MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Winning six events and scoring 196.16 points, the Harding men's track and field team placed second Saturday at the Great American Conference Track and Field Championship, hosted by Southern Arkansas.
It was Harding's highest placement since the team won the 2017 GAC Championship and was the team's second-highest point total at the GAC meet.
Harding won two field events and three running events Saturday in the third day of competition. Mitchell Kessler won the shot, and Dorian Chaigneau won the pole vault. In the running events, Dakarai Bush won the 110-meter hurdles, Thibault Waeles won the 800 meters and Fallou Gaye won the 400-meter hurdles.
Oklahoma Baptist won the meet with 278.83 points. Southern Arkansas was third at 94.
Below is a summary of Harding's scoring results from Saturday:
· Javelin
o Harding scored 12 points
§ Will Clark – 3rd place – 6 points – 47.43m (155-7)
§ Ben Ferris – 4th place – 4 points – 45.92m (150-8)
§ Alex Hindman – 5th place – 2 points – 45.36m (148-10)
· Shot Put
o Harding scored 10 points
§ Mitchell Kessler – 1st place – 10 points – 14.94m (49-0.25)
· Second-best throw by HU athlete at GAC Championship
· 11th conference championship by a Harding athlete in the shot put … first was Bob Camp at the 1963 AIC Meet and most recent was Josh Syrotchen at the 2017 GAC Meet
· High Jump
o Harding scored 1.5 points
§ Bennett Holloway – 5th place – 1.5 points – 1.85m (6-0.75)
· Pole Vault
o Harding scored 20.66 points
§ Dorian Chaigneau – 1st place – 10 points – 5.20m (17-0.75)
· NCAA Provisional
· GAC Championship Record
· Record height for HU athlete at GAC Championship
· Harding's first pole vault conference championship since Jason Ward won the 1995 AIC Meet
§ Alex Hindman – 2nd place – 8 points – 4.80m (15-9)
§ Ben Ferris – 5th place – 2 points – 4.65m (15-3)
§ Jonathan Wall – 6th place – 0.33 points – 4.50m (14-9)
§ Austin Parrish – 6th place – 0.33 points – 4.50m (14-9)
· Triple Jump
o Harding scored 10 points
§ Nikolasz Csokas – 2nd place – 8 points – 14.13m (46-4.25)
§ Cedric Gable – 5th place – 2 points – 12.68m (41-7.25)
· 4x100 meter relay
o Harding scored 8 points
§ Watson, Bush, Kirby, Rutherford – 2nd place – 8 points – 42.34
· 1,500 meters
o Harding scored one point
§ Dylan Douglas – 6th place – 1 point – 4:04.05
· 110-meter hurdles
o Harding scored 14 points
§ Dakarai Bush – 1st place – 10 points – 14.60
· Second-best time by an HU athlete at the GAC Championship
· Fourth HU athlete to win a conference championship in the 110-meter hurdles … the first was Lewis Walker in the 1962 AIC Meet and the most recent was Clay Beason at the 1994 AIC Meet
§ Ben Ferris – 4th place – 4 points – 16.08
· 100 meters
o Harding did not score
· 400 meters
o Harding scored 13 points
§ Fallou Gaye – 2nd place – 8 points – 48.08
§ Dakarai Bush – 4th place – 4 points – 48.93
· 800 meters
o Harding scored 14 points
§ Thibault Waeles – 1st place – 10 points – 1:52.56
· GAC Championship record
· Eighth HU athlete to win a conference championship in the 800 meters … the first was Jerry Baker in the 1965 AIC Meet and the most recent was Eric Van Matre in the 1988 AIC Meet
§ Tiag Campney – 4th place – 4 points – 1:56.19
· 400-meter hurdles
o Harding scored 18 points
§ Fallou Gaye – 1st place – 10 points – 52.67
· NCAA Provisional
· HU Record at GAC Championship
· Fourth HU athlete to win a conference championship in the 400-meter hurdles … the first was Kent Smith in the 1967 AIC Meet and the most recent was Jason Thomas at the 1995 AIC Meet
§ Nikolasz Csokas – 2nd place – 8 points – 53.13
· NCAA Provisional
· 200 meters
o Harding scored nine points
§ Tad Kirby – 2nd place – 8 points – 21.75
§ Dakarai Bush – 6th place – 1 point – 22.33
· 5,000 meters
o Harding scored six points
§ Jackson Pruim – 3rd place – 6 points – 15:13.32
· 4x400-meter relay
o Harding scored eight points
§ Kirby, Bush, Waeles, Gaye – 2nd place – 8 points – 3:19.42
