Sophomore transfers JC Gordon and Caleb Reno have renewed their hunger for the sport since transferring from NCAA Division I programs. (Photos by Josh Bingaman)
Flames swimmers put training to test in showdown with UVA at George Mason
10/7/2025 5:50:00 PM | Men's Swimming
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Liberty has one more tune-up meet this month at VCU before hosting the Eastern Regional Championships on Nov. 15-16 at the Natatorium.
Freshman Tristan Massey swept the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events and sophomore Jonah Rees won the 100 individual medley and 200 backstroke to pace Liberty University's men's swimming team to a strong showing at the George Mason University Invitational held Saturday in its Aquatic and Fitness Center in Fairfax, Va.
No team scores were announced, though the event foreshadows what promises to be an extremely tight competition between the Flames and the University of Virginia at the Nov. 15-16 Eastern Regional Championships at the Liberty Natatorium.
The meet also included College Club Swimming competitors from the host Patriots, James Madison University, Christopher Newport University, American University, Loyola (Md.) University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the College of William & Mary.
Flames Head Coach Heath Grishaw has the team's sights set on Eastern Regionals.
"It was mainly between UVA and us, as we traded (top finishes) on a lot of events," Liberty Head Coach Heath Grishaw said.
The Cavaliers swept both the 200 medley (1 minute 37.29 seconds) and 200 freestyle (1:27.98) relays, with the Flames finishing second in 1:37.61 and 1:29.12, respectively.
"Those are definitely events that we will get better in as time goes on," Grishaw said, noting the Flames only had one week of short-course training going in. "There are some events we are definitely lacking in this year that we haven't lacked in in prior years, but I saw a lot of positive takeaways from this meet rather than negatives. We saw better times than a week ago (against the University of Lynchburg) from a lot of guys, so I was happy with that."
Massey led a 1-2-3 Flames finish in the 200 butterfly in 1:59.54, followed by junior Aiden Walter (2:04.22) and freshman Charlie Houston (2:04.43). He also finished first in the 100 fly in 54.15, followed by Rees, who out-touched fellow sophomore Caleb Reno (fourth in 54.34) for third in 54.32. Rees also won the 200 back in 1:59.85, followed by senior Thomas Hill (third in 2:06.80), and the 100 IM in 55.11, followed by senior Dillon Delaney (third in 55.66).
Senior Kierro Stubbs sparked a 1-2-4 finish in the 50 breaststroke in 27.22 followed by Delaney (27.34) and freshman Sadler Stewart (fourth in 28.16).
Sophomore Malachi Caballero won the 100 breast in 59.52 with Delaney and Stubbs finishing third in 1:01.35 and fourth in 1:01.84, respectively. Caballero also paced a 2-3-4 Liberty showing in the 200 breast in 2:13.92, with Stewart (2:16.81) out-touching junior Byron Long (2:16.84) for third place.
Long finished second in the 200 IM in 2:01.17 followed by Caballero (fifth in 2:06.75) and sophomore JC Gordon (sixth in 2:06.79).
Gordon paced a 2-3-4-5-6 Flames finish in the 100 back in 56.71, with sophomore Tommy Horton third in 58.12, senior Nathan Dyer fourth in 59.57, junior Thomas Grabinski fifth in 1:00.99, and senior Jeff Serle sixth in 1:01.56.
Senior Kierro Stubbs won the 50 breastroke in 27.22 and finished fourth in the 100.
Flames freshman Judah Fralic led a 2-3-4 finish in the 200 free in 1:49.41, followed by senior Whittman Brown (1:50.79) and junior Carter Rice (1:53.73). Brown also led off the 200 free relay, followed by Rees, Delaney, and Reno.
Reno, who led off the 200 medley relay (followed by Delaney, Rees, and Brown), also placed second in the 50 fly in 24.08 and fourth in the 50 free in 22.71.
"Malachi Caballero put on a pretty good show this weekend, same as Byron Long, who has been on a tear this season so far, so we are excited about that," Grishaw said. "(NCAA Division I) transfers JC Gordon (from Virginia Tech) and Caleb Reno (from Cincinnati) showed flashes of them coming back a little bit. They are definitely not finished products but are showing they're getting back into the swing of things. There are some guys that are going to be exciting to watch in a couple of months. Regionals will be fun."
Liberty is the five-time defending Eastern Regional champion, but it could enter next month's two-day competition as an underdog, even in its home pool.
"We are going for a sixth consecutive title, but we definitely have a chance to lose this year," Grishaw said. "It will be tighter this year. UVA's definitely got a good shot."
He said the hard work the three-time runner-up Flames are investing in the practice pool will reap rewards when the CCS National Championships roll around April 10-12 in Greensboro, N.C.
"We're asking them to break some habits and implement some new things," Grishaw said. "Sometimes, those habits have to be built on. Some guys swam slower times than they are accustomed to, but if they keep doing the things in practice that they've been working on, it's definitely going to pay off tenfold."
The Flames will have another chance to showcase their progress on Oct. 24-26 at a meet hosted by VCU at the Swim RVA Aquatic Center in Richmond, Va., which they have never before entered, against unknown competition.
"That meet will have prelims and finals on Saturday and Sunday, so we are looking forward to it," Grishaw said. "That will allow our guys to test their speed endurance, with multiple swims in a day. It is important that we are making sure these guys are ready to go speed-wise."
