Men’s, women’s racquetball teams combine for third consecutive fourth-place nationals finish at NC State

Thursday, March 27

Raleigh, NC

TBD

Liberty University Club Sports

Intercollegiate National Championships Tournament

Racquetball team photo with national awards

Liberty players pose with their medals and awards at the March 29-31 USA Racquetball Collegiate National Championships at NC State in Raleigh, N.C.

Men’s, women’s racquetball teams combine for third consecutive fourth-place nationals finish at NC State

4/10/2025 3:19:00 PM | Racquetball

Liberty also clinched first place by dominant margins in the MACRC men's, women's, and combined regular-season standings.

Liberty University's men's and women's racquetball teams enjoyed a bit of a home-court advantage when they traveled to North Carolina State for the 2025 USA Racquetball Intercollegiate Championships, held on the East Coast for the first time in several years.

The Lady Flames placed fourth out of 17 women's teams with a total of 368 points while the Flames' men's team finished fifth with a 779-point total. Both teams combined for 1,147 points, securing a third straight fourth-place overall finish.

"They all did really well," said Liberty founding Head Coach Danny Rodriguez, who will be stepping down after 14 years at the helm along with Assistant Coach Herman Lewis. "It's been quite an experience. I've been blessed with great students. They've been respectful and good Christian students. I can't ask for anything more. It's been a great trip."

He was able to send his complete team to compete at the national event with it being at the same courts where the Flames and Lady Flames have traveled to for many of their Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Racquetball Conference (MACRC) matches in recent seasons.

Liberty's men's and women's teams both entered three doubles pairs and six individual players for singles. In Division 3 men's doubles, senior Bryce Metz and junior Nathaniel Cook captured a gold medal with sophomore Zion Kim and graduate Luke Hagberg teaming up for a bronze medal in Division 2 and senior Andrew Cook and sophomore Matthew Cook joining forces for a third-place finish at Division 1.

For the Men's collegiate singles event, Matthew Cook earned fourth place in Division 1 while Hagberg struck gold in Division 2. Andrew Cook also had an impressive showing, claiming first place in Division 3, while Kim competed in Division 4 and captured a bronze medal as did Metz in Division 6.

The team also had three players compete in the Men's Team Skill Division with the gold medal going to junior Malachi Vander Pol, silver awarded to sophomore Drew Berthiaume, and pewter to freshman Jared Hollins for fourth place.

The women's team was highlighted by the senior duo of Natalie Blank and Paige Jordan finishing fourth in Division 1 while the sophomore pair of Madisyn Leyendecker and Amber Fredenburg claimed a bronze medal in Division 2. In Division 3, sophomore Maggie Priest and junior Isobel Priest also landed in third place.

In singles play, Jordan placed fourth in Division 1 while Blank struck gold in Division 2. Bronz medals went to Fredenburg, who finished third in Division 3, Leyendecker in Division 4, Isobel Priest in Division 5, and Maggie Pries in Division 6. Freshman Amelia Bennett competed in the Women Team Skill Divisions and earned silver.

The racquetball team will be competing in one more competition this season, this Friday's and Saturday's James River Open at the LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center courts. Rodriguez found out on Thursday that the Flames and Lady Flames swept the final MACRC men's and women's standings, based on their three regular-season tournaments held at NC State and UNC Chapel Hill.

Liberty's women accumulated 2,630 points, more than 10 times as many as second-place Virginia (210) as well as Appalachian State (180), and NC State (30). The men were nearly as dominant, winning with 2,304 points to lead the runner-up Wolfpack (1,917), UVA (768), UNC Chapel Hill (305), and JMU (151). In the combined team standings, Liberty (4,934) more than doubled runner-up NC State (1,947).

The Flames and Lady Flames will be graduating two of their top players on both the men's and women's sides — Hagberg and Andrew Cook as well as Jordan and Blank.

"Matthew Cook is the strongest player on the team right now and Zion Kim is right behind him," Rodriguez said, noting Nathan Cook is not far behind. "We have two women moving up who are not as strong (as Jordan and Blank) yet, but they have the ability and they'll get there, no doubt about it. We have a lot of people returning in their positions to step into the shoes of others."

Rodriguez plans to spend more time helping to take care of his 95-year-old mother in Arizona and will continue into his third year as USA Racquetball's Chairman for Collegiate Racquetball. He also serves on the Commonwealth of Virginia's Racquetball Association Board.