SHAWNEE, Okla. – Harding men's track and field won its ninth overall conference championship and its third Great American Conference title Saturday. The Bisons also won the GAC championship in 2016 and 2017.

Harding's point total of 268 points was its highest ever at the GAC meet.

Led by 2022 Great American Conference Men's Track & Field Championship MVP Dakarai Bush, Harding rallied on the final day.

Bush collected two of Harding's seven event victories on Saturday. In the field events, Dorian Chaigneau repeated as the pole vault champion. Bisons claimed the top six finishing positions in the event. Antiwain Jones won the high jump and Tad Kirby placed first in the long jump. In the running events, Thibault Waeles repeated as the champion in the 800 and Fallou Gaye took first in the 400 hurdles for the second straight year.

Competing in five events, Bush won the 200-meter dash and the 110 hurdles. He added a second-place showing in the 400. He also ran on both relays. The 4x100 team took third and the 4x400 team finished second.

The GAC also handed out its Elite and Distinguished Scholar Athlete awards. Harding's Matt Hipshire received the Elite Scholar award with a 4.00 GPA.

A total of eight GAC standouts earned the Distinguished Scholar accolade including Harding's Paxton Davis and Daniel Watrous.

Below are event summaries for Harding competitors.

4x100 relay

Harding points: 6 … Harding's team of Jaylon Williams, Dakarai Bush, Tad Kirby and Davion Smith placed third in 41.72 … it was Harding's fastest time ever at the GAC meet … HU's only conference championship in the 4x100 relay came in 1995

1500 meters

Harding's top finisher was senior Thibault Waeles, who placed ninth in 4:10.11

110-meter hurdles

Harding points: 18 … sophomore Dakarai Bush won his second straight GAC title with a time of 14.31 seconds … he won 14.60 seconds last year … freshman Savian Bush was second in 14.64 seconds, earning eight points

400 meters

Harding points: 14 … sophomore Dakarai Bush added to his and Harding's point total with a second-place finish in 47.66 seconds … it was a new PR and moved Bush into second place all-time on Harding's top performers list, trailing only record holder Tyler Kemmerer … junior Fallou Gaye placed third (6 points) also set a PR with a finish of 47.68 seconds

100 meters

Harding points: 6 … sophomore Tad Kirby placed fourth (five points) with a PR of 10.66 seconds … sophomore Krishaun Watson added a point with an eighth-place finish

800 meters

Harding points: 15 … senior Thibault Waeles won the 800 for the second straight year, crossing the line in 1:54.34 … sophomore Tiag Campney placed fourth (5 points) in 1:56.79

5,000 meters

Harding points: 13 … Harding placed four runners in the top eight … freshman Luke Walling placed third (6 points) … Dylan Mayberry was fifth (4 points) in 16:17.22 … sophomore Matt Ingalsbe was seventh (2 points) in 16:32.75 … sophomore Jackson Pruim placed eighth (1 point) in 16:35.41

High Jump

Harding points: 15 … freshman Antiwain Jones became the first Harding athlete to win the GAC high jump since Cameron Bienz in 2018 with a clearance of 2.01 meters or 6 feet, 7 inches … he cleared the height on his final attempt … freshman Jacob Cantrell placed fourth (5 points) with a clearance of 1.88 meters or 6 feet, 2 inches

Discus

Harding points: 8 … freshman Seth West placed fourth (5 points) with a throw of 43.25 meters or 141 feet, 11 inches, a new PR … sophomore Spencer Helms placed sixth (3 points) with a mark of 41.09 meters or 134 feet, 10 inches

Long Jump

Harding points: 14 … sophomore Tad Kirby became the first Harding athlete ever to win a conference championship in the long jump … his mark of 7.11 meters or 23 feet, 4 inches was the longest jump by a Harding athlete since Kevin Brewer's jump of 7.17 meters or 23 feet, 6.50 inches in 1987 … Kirby's previous best jump was 6.84 meters or 22 feet, 5.25 inches … sophomore Ben Ferris placed sixth (3 points) with a jump of 6.68 meters or 21 feet, 11 inches … senior Matt Hipshire added one point with an eighth-place finish … his mark was 6.67 meters or 21 feet, 10.75 inches

Pole Vault

Harding points: 36 … Harding had the top six finishers in the pole vault with sophomore Dorian Chaigneau winning for the second straight year … he cleared 5.21 meters or 17 feet, 1 inch, a new meet record … Alex Hindman was second (5.00m), Jonathan Wall third (4.70m), Ben Ferris fourth (4.60m), Austin Parrish fourth (4.60m), and Matt Hipshire sixth (4.45m)

Shot Put

Harding points: 3 … freshman Seth West turned in a sixth-place finish (3 points) with a mark of 13.50 meters or 44 feet, 3.50 meters