

LIBERTY 5, KENTUCKY 4 18 Cam Locklear

LIBERTY 52, MONMOUTH 28

FLAMES KICKOFF

HOMECOMING PARADE

The Liberty University Cheerleading team stepped up and brought the cheer to sporting events throughout the 2016-17 season. The team achieved their highest ranking in program history when they finished 4th in the UCA College National Championship. The cheerleaders also placed 10th in the UCA College Girls 4 Partner Stunt Competition, while the mascot team placed 3rd in the UCA College Mascot National Championship. Throughout the season, the squad kept their spirits high and encouraged Flames sports teams to victory.

WE’VE GOT

SPIRIT

Cheerleading: Johnathan Allmon, Jerry Babilonia, Dani Blasini, Karina Caceres, Visian Colangelo, David Coker, Callie Cook, Bobbi Jo Dallas, Alexis Edwards, Pierce Foley, Josh Gray, Elijah Green, Laken Hendron, Matty Hogan, Anna Howard, Molayla Kerekes, Logan Lingenfelter, Lyndsey Lingenfelter, Michaela Lockee, Kalli Locklear, JD McKoy, Daniel Miller, Nick Mini, Chelsey O’Connell, Victoria Page-Jackson, Madi Sandlin, Amy Schools, Dan Stoddard, Madison Struble, Ross Wentworth, Austin Willis, and Bri Wright.

HOMECOMING PARADE

NCAA SPORTS

Women’s Track & Field: Holly Arey, Olivia Behymer, Nicole Bishop, Kat Bouton, Lindsey Bray, Lea Carter, Victoria Clinton, Gabriella Delbo, Katie Dodson, Tanner Ealum, Jessica Eaton, Mariel Finger, Nicole Gignac, Jessie Glynn, Maria Gonchar, Sierra Guarino, Erin Hansel, Alexis Hinman, Kaitlyn Hutchins, Elizabeth Hutton, Ayanna Johnson, Janae Jones, Alyssa Karle, Kammi Kurtz, Dasiana Larson, Nicole Leonzo, Amber Martin, Maggie McDermott, Delaney McDowell, Dana Mercer, Kemi Moore, Jaiden Mulder, Dominique Nelson, Catherine Oyarzun, Savannah Pidkaminy, Kylie Polsgrove, Jessie Proehl, Audrey Rabe, Bailey Reeves, Jaila Remillard, Lacie Robinson, Hannah Scherlacher, Torree Scull, Kelly Shaffer, Brittany Small, Brenna Smith, Torree Scull, Brooke Turner, Anna Van Wyk, Valerie Wierenga, Mary Witmer, Erin Zappia, and Terrill Zentmeyer; STAFF: Head Coach Brant Tolsma, Assistant Coach Andrew “Pete” McFadden, Assistant Coach Clendon Henderson, Assistant Coach Rebekah Ricksecker, Assistant Coach Shawn Venable, and Director of Operations Ashley Bookbinder.

Men’s Track & Field: Aklesso Agama, Samuel Arter, Jovaine Atkinson, Isaiah Aviles, Markus Ballengee, Jacob Burke, Andrew Crowell, Jeremy Davis, Ryan Davis, Zach Davis, Jahquez Durham, Greg Edwards, Michael Fairfax, Cameron Francis, Andrew Garrett, Marquis Gilchrist, Matthew Gille, Zach Gilroy, Michael Griffith, Hudson Hall, Graham Hansel, Caleb Hart, Alexander Hoffsmith, Jeff Jacobs, Spencer Jamison, Luke Jelen, Darrel Jones, Ashton King, Azaria Kirwa, Benjamin Klemmeck, Blake Kohring, Stanley Langat, Seth Lewis, Levi Mack, Chukwuma Maduka, Ryan McCann, Jeremy Miekley, Luke Moffett, Samson Moore, Lacroy Nixon, Dean Palmer, Louis Paone, Denzel Pratt, Bradley Prentice, Stephen Racanelli, Caleb Rider, Jonny Saintil, Colin Schultz, Dylan Slaughter, Brad Smalley, Reilly Stroot, Jack Tidball, Michael Todd, Carson Waters, Andre Wright, and James Zentmeyer; STAFF: Head Coach Brant Tolsma, Assistant Coach Andrew “Pete” McFadden, Assistant Coach Clendon Henderson, Assistant Coach Rebekah Ricksecker, Assistant Coach Shawn Venable, and Director of Operations Ashley Bookbinder.

Men’s Tennis: Max Borcuti, Samuel Brown, Chase Burton, Diego Castano, Eddie Gutierrez, Ryker Heller, Alex Poynter, and Vince Salas; STAFF: Head Coach Chris Johnson and Associate Head Coach Rich Benson.

Swimming & Diving: Caroline Allen, Hannah Baker, Shelby Black, Danielle Boothe, Colleen Donlin, Alicia Finnigan, Brooke Fox, Ricki Lee Hodges, Rachel Hoeve, Dani Jordan, Jenna Joyal, Corrilynn Lynch, Taylor Lynch, Elizabeth Magnusson, Ashley Mauzy, Morgan Noonan, Siani Null, Chelsea Pond, Rachel Rippey, Prudence Rooker, Ashlee Sall, Victoria Tschoke, Delia Weber, Morgan Weigner, and Brittany Weiss; STAFF: Head Coach Jake Shellenberger, Assistant Coach Jessica Barnes, Diving Coach Tori Lamp Wood, Associate Director of Strength & Conditioning Shelton Stevens, and Director of Operations Clay Copeland.

Swimming & Diving

Men’s Tennis

Women’s Tennis

Women’s Tennis: Rebekah Anderson, Audrey Brown, Eugenia Camacho, Evangeline Crist, Anna Dollar, Emily Groeneveld, Mariely Hassey, Maria Khval, and Aleksandra Panchenko; STAFF: Head Coach Jeff Maren, Assistant Coach Giancarlo Lemmi, Strength and Conditioning Graduate Assistant Katie Guillory, Director of Operations Keely McMillon, and Athletic Trainer Tuesday Hunt.

