Olatunde Demolishes Dash Record in Debut at Samford Invitational

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Harding University's men's track and field team had a strong showing at the Samford Invitational on Friday, with several athletes achieving new national rankings, provisional NCAA qualifying marks, and breaking school records in the 2025 indoor season.

Freshman Olaolu Olatunde led the way, finishing second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.68 seconds, breaking the school record of 6.80 seconds set by Tad Kirby in 2024. His time earned him the third national ranking in Division II.

Senior Derick St. Jean finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 47.81 seconds, an NCAA provisional mark that earned him the eighth national ranking in Division II.

Junior Antiwain Jones won the high jump event with a height of 2.13 meters (6-11.75), an NCAA provisional mark.

Junior Anton Kopytko finished third in the long jump with a distance of 7.23 meters (23-08.75), an NCAA provisional mark that earned him the 20th national ranking in Division II.

In the decathlon, Kelmen de Carvalho took the top spot with 5,211 points, an NCAA provisional total that ranks sixth nationally in Division II.

Other notable performances included:

Freshman Caledon Ruwende, who finished eighth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.95 seconds, earning him the 49th national ranking in Division II.
Senior Savian Bush, who finished fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.18 seconds.
Senior Samuel Williams, who finished 16th in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.31 seconds.
Senior Kenneth Hatley, who finished 13th in the weight throw with a distance of 16.50 meters (54-01.75), a personal record.