Liberty University’s Allie Zealand ran a time of 4:10.57 in the women’s 1,500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 19, marking her first race over the distance for the outdoor season.
Zealand’s performance is significant as it is her second fastest time ever and ranks as the second best in Liberty program history. The result follows her appearance at last year’s NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and supports her effort to qualify again this year.
The sophomore finished ninth in her heat and twelfth overall among competitors from forty-four sections of the women’s event. Her time improved by five seconds compared to her season opener last year at the same meet. One day earlier, Zealand set a personal best of 2:04.17 in the 800 meters, which also stands as Liberty’s second fastest all-time mark for that event.
Other notable performances included Eden Alexander lowering her personal best to 4:32.99 and Jessica Palisca running a near-best of 4:25.91 in their own doubles across both distances. On the men’s side, Dale Hall improved his personal record by five seconds with a time of 3:47.34—placing him ninth on Liberty’s all-time list—while Michael Long ran a new best of 3:49.07 after setting a school record in the previous day’s 800 meters.
Looking ahead, Liberty athletes will compete at both the Penn Relays from April 23-25 and send participants to the Charlotte Invitational on April 24-25.
