NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Freshman Benson Lingokal continued his meteoric rise Saturday, shattering the Harding school record in the 5,000-meter run to lead the No. 10-ranked Bisons at the Music City Challenge, hosted by Vanderbilt University.
Lingokal's performance headlined a weekend where the Bisons secured multiple top-five finishes and bolstered their national standing against a field primarily comprised of elite Division I programs.
In just his second collegiate meet, Lingokal delivered one of the most impressive distance performances in program history. Competing in the 5,000-meter run, Lingokal finished as the runner-up with a blistering time of 13:48.95.
The time obliterated the previous school record of 14:00.91 set by Josphat Meli in 2024 by nearly 12 seconds. Lingokal's mark easily surpassed the NCAA Division II automatic qualifying standard, essentially punching his ticket to the national championships.
Harding's nationally ranked jumps unit lived up to its reputation in Nashville. Freshman Artem Konovalenko captured the event title in the unseeded triple jump, posting a mark of 15.17m (49-09.25). Senior Yves Bilong was third in the seeded triple jump with a massive leap of 15.54m (51-00), just a quarter-inch shy of his own school record.
In the long jump, Konovalenko secured a sixth-place finish with a personal-best leap of 7.11m (23-04).
Senior Donald Nwamere led the Bison sprinters, advancing to the semifinals of the 60-meter dash. Nwamere clocked a season-best 6.89 seconds to finish 12th overall. Freshmen Brendon Muvimi (22.50) and Brayden Shine (22.56) led the way in the 200-meter dash, finishing 30th and 33rd respectively in a field of over 60 runners.
The Bisons' Distance Medley Relay team, consisting of Noah Haileab, Emmanuel Ragira, Dillon Williams, and Benson Lingokal, finished fourth overall with a time of 10:13.82.
In the shot put, junior Kole Crawford and freshman Nate Rivers both secured top-10 finishes. Crawford placed sixth with a throw of 16.11m (52-10.25), while Rivers took seventh at 15.47m (50-09.25).
Sophomores Emmanuel Ragira (1:20.93) and Dillon Williams (1:21.07) turned in back-to-back performances in the 600-meter run, placing 12th and 13th. In the 3,000-meter run, Brady Axtell led the Bisons with a 22nd-place finish in 8:37.08, followed by Nate Perry in 8:41.95.
Up Next The No. 10 Bisons return to Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Friday, Feb. 20, for the Arkansas Qualifier. Hosted by the University of Arkansas, the meet serves as the final regular-season opportunity for the Bisons to improve their national marks before the postseason begins.
