Liberty's gymnastics team holds its banner for second place at this past weekend's NAIGC Championships, the Lady Flames' third consecutive podium finish.
Lady Flames gymnasts finish runner-up to Nittany Lions at NAIGC Championships
4/10/2025 1:11:00 PM | Gymnastics
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Liberty landed on the podium for the third season in a row, matching its best performance in program history with a Level 9 silver medal.
Liberty University's women's gymnastics team placed second out of 22 Level 9 teams at this past weekend's National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC) Championships at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.
"We had a fantastic week in Pittsburgh," Head Coach Jessie Lowe said. "The girls' energy was contagious all weekend. They handled adversity like they did all season — with positivity, confidence, and adaptability. The level of competition at the Level 9 level was much higher this year, and overall attendance at this meet was up 25%."
The Lady Flames also finished runner-up to Penn State University in preliminaries, 111.125-109.65, in a session on Thursday that finished at 11 p.m.
"They finished their last event strong, and stayed to root on the other competitors that did not have teammates with them," Lowe said. "The girls, without prompting, took on those girls as family and made sure they felt just as supported in the really difficult sport they all share a common bond over. That, to me, is what Liberty Gymnastics is truly about, beyond the scores and achievements."
Then in Saturday's finals, which included the top six teams after preliminaries, Liberty narrowed the scoring gap, and were barely bested by the Nittany Lions, 109.8-109.575.
"That really proves how much we have worked on consistency, and mental toughness under pressure," Lowe said. "The team was so close to winning it all. We were 0.225 points short. We kept it close the entire meet, and actually pulled ahead after the third rotation, after three stellar beam routines."
Individually, Lady Flames co-captains Annabella James, a junior, and sophomore Sarah Dyk earned medals, with James capturing a silver on the balance beam and Dyk a bronze on the uneven bars.
"Annabella was rock solid all weekend, hitting her four events both days and qualifying into the All-Around final for the first time in her career," Lowe said, noting she finished 16th at 35.775 and also tied for second in the beam at 9.35. "She did an outstanding job leading her team in confidence, even when she herself felt the nerves."
Dyk overcame a fall on bars in preliminaries on her signature event bars to qualify for finals in 18th position.
"The top 19 qualify for finals, where she hit her routine and took home the bronze," Lowe said. "She's worked so hard all season to hit that routine and that was a great moment for our team."
In the All-Around competition, freshman Malaika Campbell shined brightest, landing just off the podium with a fifth-place finish (36.975 points) over the four events of beam, bars, vault, and floor exercise, the only event she didn't perform to her expectations.
Victoria Bradfield, Kelsey Bailis, and Malaika Campbell pile on Kaylee Ockerman
"Mali had an outstanding meet in prelims, hitting all four events including her upgraded floor pass," Lowe said. "She qualified in second place in the All-Around and had the top score on beam and was in the top 10 on all the other events."
She had a strong day in finals, aside from an unexpected mistake on her floor pass, which left her 0.4 points away from clinching an All-Around title.
"I know she was disappointed with that for herself and for her team contribution, but what she did accomplish was nailing seven of eight events for our team and still finishing top five in the nation on a less than perfect day," Lowe said. "It's so hard to have two perfect days in a row at this level of gymnastics, and she fought for everything on Saturday with her team in mind. We are so proud of her, especially as a freshman in the pressure of her position, and know she will grow from this experience as well as have many more opportunities to prove her talents."
Campbell placed fourth on bars (9.3), sixth on beam (9.75), ninth on vault (9.5), and 21st on floor (9.1). Complete results are available online.
Overall, the Lady Flames excelled, showcasing tremendous potential for future seasons.
"We have some amazing freshman on our team, and we called on many of them to step up in a pressure situation to hit for us in finals," Lowe said. "Those girls love gymnastics and are so committed to their teammates, and I am excited for the future leaders they are becoming in our program. We have no seniors this year, so we get to have one more year with the strong leaders in our junior class."
She said the team will have added incentive to continue to progress through the offseason in preparation for making another run at a first NAIGC championship next spring.
"At the end of the day, though it stings to know we were so close to taking the title, it feels really good to know we truly put the pressure on Penn State and did not give them an easy win like they were expecting," Lowe said. "We took them down to the last routine. The girls are encouraged knowing now that they are truly capable of winning the National Championship, and that they are no longer underdogs. They have proved that they are a force to be reckoned with year after year, and they are really starting to believe it."
The Lady Flames had the opportunity to visit downtown Pittsburgh as a team during their week at the NAIGC Championships.