Women’s Track & Field

Men’s Track & Field

ROCKING THE RINK

Liberty University’s Division I men’s hockey team persevered through its 2016-17 season, showing great improvement. Despite 20 of the 25-strong team being freshmen and sophomores, the team entered into the ACHA Division I National Championship on a 10-game winning streak.

Along with competing, the team hosted the fifth-annual “Gleaning For The World” Teddy Bear Toss. Fans brought new or gently used stuffed animals to donate to charity and throw onto the ice after the Flames’ first goal. 472 stuffed animals were collected in total.

The team ended the season with an overall record of 29-13. At the end of the championship, the team was ranked No. 17 in the ACHA standings.

“With about 10 games left in the regular season, we made a huge playoff and national championship push. We won 10 games in a row and really saw the boys dive in and embrace their roles, and we really came together not only as a team, but as a family as well. Our greatest strength is how we all chipped in every way we could.”

“The highlight of the season is definitely the midnight games. The atmosphere is incredible, and it is the most fun that I’ve ever had playing hockey.”

JOSHUA HAMILTON, FR

Men’s DI Hockey: 86 Josh Bergen, 14 Andy Clarke, 96 Cody Clarke, 23 Jamie Crane, 20 Kyle Crane, 18 Drew Crilly, 4 Matt Cruickshank, 6 Jacob Fricks, 17 Grant Garvin, 30 Josh Halpenny, 8 Josh Hamilton, 12 Owen Harris, 22 Zak Hayes, 5 Ben Hughes, 26 Marshal King, 77 Chaydan Lauber, 46 Garrett Nelson, 29 Matt Pinel, 27 Basil Reynolds, 24 Zechariah Roberts, 19 Quinn Ryan, 52 Zane Schartz, 10 Colt Steele, and 9 Brock Thompson; STAFF: Head Coach Kirk Handy, Associate Head Coach Jeff Boettger, Assistant Coach Dan Berthiaume, and Assistant Coach Marc-Andre Bourdon.

LIBERTY 5, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY 3 19 Quinn Ryan

“My favorite moment in the season was when we won the semi-final game at Nationals against UMass. We were all so excited, but most importantly we gave the glory to God and that in itself was so rewarding.”

TIANA LISLE, FR

“Most people would look at the 13 freshmen on our team and think that we were too young or inexperienced to have a successful season. However, we defeated all odds with the help from our upperclassmen, and had an extremely successful year.”

VANESSA DEMERCHANT, FR

DOMINATING THE ICE

Women’s DI Hockey dominated the rink in 2016-17, closing out the regular season as the strongest team in the nation. The team won 19 of its total 20 regular season games, achieving a 15-game winning streak. The Lady Flames succeeding in a runner-up finish at the national championships.

The Lady Flames, comprised of 13 freshmen on a 21-player roster, overcame a rough start to the season and landed the No. 1 seed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) DI National Championships in Columbus, Ohio after sweeping the RedHawks on Jan. 19-20. In spite of their youth, they made it to the national championship semi-finals in a face-off against Miami.

Coach Paul Bloomfield spoke highly of the Lady Flames’ 2016-17 season performance, stating that he was proud of the young team for achieving a national runner-up finish.

The team closed out the season with a record of 25-8-1.

Women’s DI Hockey: 11 Deena Birney, 9 Shelby Burden,14 Catharine Burrell, 12 Mackenzie Carroll, 56 Katie Comeau, 8 Vanessa DeMerchant, 65 Rachel Gibson, 92 Courtney Gilmour, 18 Chelsey Greenwood, 1 Kelly Hutton, 3 Carrie Jickling, 4 Emily John, 29 Rosie Kelly, 21 Tara Lee, 97 Tiana Lisle, 2 Lauren McDonald, 13 Dana McLeod, 10 Aly Morris, 00 Nadia Rupoli, 17 Alex Smibert, 95 Clarissa Tipping, and Holly Turner; STAFF: Head Coach Paul Bloomfield, Assistant Coach: Justin Forth, Manager Natalie Buhrman, Manager Lea Johnson, and Manager Jessica Raszinski.

TA WINNING STREAK

he Liberty University men’s lacrosse team worked hard throughout the 2016-17 season. Keeping tradition alive, the Flames had their fifth straight midnight game win in April when they won the Midnight Mayhem matchup against Davenport.

At home, the team had a 26-game winning streak, and they moved up in the poll rankings to rest at No. 18. Despite not making it to the South Eastern Lacrosse Conference Tournament, the Flames received recognition from the MCLA Division 1 Coaches Poll and ended the season with a 10-7 record.

“The Men’s Lacrosse team is an awesome culture. We are a tight knit group of guys that care more about God and each other than winning. Everything we do is for the audience of One. With over half the team being freshmen, it was definitely something we needed to get used to. Once everything got set, we really started to work together very well, and made it to the conference championship.”

CALEB BRITTON, FR

Men’s Lacrosse: 21 Erik Arvesen,14 George Bahrs, 92 Caleb Britton, 93 Elijah Britton,47 Jacob Campbell, 24 Carter Elliott, 7 Derrick Esh, 9 Jimmy Fowler, 2 Sam Gregory, 4 Brayden Harriman, 6 Tyler Keen, 26 Sam King,16 Nick Lombardozzi ,1 Isaac Lozada, 23 Eric Masters, 5 Win McKeever, 22 Chris Mickel, 44 Brett Miller, 17 Nicholas Prevett, 27 Reagan Prichett,13 Ryan Reynolds, 18 Grayson Rhyne, 37 Noah Rude, 30 Charlie Shier, 91 Lukas Tophoven, 50 Ean White, 25 Brett Wood, and 20 Chase Wright.

STAFF: Head Coach Kyle McQuillan, Assistant Coach Mike Zumpano, Strength and Conditioning Coach Jessi Glauser, Goalie Coach Justin Kilian, and Team Manager Caroline Debnam.

UNIVERSITY 7

LIBERTY 18, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE 4 24 Carter Elliott

LIBERTY 11, FLORIDA STATE

FIGHT TO THE FINISH

The Men’s and Women’s Wrestling teams saw great success in the 201617 season.

