Taekwondo team opens season with silver medal team showing in ACATA tournament at UNC
10/22/2025 3:00:00 PM | Taekwondo
The Flames and Lady Flames sent five of their seven black belts to Chapel Hill and senior yellow belt Katrina McMillen earned overall C Division champion in forms and fighting
Competing in its first Atlantic Collegiate Alliance of Taekwondo Association event of the season, Liberty University's taekwondo team placed second to tournament host University of North Carolina out of nine teams represented at Chapel Hill, N.C., on Oct. 10.
The Tar Heels (63 points) fielded 38 competitors, twice as many as Virginia Tech and 22 more than Liberty, which entered 16 student-athletes who totaled 47 points. UMBC, which entered 15 competitors, finished third with 38 points.
Gold medals in the individual competitions counted for 4 points, silver medals were worth 2 points, and bronze medals contributed 1 point to the team totals. The nine programs involved entered a total of 120 student-athletes.Â
"It was good competition," Flames Head Coach Tom Childress said, noting his team had several student-athletes sidelined by injury and others who had made travel plans over Liberty's Fall Break. "The ACATA is getting stronger."
Senior Katrina McMillen, a second-year team member as a yellow belt, was the overall champion in the C division (white through green belts) in both forms and fighting.
Ricardo Huezo, who was a yellow belt national champion in the men's lightweight division, placed second to earn a silver medal in his division at UNC.
"He had a good fight in the final," Childress said. "By nationals, he'll be in the green belt division."
Senior Julia Easley, who won an NCTA national championship as a red belt in April near Boston, made her black belt debut at UNC, where the Flames and Lady Flames competed with five of their seven black belts. She earned a bronze medal in female middleweight fighting.
"She is very good, very talented," Childress said. "As a freshman, she won her first national championship as a blue belt with a broken bone in her foot. She took second the next year, before winning her second national title last year while overcoming cancer (with surgery). This year she is battling a hip injury, but ended up with a bronze."
Though she will graduate with her B.S. in Nursing in December, Eesley, who is fulfilling her practicum this semester, will still be eligible to compete at nationals in the spring.
Senior Joseph Kim took bronze in men's blackbelt heavyweight fighting. Meanwhile, freshman black belt Michelle Isaacura-Yepez also placed on the podium in her first competition for the Lady Flames, and freshman black belt John Mburu also competed well for the Flames.
"I am looking forward to seeing what (Mburu) can do after spending a little more time with us, and I am really looking forward to watching (Isaacura-Yepez) compete," Childress said. "She has very unique skill set."
Junior Ericson Lehmann advanced to the finals in the black belt forms division, one of the largest divisions with 19 competitors, and finished in the top six. He also competed in fighting but did not reach the finals.
Former Lady Flames national champion Jenna (Greene) Gonino still has a year of eligibility, but has shifted her focus to serving as an assistant coach after she and her husband had their first child this past summer.
"Jenna's No. 1 priority is being a mom," Childress said, noting their son had to spend the first two months of his life in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries. "He's a tough little guy, and she makes a great coach because she has that personal experience, not only winning a national championship (in 2022 near Boston) but going to Mexico and (defending her FISU Americas Games gold medal). She was with us last year in volunteer role, and it has been really great having her on staff this year. She is a great asset to the team."
Former Assistant Coach Cameron Connelly has moved back to Pennsylvania but is still working on the team's website.
"Cameron's expertise in poomsae is one of the reasons we've gotten so much better in forms," Childress said. "It's great having both of them on board."
Childress plans to send between 22-24 team members to the next ACATA event set for Nov. 15 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, which should attract more competitors overall with the alliance, based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions, now open to more programs from the East Coast Taekwondo Conference (ECTC).
"I would like to get everybody out on the floor and get them experience and get as many as possible qualified for nationals," he said.
