Lady Flames gymnasts leap to top of podium at Duke Dog Classic at JMU

Saturday, February 21

Harrisonburg, VA

8:30 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

Duke Dog Classic

Liberty won Saturday's meet at JMU after coming up three points short at defending NAIGC National Champion Penn State on Feb. 7.

Lady Flames gymnasts leap to top of podium at Duke Dog Classic at JMU

2/25/2026 10:10:00 PM | Gymnastics

Liberty improved on its season-opening second-place finish at Penn State by winning with an impressive 114.1 team score.

On Saturday in Harrisonburg, Va., Liberty University's gymnastics team competed at the Duke Dog Classic at James Madison University's Recreation Center. The Lady Flames swept the podium in three of the four events and in the All-Around competition to finish first among Level 9 programs with a high overall score of 114.1. They were followed by the Naval Academy (99.9), host JMU, George Washington University, and Virginia Tech.

"This was a great second meet, continuing to build on progress from (the Feb.7 season opener at reigning NAIGC national champion Penn State)," Liberty Head Coach Jessie Lowe said. "They did well in adapting to whatever came their way, overcoming bad warmups and other missteps to compete well."

The Lady Flames swept the top three positions on vault, with sophomore Mali Campbell flipping to a gold-medal score of 9.6, followed by junior Sarah Dyk, who placed second with a 9.4, and freshman Charis Ng, who came in third with a 9.3.

Liberty occupied the podium for the uneven bars with Dyk scoring a 9.75 for first place, Campbell taking second with a 9.35, narrowly in front of Ng's third-place 9.3.

The Lady Flames also dominated the final event of the competition, the balance beam, with freshman Skylar Barkerding claiming first place with a near-perfect score of 9.9. Dyk followed in second with a 9.7 and senior captain Annabella James took third at 9.5.

"Our girls did great on beam, finishing really strong in the last event and keeping their energy and focus for the whole competition," Lowe said.

In the floor exercise, two Lady Flames landed on the podium, with Ng taking first with a score of 9.55 and fellow freshman Grace Caldwell performing a second-place routine for a 9.45.

Only one half-point separated the top three Lady Flames in the All-Around competition, with Dyk finishing first with a combined score of 37.55 followed closely by Ng (second with 37.25), and Campbell (third with 37.05).

At Penn State, Campbell placed second on the vault with a 9.9 and second in the All-Around competition at 37.6 to lead Liberty to a second-place team score with 112.35 points, exactly three fewer than the Nittany Lions. Ohio State placed third with 111.55 points, followed by West Virginia University's 108.15 total.

Throughout practices this week, team members have worked on their mental preparation for postseason meets, starting with Saturday's Mid-Atlantic Regionals hosted by the College of William & Mary. The Lady Flames will have three other Level 9 competitors in Williamsburg, Va: the host Tribe, North Carolina State University, and the University of Virginia.

"We will focus …on polishing certain skills in different areas," Lowe said. "The next three weeks will be crucial for that, and it will be a good three weeks of practice before our (final regular season) meet at the end of March."

Liberty expects to host a few teams from Virginia as well as outside of the Commonwealth in the Flipping Flames Invitational on March 28 at the LaHaye Multipurpose Center.

That event will serve as Senior Night for the Lady Flames' five graduating gymnasts — James and fellow senior captain Sarah Baugher as well as Kailyn Rowland, Isabella Sierra, and Katherine Haluck. It will also be the final tune-up for the April 8-11 NAIGC National Championships in Birmingham, Ala.

By Amory Doyle/Student Writer