After winning its sixth consecutive Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) tournament title, the Men’s Wrestling team saw 16 wrestlers qualify for the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Grand National Championships in Allen, Texas. With the help of senior Josh Ferenczy’s win in the final round of the championships, the Flames achieved a secondplace team finish.

The Lady Flames also made great strides in the 2016-17 season. In the first year of Liberty’s female wrestling program, sole team member freshman Cendall Manley captured the 170-pound title in the female division, becoming Liberty’s first NCWA women’s national tournament champion. Manley helped boost the team to a ninth-place showing at nationals.

“I think our team’s greatest strength this year was the fact that we were not the top dogs. After placing third at nationals the previous year, we knew that we had some work to do. We knew that if we were going to have any chance of winning, we had to show up in the room each day with an intention to train. At the end of the season, it was easy to see the hard work and effort that was put forth during the season. We had many team members not only achieve their goals but exceed their own expectations.”

CHARLES HANCOCK, SR

Wrestling

Wrestling: Austin Amos, Thomas Bartholomew, Jacob Brooks, Andrew Burgette, Richard Cerebe, Luke Ely, Josh Ferenczy, Charlie Hancock, Benjamin Howard, Dominick Johnson, Samuel Karel, Josh Mcllhenny, Ike Podell, Jorge Reyes, Mitchell Rice, Michael Rios, Ashton Robinson, Brandon Robinson, Patrick Scarborough, Jonathan Sigler, David Smith, David Trigg, and Taylor Westlake.

Staff: Head Coach Jesse Castro, Assistant Coach Shawn Armbrust, Assistant Coach Allen Hackmann, Graduate Assistant Chris Williamson, Volunteer Coach Chase Boontjer, Team Manager Rebecca Miller, Team Manager Kira Turner, and Team Manager Riana Turner.

LSET UP FOR SUCCESS

iberty’s Division I and Division II men’s volleyball teams had an exciting 2016-17 season, with the support of Flames fans, who cheered them on at Midnight Mayhem games.

Both the DI and DII teams made it to the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation Championships, where the DI team finished 3-5 and the DII team finished 4-4. The DI team had its best-ever showing at the East Coast Championships, and DII freshman Sam Hess was honored on the All-East Coast tournament team.

The DI team finished with a 26–22–2 season score, while the DII team finished with an 8–6 season score.

“We were a very young team this year, so gaining experience was important throughout our long season. But we were really strong in our aggressive serving and great serve-receive passing.”

DAVID HONG, GRAD STUDENT

“My favorite part of this year’s season was playing at a high level all across the USA, all while I was being molded into the best Christian athlete I could become. Our team had fun through the wins and the losses, and we showed Christ to the other teams.”

TJ FORSYTHE, JR

LIBERTY 25, VIRGINIA TECH 21

9 Eli Plasterer

LIBERTY 25, VIRGINIA TECH 18

LIBERTY 25, VIRGINIA TECH 23

Sam Wyman

TRIATHLON

The Liberty triathlon team showed great improvement in the 2016-17 season. Liberty’s triathletes achieved the most success in the program’s history this year at nationals, with 11 men and 5 women competing for the university.

With the help of top performers Thomas Sonnery-Cottet and Megan Merryman, the men’s triathlon team placed eighth out of 120 schools, while the women’s team finished 27th. The team finished with an overall standing of 16th at the USA Triathlon National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“The presence of elite triathletes and coaches was amazing. Performing the same workouts as professional athletes and Olympians gave me an increased drive and helped push me to my max. It was a rare experience.”

JOEL BRENNY, SR

PAINTBALL

The Liberty University paintball team had a remarkable 2016-17 season, finishing first in five different conference events in Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia.

The Class A squad finished its regular season undefeated, and both Class A and Class AA made it to the National Collegiate Paintball Association Championships in April.

“We faced some of the most difficult competition we had yet to see this season at nationals. However, we united even more as a team to reach our goal.”

KYLE BABB, FR

“I think this year we’ve had some of the best team chemistry we’ve ever had. This makes it easy to trust each other on the field to get the job done and play the best game we can.”

CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL, SR

The Virginia Maryland Triathlon

Liberty University’s Taekwondo team packed a punch during its 2016-17 season. The team hosted its first Atlantic Collegiate Alliance of Taekwondo (ACAT) tournament in February, where 21 competitors from Liberty fought approximately 40 opponents.

Using Olympic-style sparring, the team won multiple medals at the ACAT. Team members Wesley Angerville, Thomas Siff, Charity Barker, Julie Loncar, and Jonathan Panzera all earned gold medals in sparring at the event. When using the Poomsae style, team members Sadie Newton, Loncar, and Panzera also earned gold.

Alongside Coach Tom Childress, the Taekwondo team left its mark on the year by teaching a selfdefense class for Liberty students to learn basic defense moves.

The Liberty Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics teams bounced back in the 2016-17 season and proved that they were formidable competitors. The Flames closed out the season with a best-ever fourth-place team finish for the Lady Flames at the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC) Championships, in the collegiate division.

Two players from the men’s gymnastics team represented the Flames at the collegiate competition, while the team of seven women finished with a final team score of 108.95 at nationals.

Taekwondo Gymnastics

“As an athlete, you can only know and do so much on your own, and that’s why having teammates there is important. And although we each individually fight, we also have a team that’s always there supporting you. I believe the team’s greatest strength this season was the bond between each member. It fell nothing short of special.”

ELIJAH HANDOG, FR

Taekwondo: Wesley Angerville, Charity Barker, Briana Benson, Carley Blevinz, Bridget Carlstrom, Becky Cook, Tyler Creese, Leah Deaton, Matthew Gallagher, April Handog, Elijah Handog, Isaiah Handog, Brittany Harris, Tykeyah Henderson, Naomi Kennard, Samuel Lim, Julia Loncar, Moriah Martin, Christina Mason, John McKerow, Sadie Newton, Jonathan Panzera, Danielle Pate, Michael Personius, Sarah Porter, Thomas Siff, Clint Stinchcomb, and Kyree Wilson; STAFF: Head Coach Tom Childress.

“Our team this season was able to adapt and overcome the many obstacles that we came across. Those obstacles include a challenging practice schedule, tough competition, and the stress of keeping up with it all. Through hard work and God’s provision, we pushed past the challenges and finished well.”