The competition at UPenn will shift to the team format employed by the ECTC, with the best-of-three fighters in each belt division and weight class advancing through playoff rounds.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
Â
The Tar Heels (63 points) fielded 38 competitors, twice as many as Virginia Tech and 22 more than Liberty, which entered 16 student-athletes who totaled 47 points. UMBC, which entered 15 competitors, finished third with 38 points.
Gold medals in the individual competitions counted for 4 points, silver medals were worth 2 points, and bronze medals contributed 1 point to the team totals. The nine programs involved entered a total of 120 student-athletes.Â
"It was good competition," Flames Head Coach Tom Childress said, noting his team had several student-athletes sidelined by injury and others who had made travel plans over Liberty's Fall Break. "The ACATA is getting stronger."
Senior Katrina McMillen, a second-year team member as a yellow belt, was the overall champion in the C division (white through green belts) in both forms and fighting.
Ricardo Huezo, who was a yellow belt national champion in the men's lightweight division, placed second to earn a silver medal in his division at UNC.
"He had a good fight in the final," Childress said. "By nationals, he'll be in the green belt division."
Senior Julia Easley, who won an NCTA national championship as a red belt in April near Boston, made her black belt debut at UNC, where the Flames and Lady Flames competed with five of their seven black belts. She earned a bronze medal in female middleweight fighting.
"She is very good, very talented," Childress said. "As a freshman, she won her first national championship as a blue belt with a broken bone in her foot. She took second the next year, before winning her second national title last year while overcoming cancer (with surgery). This year she is battling a hip injury, but ended up with a bronze."
Though she will graduate with her B.S. in Nursing in December, Eesley, who is fulfilling her practicum this semester, will still be eligible to compete at nationals in the spring.
Senior Joseph Kim took bronze in men's blackbelt heavyweight fighting. Meanwhile, freshman black belt Michelle Isaacura-Yepez also placed on the podium in her first competition for the Lady Flames, and freshman black belt John Mburu also competed well for the Flames.
"I am looking forward to seeing what (Mburu) can do after spending a little more time with us, and I am really looking forward to watching (Isaacura-Yepez) compete," Childress said. "She has very unique skill set."
Junior Ericson Lehmann advanced to the finals in the black belt forms division, one of the largest divisions with 19 competitors, and finished in the top six. He also competed in fighting but did not reach the finals.
Former Lady Flames national champion Jenna (Greene) Gonino still has a year of eligibility, but has shifted her focus to serving as an assistant coach after she and her husband had their first child this past summer.
"Jenna's No. 1 priority is being a mom," Childress said, noting their son had to spend the first two months of his life in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries. "He's a tough little guy, and she makes a great coach because she has that personal experience, not only winning a national championship (in 2022 near Boston) but going to Mexico and (defending her FISU Americas Games gold medal). She was with us last year in volunteer role, and it has been really great having her on staff this year. She is a great asset to the team."
Former Assistant Coach Cameron Connelly has moved back to Pennsylvania but is still working on the team's website.
"Cameron's expertise in poomsae is one of the reasons we've gotten so much better in forms," Childress said. "It's great having both of them on board."
Childress plans to send between 22-24 team members to the next ACATA event set for Nov. 15 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, which should attract more competitors overall with the alliance, based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions, now open to more programs from the East Coast Taekwondo Conference (ECTC).
"I would like to get everybody out on the floor and get them experience and get as many as possible qualified for nationals," he said.
The competition at UPenn will shift to the team format employed by the ECTC, with the best-of-three fighters in each belt division and weight class advancing through playoff rounds.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
Â
Players Mentioned
/ Taekwondo
/ Taekwondo
/ Taekwondo
/ Taekwondo
/ Taekwondo
/ Taekwondo
Liberty Club Sports Holistic Development 2024-25
Thursday, May 22
Taekwondo Team Season Preview 2024-25
Thursday, October 03
Liberty Taekwondo 2024 Spring Preview
Monday, January 29
Liberty Tae Kwon Do 2017-18 Season Recap
Wednesday, July 26