Record number of climbers qualify for May 2-5 National Championships in Salt Lake City

Saturday, March 29

Hackensack, NJ

7:30 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

Mid-Atlantic Division Collegiate National Qualification Event Foal Climbing Gym

Climbing team portrait Georgia bouldering event

Liberty's climbing team qualified seven team members, its largest group to date, for the USA Climbing Nationals in Salt Lake City.

Record number of climbers qualify for May 2-5 National Championships in Salt Lake City

4/11/2025 10:45:00 PM | Rock Climbing

Liberty will bring seven climbers, veterans Katelyn Kerns and Brian Taylor who qualified in New Jersey and five newcomers who earned bids at Saturday's Southeast Region competition in Georgia.

Katelyn Kerns blue ribbon winner — Katelyn Kerns repeated her Intermediate Bouldering title.

At recent qualifying competitions in New Jersey last month and Georgia this past weekend, Liberty University's climbing team qualified a program-record seven members for the May 2-5 USA Climbing National Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Sophomore Katelyn Kerns finished first in the Women's Intermediate Bouldering division and second in the Women's Intermediate Lead/Top Rope competition, while graduate Brian Taylor landed in seventh place in the Men's Advanced Lead/Top Rope division of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Nationals Qualification Event on March 29 at the GOAT Climbing Gym in Hackensack, N.J.

"This is the second year in a row that Katelyn has won Women's Intermediate Bouldering and the third year in a row Brian has qualified for USA Climbing's Collegiate National Championships," Liberty third-year Head Coach Tyler Campbell said.

Complete scores are available online.

Then, this past Saturday at the Southeast CNQE held at Central Rock Gym in Kennesaw, Ga., the Flames and Lady Flames qualified five more climbers for nationals, all of whom are newcomers to the team this season.

Paloma Laumann Liberty climber — Freshman Paloma Laumann won the Women's Intermediate Bouldering competition at this past Saturday's national qualifier in Georgia.

Freshman Paloma Laumann finished first in Women's Intermediate Bouldering while junior Nathan Bruckner came in second in Men's Intermediate Bouldering followed by junior Judah Skipper in fourth place.

Junior Addison Messer captured first place in Men's Lead/Top Rope as well as taking fifth place in Men's Intermediate Bouldering while senior Caleb Proenza finished fifth in Men's Intermediate Lead/Top Rope.

Complete results are available online.

"Each new climber brought a bit of experience in the sport, but this season has been their first competitive campaign in climbing," Campbell said. "Everyone who is competing is very excited for what they can achieve at nationals."