CAMERON STREETER, JR

“Easily, my favorite part of this season was bonding with my teammates in the gym and at competitions. Nationals was fun in that as a team we performed better than ever before, but winning (or even losing) with people you really know and care about is far more gratifying. It’s a different feeling entirely to be cheered on by a friend than simply a teammate.”

JULIE BOUTON, SO

Gymnastics: Julie Bouton, Davina Bowman, Leah Corpora, Sara Escobar, Ashley Grim, Jessie Hogue, McKella Johnson, Austin Minuto, Cameron Streeter, and Rebecca Webster. STAFF: Head Coach Tim Kappel.

Crew

Ski & Snowboard

Liberty’s men’s and women’s crew teams set records in 2016 and 2017. In November, both crew teams earned two bronze medals at Head of the South regatta. Ten rowers set personal records at the MidAtlantic Erg Sprints in February.

Lydia Miller placed first in the college women’s lightweight division, and multiple team members placed in their respective competitions. In April, the team christened its new boathouse, named in honor of U.S. Navy Commander Martin Bodrog, before going to participate in the SIRA National Championships.

“I’ve grown stronger athletically and personally because of the constant challenges that rowing throws my way, whether it’s the dedication to lowering my 2k time or the struggle to achieve perfect technique on the water.”

BRADLEY WEISMAN, SO

The Liberty University Ski & Snowboard team had a memorable season in 2017.

“We had a couple challenges this season, including dealing with the lack of snow in the Mid-Atlantic region. But we received a lot of support on hill from teammates, coaches, and even other teams.”

BRENDAN MCHUGH, SR

The men’s snowboard team won three first-place titles, while the men’s ski team received two.

Liberty had five of its snowboarders place in the top 10, and five skiers place in the top 15, at the Mid-Atlantic Regional.

The snowboarding team placed third at the USCSA National Championships Slopestyle competition and third in the Rail Jam, behind Westminster College and Sierra Nevada. The ski team placed fourth in the Rail Jam.

Ski & Snowboard: Brian Conn, Michael Dombrowski, Eric Dougherty, David Eppinger, Grant Fuller, Andrew Garofalo, Kevin Hoff, John Hunt, Cole Kees, Garrett Long, Brendan McHugh, Jared Muller, Monica Noffsinger, Case Ploeg, Austin Santos, Isaac Shepard, Sandor Tapolyai, Jonathan Wong, and Christopher Yablonski; STAFF: Head Coach Ryan Leeds and Assistant Coach Isaac Gibson.

Crew: Cole Anstadt, Spencer Barrett, Sarah Catto, Alexandra Coughlan, Samuel Cuidon, Josh Elliott, Carson Faix, David Jensen, Amanwii Kasy, Gabrielle Kitchens, Baillie Knecht, Ryan Krupansky, Savannah McGuirt, Lydia Miller, Zach Moore, Noah Palm, Grace Pearson, Savannah Perry, Gabe Shemeth, Emma Spector, Daisy Wedge, Bradley Weisman, and Cindy Zambrano; STAFF: Head Coach Debbie Prowse.

TEAM ROSTERS

Women’s DII Hockey

Men’s DII Hockey

Men’s DIII Hockey

Women’s DII Hockey: 18 Alyssa Davis, 20 Candace Del Valle, 17 Nicole Douglas, 2 Miriam Fieger, 1 Faith Gerber, 11 Karis Hicks, 27 Kirstin Hoberg, 19 Grace LaPorte, 13 Paige Moore, 14 Kerry Morris, 8 Lauren Pillisch, 16 Crystal Price, 15 Julie Richards, 22 Kaitlyn Scales, 9 Ashley Wright, 21 Emily Wright, and 26 Leah Wright; STAFF: Head Coach Sara Niemi and Manager Virginia Potter

Men’s DIII Hockey: 86 Sean Bakker, 9 Jeremy Barstead, 2 Jimmy Brady, 3 Dillon Brown, Daniel Degner, 44 Chase Evangelista, 14 David Fidishun, 31 Ruel Galang, 23 Matthew Graham, 32 Derek Guzik, Christopher Huntington, 72 Kyle Jassman, 92 Jonathan Klakring, 12 Jeremy Martin, 28 Kade McDaniel, 8 Bryce Meyers, 26 Zachary Mitchell, 63 Luca Monacelli, 22 Zachary Moore, 10 Drew Muir, 29 Jake Petsch, 17 Robert Piccerillo, 89 Alexander Sherret, 25 Brandon Smith, 19 Andrew Spuhler, and 37 Ryan Tucker; STAFF: Head Coach Rett McGibbon, Assistant Coach Jon Barbour, Assistant Coach Jonathan Chung, Assistant Coach Jared Smith, and Team Manager Casey Brown.

Men’s DII Hockey: 21 Jordan Barstead, 6 Tim Bierema, 37 Victor Blomberg, 12 Devon Docksteader, 30 Jarrett Epp, 19 Ben Freymond, 55 Nathan Glick, 15 Adam Gnatowski, 26 Sam Hisey, 4 Daniel Huntington, 16 Peter Kazmierczak, 9 Paul Lamoureux, 47 Danny Logan, 11 Matthew Perri, 31 Clayton Pierce, 33 Nathan Price, 28 Ryley Richardson, 3 Roger Roulette, 2 Jackson Roy, 27 Kaleb Shannon, 5 Ryan Sidun, 7 Tyson Street, 22 Caleb Toone, 96 Rob Ward, and 91 Caleb Weesner; STAFF: Head Coach Chris Lowes, Assistant Coach Mike Morrison, and Team Manager Tyler Sands.

Morris,

TEAM ROSTERS

Equestrian: Brianna Bass, Bailey Boan, Megan Brandt, Leah Brittin, Nathaniel Bult, Kendall Burdette, Emily Chafins, Elizabeth Chenelle, Anna Davidson, Marshall Davidson, Alex Davies, Delrose DeVan, Kaitlin

Morgan Faber, Amber Gayheart, Claire Gill, Kari Hicks, Avonlea Kisner, Zoe Leppke, Ellen Lipford, Erin Mays, Leah Ofalt, Rebecca

Peterson, Lily Rothenberger, April Simmonds, Kayla Sims, Cassandra Steptoe, Madeleine Temple, Katelyn Tyler, Ryan Wambolt, Erin Wassem, and Mallory

STAFF: Head Coach Jim Arrigon, Western Coach Lauren Eagles, Hunter Seat Coach Suzanne Flaig, and Assistant Hunt Seat Coach Kimberly Counts.

Disc Golf

Racquetball:

Laura Demetros,

Heath, Alvaro Jaramillo, Seth Jordan,

Messerly,

Miller,

Morse,

Pearson, Jaron

Disc Golf: Zachary Biscardi, Zach Ginsburg, Jeremy Miekley, Jesse Miller, Taylor Nicol, Ryan Shumate, Gregory Stienbarger, Devin Swartz, Hunter Thomas, Joshua White, Christian Wilborn, Isaac Wilson, and Jon Younce; STAFF: Head Coach Steve Bowman.

Donnelly,

Oldham, Hannah

Zodda;

Archery: Shawn Argon, Joshua Chen, Brady Dando, Jonathan Durr, Spencer Foster, Dalton Harris, Jason Lynch, Susannah Martin, Madison Melton, Gwyneth Meyer, Mitchell Miles, Emily Mullins, Ian Rigney, Brennan Smith, and Justin York; STAFF: Head Coach Mitch Reno III.

Janelle Carroll,

Michael Fowler, Jesse Gauldin, Spencer

Kaitlin LoForti, Lindsey Marston, Paul

Paul

Caroline

Danielle

Proehl, Julie Richards, Stephanie Schuler, Daniel Seibler, Jacob Simrell, Joshua Swiney, Christian Tinsley, John Vence, and Garrison Walker; STAFF: Head Coach Danny Rodriguez, Assistant Coach Shawn Furman, Assistant Coach Jordan Kemp, and Manager Sadie Abramowicz.

Racquetball

Archery

Equestrian Team

Equestrian Team

TEAM ROSTERS

Men’s Lacrosse: 45 George Bahrs, 21 Luke Bieri, 6 Jacob Campbell, 8 Alexander Ehrich, 33 Max Fontaine, 2 Sam Gregory, 4 Brayden Harriman, 54 Tyler Keen, 26 Sam King, 48 Denzel Lipscomb, 16 Nick Lombardozzi, 3 John Mack, 5 Win McKeever, 22 Chris Mickel, 10 Micah Norcross, 28 Aaron Ochs, 1 Morgan Pitts, 40 Nick Valentine, 50 Ean White, 25 Brett Wood, and 20 Charles Wright; STAFF: Head Coach Kyle McQuillan, Assistant Coach Mike Zumpano, Strength and Conditioning Coach Jessi Glauser, and Goalie Coach, Asst. Strength Coach Justin Kilian.

Men’s Ultimate: 38 James Allen, 10 Grant Anderson, 24 Luke Byron, 4 Elias Castro, 27 Evan Harris, 12 Evan Herlihy, 87 Austin Heston, 0 Noah Jantomaso, 70 David McCormick, 84 Nathan Sexton, 5 Christian Taylor, 14 Evan Trimble, 74 Danny Trotter, and 15 Stephen Vernon; STAFF: Head Coach Brendan Phillips and Assistant Coach Brendan Kinne.

Women’s Ultimate: 7 Doreen Barbagallo, 34 Katherine Clark, 44 Victoria Dissmore, 47 Jillianne Hook, 40 Lauren Neubauer, 82 Hanna Plasterer, 14 Melanie Scherpereel, and 23 Taylor Thomas; STAFF: Head Coach Jonathan Mast and Assistant Coach Kevin Habermas.

Triathlon : Joel Brenny, Rachel Caton, Travis Fehr, Madeline Griffin, Dillon Lesniak, Megan Merryman, Sarah Parker, Brandon Siller, and Noah Soistmann; STAFF: Head Coach Parker Spencer, Assistant Coach Scott Curlee, Assistant Coach Van Phillips, and Assistant Coach Jess Barnes.

Paintball: 17 Kyle Babb, 54 Christian Campbell, 25 David Dickerson, 5 Ethan Edwards, 42 Ryan Esquirell, 28 David Fidishun, 45 Austin Larson, 3 Micah McLeod, 2 Joshua Montanari, 7 Zach Moore, 17 Adam Schroeder, 70 Erik Stupelman, 18 Gerald Thurston, 16 Garrett Turner, and 25 Thomas Underman; STAFF: Head Coach Brian Davidson, and Assistant Coach Aaron Thompson.

Men’s Lacrosse

Paintball

Triathlon

TEAM ROSTERS

Synchronized Skating

Synchronized

Figure Skating

Men’s Volleyball

Beach Volleyball

Men’s Volleyball: 5 Emmanuel Cuffee, 19 Eugene Dejesus, 10 Andrew Eves, 20 Brandon Fleck, 16 Thomas Forsythe, 2 Sam Hess, 21 Jacob Holbert, 6 David Hong, 15 Gabe Jackson, 11 Nathan Jensen, 13 Kaden Knepper, 17 Daniel Koloff, Stephen Leong, 7 Blake Novicki, 3 Jared Patterson, 8 Caleb Pitcher, 9 Eli Plasterer, 18 Brady Quakenbush, 20 Marco Rodriguez-Fleischmann, 14 Sam Wyman, and 12 Scott Zalizniak; STAFF: Head Coach Bryan Rigg, Assistant Coach Ryan Culkin, Manager Emily Donovan, Manager Taylor Cole, and Manager Sarah Crouch.

Beach Volleyball: Justin Bias, Paul Brueckner, India Callahan, Matthew Fritz, Maribeth Harrington, David Hong, Morgan Horne, Hannah Hyland, Olivia Jensen, Matthew Jones, Maribeth Kern, Kaden Knepper, Danielle Ledgerwood, Stephen Leong, Caroline Lucchini, Madison Malat, Michelle Melendez, David Muller, Caleb Pitcher, Elijah Plasterer, Madison Riley, Sallie Robertson, Emily Stotmeister, Joshua Talamoa, and Ashlyn Whitt; STAFF: Women’s Head Coach Rachel Willis, Men’s Head Coach Kaleb VanDePerre, Assistant Coach Karyl Weise.

Skating: Natalea Andersen, Catherine Bredshall, Leah Cowan, Brianna Gasterland, Megan Gonzalez, Courtney Hofmeister, Kaiti Humphrey, Kimmie Joe, Rebekah Leahy, Jordan Robinson, Morgan Simon, Katherine Thacker, and Dara Yee; STAFF: Head Coach Tatiana Payne and Assistant Coach Emily Halvorson.

Figure Skating: Kina Adkins, Ashley Brei, Camille Burkhardt, Avery Campbell, Leah Cowan, Megan Gonzalez, Sibylle Harter, Emily Hautbois, Chelsea Henry, Rebekah Hicks, Jill Holste, Kimberly Joe, Cheyenne Peterson, Jordan Robinson, Emily Scherreik, Morgan Simon, Grace Stevenson, Katherine Thacker, and Rachel Yingling; STAFF: Head Coach Dawn Harter, Associate Coach Tatiana Payne, and Assistant Coach John Carlow.

TEAM ROSTERS

Wind Symphony: Heather Ahlgren, Kassie Baumann, Sarah Beery, Hannah Bishop, Josh Chung, Lindsay Coleman, Tyler Crocker, Ashley Cypher, Tyler Cypher, Morgan Davis, Logan Dingus, Austin Esquirell, Bethany Federico, Preston Forrest, Dr. Clark Greer, Georgia Greer, Daniel Gregory, Andrew Harris, Benjamin Hill, Nicole Hill, Alex Hughes, Felicity Jenkins, Shelby Jones, Andrew Jordan, Stephen Lightner, Christian Marple, Joseph Marple, Josiah Marsh, Caleb Martin, Bethany McDonald, Mark McDonald, Montana Montgomery, Timothy Murphy, Katie Nauman, Aliza Nogueras, Alyssa Osorio, Catie Pakenham, Quentin Palmer, Alan Payan, Dalton Reese, Tom Reid, Christian Salyer, Amanda Shotts, Gabe Slane, Kristen Solivan, Thomas Stone, Alexis Stubbs, Abigail Summers, Samuel Thrasher, Hannah Tuckwiller, Andrew VanderLugt, Meagan Veacock, Dillon Wright, and Stephen Zarriello; STAFF: Director Dr. Stephen Kerr.

Debate Team: Hannah Allison, Austin Alvord, Dorothy Barnett, Genevieve Barnett, Sarah Blow, Timothy Byram, Amanda Dabney, Alexandra Green, Levi Grimes, Brianna Gulchuk, Michael Harrington, Jessica Horning, Claire Jackson, Josiah Macumber, Eric Meinerding, Jeleesa Omala, Ian Parish, Sabrina Rich, Hannah Robillard, Rakeem Robinson, Kristopher Samuel, Josiah Sohasky, Sean Stewart, Brianna Thomas, Allison Washburn, and Moriah Wierschem; STAFF: Director of Debate Michael Hall, Assistant Director of Debate Nicholas Ryan, Assistant Director of Debate John Nagy, Assistant Director of Debate Benjamin Hagwood, Assistant Debate Coach Heather Hall, Assistant Debate Coach Meagan Edwards, and Graduate Assistant Vida Chiri.

Quiz Bowl: Leah DePiero, Mark Whitten (captain), Kristian Myrdal, Nathan Cook, and Micah Protzman; STAFF: Coach Dr. Jim Nutter, Assistant Coach Whitney Logan

Debate Team

Wind Symphony

Quiz Bowl

REPRESENT MINISTRY TEAMS

LU PRAISE

On Jan. 20, 2017, Liberty’s gospel choir, LU Praise, had the honor of singing at the 58th Presidential Inauguration. The 28-student singing group was invited to lead worship at the invitation-only prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allowed Liberty students to represent the Gospel of Christ to both the nation’s capital and the president-elect.

LU Praise: Jamila Anderson, Cameron Baldwin, Kayla Bobian, Mykeyly Caton, KyLisa Freeman, Dwight Hernandez, Mary Holmes, Jasmine Jackson, Jaden Johnson, Trevontae Lewis, Vhuthuhawe Madzinge, Maresa McDowell, Mark McDowell, Nicole Miller, Jennifer Millner, Samuel Petty, Sheldon Potter, Antonio Robinson, Samantha Shaffer, Patrick Shorts, Alvonta Tarrant, Eunice Tertulien, Jonathan Theodore, John Thomas, and Payge Wilson; STAFF: Director Dr. Vernon Whaley.

Sounds of Liberty: Melodie Castellanos, Madison Coker, Joseph Hammerly, Caleb Lynn, Jordan Moore, Skyler Ortega, Taylor Palmer, Ginny Stovall, Hunter Wilcox, Chris Wilson, Josh Wood, and Mackenzie Wray.

SOUNDS OF LIBERTY

SOAR Dunk: Evan Apon, Austin Banks, Chandler Bronkema (Team Leader), Joey Carroll, Nick Fike, Jacob Jenkins, Ryan Kahoun, and Jacob Stermer.

YouthQuest: Waynette Angerville, Garrett Bagwell, Matt Baker, Justice Barker, Stephanie Barros, Joshua Campbell, Nathan Caudle, Aaron Chase, Caleb Croom, Heather Galway, Richard Gatton, Sebastian Hernandez, Peter Johnson, Rebecca Jones, Grant Ketron, Allison Moore, Samuel Nelson, Micah Robbins, Noah Shaffer, Lindsey Swartz, Elizabeth Tallaksen, and Harmony Tetmeyer.

The Liberty Worship Collective is a group of worship leaders, musicians, and songwriters, hand-selected to celebrate the name of Jesus and proclaim the freedom found in Him on campus and around the globe. This team had the privilege of leading the student body in worship every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Convocation, as well as in Campus Community on Wednesday nights. On weekends, the group of students traveled to churches around the world to lead worship for festivals, conferences, and church worship events. In the 2016-17 school year, the Worship Collective was privileged to be a part of LIFT, a multicity tour filled with high-energy worship and engaging teaching for high school students to grow in their faith. The team also recorded their first album, comprised of popular worship songs and original music, which they premiered in a live recording event on campus. As a part of the album, the Worship Collective released their first original song, titled “Run,” on March 1.

THE LIBERTY WORSHIP COLLECTIVE IS: Brett Allen, Fiona Barbosu, Connor Bogardus, Hope Cross, Hallie Dineen, Joey Fabrizi, Chad Finnesand, Clay Finnesand, Lance Fletcher, Callum Gale, Mark Gardner, Rachel Halbach, Judson Harris, Cassidy Estevez, Jimmy Johnson, James Kalis, Connor Kearns, Ashley Kidd, Steve Kim, MaryCallie Lamons, Braxton Mann, Brianna McClave, Harrison Mead, Nacci Palloto, Nathan Pauley, Sergio Quieroz, Abby Richmond, Alana Rivera, Lindsay Rodgers, RJ Rodriquez, Colby Shorts, Stephen Simmang, Jonathan Simon, Michael Slater, Emanuell Sloan, Liberti Todd, Gloria Umanah, Samantha Vazquez, Joseph Watson, Russell Wofford, and Taylor Youstra; STAFF: Louis Fabrizi, Matthew Morrisey, Betsy Johnson, Christian Mayes, Emma Boggan, Meghan Lambert, and Morgan Robbins.

The Liberty Worship Collective leading the student body in worship at Convocation.

Being a worship leader in the collective has been a learning experience. Your experiences in a week can go from leading thousands of students in worship to a group of 50 high school students. But no matter what, it’s always amazing to watch the Lord work in the lives of each congregation we have the opportunity to lead. He is always present.

ASHLEY KIDD, JR

I am a band leader for the team. Band leading during Convocation requires one to anticipate and adapt to the unexpected. My task is to direct the band in order to provide a seamless worship experience that is musically excellent, spiritually minded, and free of distraction.

CONNOR BOGARDUS, JR

Having the opportunity to be in the collective has been such a huge blessing and a lot of fun. One of my favorite things we started implementing is writing original music. Being able to have the hands-on experience of writing music with a team of creative individuals is great for many reasons. Not only does it serve as an outlet to do what I love, but it also allows me to gain more insight on what my career as a songwriter and professional musician will look like after graduation.

TAYLOR YOUSTRA, SR

Rachel Halbach, SR

Lance Fletcher, SR

INDEX

AAlioth, Jenna 15

Allison, Ben 7

Angerville, Wesley 86

Archery 89

Artis, D.J. 66

BBabb, Kyle 85

Barker, Charity 86

Barr, Bethany 54

Barrick, Josh 67

Barr, Serena 54

Baseball 66

Basketball, Men’s 63

Basketball, Women’s 60

Baxter-Bell, Myo 63

Biles, Simone 41

Bloomfield, Paul 81

Bodrog, Martin 87

Bogardus, Connor 95

Boone, Caroline 52

Bouton, Julie 86

Bouton, Kat 55

Boyce, Meredith 45

Breaux, Alaina 15

Brenny, Joel 85

Britton, Caleb 82

Brown, Courtney 68

Burton, Chase 58

CCabbil, Lovell 63

Caceres, Karina 72

Calvert, Stephen 50

Camacho, Eugenia 58

Camloh, Natalie 176

Campbell, Aharown 50

Campbell, Christian 85

Carr, Kyle 53

Carter, John 11

Castano, Diego 58

Center for Music and the Worship Arts 5

Cheerleading 72

Childress, Tom 86

Cinematic Arts, Zaki Gordon Center 12

Clayton, Leah 56

Clinton, Zach 67

Coffeehouse, Christmas 36

Coffeehouse, Spring 38

Convocation 35, 40

Crane, Kyle 78

Crew 87

Crist, Evangeline 58

Crosley, Corban 53

Cross Country 55

Crowder, Tatyana 61

Cuffee, Emmanuel 84

Cummings, Caroline 176

DDavis, Zach 69

Dawson, John 63

Dead Sea Scrolls 9

Debate Team 92

Demerchant, Vanessa 81

Depamphilis, Patricia 16

Diepenbrock, Tristan 6

Disc Golf 89

Dollar, Anna 58

Downing, Scott 50

EEdwards, John F. 18

Election Day 42

Elliott, Carter 82

Ely, Luke 83

Equestrian Team 89

Espinoza, Ceneca Jr. 51

FFamily & Consumer Sciences Department 14

Falwell, Jerry 19, 48, 102, 105

Farrell, Gabrielle 52

Ferenczy, Josh 83

Field Hockey 54

Figure Skating 91

Finnigan, Alicia 59

Fletcher, Lance 95

Football 50

Forsythe, TJ 84

Foster, Kayla 68

Francis, Cameron 55

GGarrett, Courtney 7

Gammons, Amanda 176

Gibson, Mary 18

Gill, Turner 50

“God’s Compass” 12

Golf 59

Gragg, Anna 56

Graham, Tiffany 18

Green, Carey 61

Green, Keyen 60

Greenwald, Marc 16

Gutierrez, Ben 19

Gymnastics 86

HHabuda, Isabella 52

Halbach, Rachel 95

Hamilton, Joshua 79

Hancock, Charles 83

Handog, Elijah 86

Hansel, Graham 55

Harris, Judd 95

Harrison, Brandon 6

Hayes, Zak 79

Helms, Jennifer 17

Hess, Sam 84

Hickson, Frankie 50

Hockey, DI Men’s 79

Hockey, DII Men’s 88

Hockey, DIII Men’s 88

Hockey, DI Women’s 81

Hockey, DII Women’s 88

Holder, Lucas 50

Homesley, Caleb 62

Hong, David 84

Hoover, Jack 70

Houck, Anne Claire 176

Hurt, Robert 7

IIlic, Iva 60

Instagram 45

JJohnnySwim 41

Johnson, Nene 60

Jones, Stephen G. 7

Julius, Abby 54

KKarp, Katie 44

Kemrite, Ryan 63

Kestel, Jordan 52

Kidd, Ashley 95

Knoebel, Jennifer 52

LLacrosse, Men’s 82, 90

Lacrosse, Women’s 68

Langat, Stanley 55

Latchford, Margaret 56

Liberty University Online Programs 16

Liberty University Outdoor Recreation 13

Liberty Worship Collective 94

Lisle, Tiana 81

Littrell, Brian 40

Locklear, Cam 66, 72

Logue, Isaiah 59

Loncar, Julie 86

Long, Micah 7

Lowe, Felissa 17

LU Praise 96, 105

Lusko, Levi 40

Lyddane, Joseph 16

MMakurat, Ola 60

Manley, Cendall 83

Marching Band 70

Maren, Jeff 58

Mbuyu, Tresor 53

McCaffrey, Brianna 68

McCann, Conor 6

McDermott, Maggie 69

McDowell, Delaney 69

McHugh, Brendan 87

McIlwain, Jason 19

McKay, Ritchie 63

McNamara, Lindsey 68

Melendez, Michelle 57

Mendoza, Kevin 53

Merryman, Megan 85

Meyers, Kurt 53

Michaels, Shawn 41

Miheso, Godfrey 17

Miller, Lydia 87

Misla David, Ramon 8

Moore, Samson 69

Moroni, Agueda 54

Moyer, Shannon 176

Murilo, Geovanny 53

Murphy, Jodi 54

NNasser, David 46

Nelson, Durrell 12

Newton, Sadie 86

Nogueria da Silva, Priscilla 7

Norman, Nate 52

OOlson, Casey 9

Once Upon a Runway 14

PPacheco-Ortiz, Georgie 62

Paintball 85, 90

Panzera, Jonathan 86

Pence, Mike 40

Plasterer, Eli 84

Price, Randall 9

Probert, Alexander 50

QQuiz Bowl 92

RRacquetball 89

Randells, Donna J. 18

Randolph, Patricia Osborne 16

Rettstatt, Audrey 60

Richardson, Alynn 54

Robinson, Lacie 55

Rojas, Rigoberto 53

Robertson Family 41

SSantiago, Jose 18

Sattler, Deanna 176

Schaefer, Allison 54

Schartz, Zane 78

School of Aeronautics 6

School of Law 7

School of Music 5

Schultze, Stephan 12

Sellers, Lela 61

Serve Lynchburg 46

Shellenberger, Jake 59

Shepherd, Will 67

Siff, Thomas 86

Ski & Snowboard 87

Smith, Danielle 71

Snyder, Andrew 176

SOAR Dunk 97

Soccer, Men’s 53

Soccer, Women’s 52

Sonnery-Cottet, Thomas 85

Sounds of Liberty 97

Special Olympics 34

Spencer, Nathan 176

Strasinger, Dakota 71

Streeter, Cameron 86

Swart, Tori 69

Swimming & Diving 59, 74

Synchronized Skating 91

TTaekwondo 86

Talbert, Josiah 62

Taormina, Sammy 66

Tennis, Men’s and Women’s 58, 74

“Texas Rein” 12

Tickle, Victoria 68

Tolsma, Brant 55, 69

Torres, Michael 12

Tower Theater 10

Track & Field 69, 74

Triathlon 85, 90

Trigg, David 83

Trump, Donald J. 102, 105

UUltimate, Men’s 90

Ultimate, Women’s 90

VVan Noord, Holly 52

Vess, Gabrielle 57

Volleyball, Beach 91

Volleyball, Men’s 84, 91

Volleyball, Women’s 56

WWeisman, Bradley 87

White, Carly 68

Willey, Anna 56, 57

Wilson, Emily 71

Wind Symphony 92

Womack, Jeremiah 16

Woods, Clifford 18

Wrestling 83

Wyk, Anna Van 69

Wyman, Sam 84

YYoustra, Taylor 95

YouthQuest 97

ZZentmeyer, Terril 55

On May 13, the Class of 2017 received a historic visit and a memorable sendoff from Liberty. President of the United States Donald J. Trump gave the first Commencement address of his presidency to Liberty’s graduating class of nearly 19,000 students and a crowd of 50,000.

REAFFIRMED

The Class of 2017 became the second graduating class to welcome a sitting U.S. president since George H. W. Bush addressed the Class of 1990. Liberty President Jerry Falwell expressed his gratitude to President Trump for choosing Liberty as the location of his first Commencement address before introducing him.

The 2017 Commencement Week also marked the 10-year anniversary of founder Dr. Jerry Falwell’s death. Both President Trump and Jerry Falwell Jr. honored the legacy of Dr. Falwell by repeating the founder’s advice to graduates — never give up and never quit.

President Trump commended Liberty’s vision, noting Liberty’s growth from humble beginnings as well as its top-level academic and athletic programs. Trump encouraged the graduating class to stand firm in the midst of criticism, to follow their convictions, and to take the road less traveled as they pursue their futures.

Donald Trump

“The future belongs to the dreamers, not to the critics. The future belongs to the people who follow their heart no matter what the critics say because they truly believe in their vision.”

COMMENCEMENT 2017

*—TEACHER LICENSURE 1—AA HONORS

2—CUM LAUDE 3—MAGNA CUM LAUDE

4—SUMMA CUM LAUDE 5—DISTINCTION

6—HIGH DISTINCTION 7—HONORS SCHOLAR

REPEATED NAMES INDICATE MULTIPLE CONFERRED DEGREES.

REFRAME

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew 6:33

Liberty University was founded upon great vision. Since 1971, the university has seen constant growth, increase, and blessing that can only be found through audacious trust in God. Our goal in the publication of this book is to celebrate Liberty’s exponential growth and achievement, while remembering and

refocusing on the values the university was founded upon – confidence in the promises of God, faithfulness to His Word, and dedication to the advancement of His kingdom. We hope that each student moving forward from Liberty will continue to build their future upon the very same principles.

SELAHYEARBOOKSTAFF

2016-17

MANAGING & COPY EDITOR RACHEL HALBACH

DESIGN EDITOR

NATALIE CAMLOH

DESIGN ASSISTANT DEANNA SATTLER

DESIGN ASSISTANT AMANDA GAMMONS

DESIGN ASSISTANT ANNE CLAIRE HOUCK

COPY ASSISTANT SHANNON MOYER