RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – For the second consecutive week, Harding freshman Benson Lingokal has been named the Great American Conference Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday.
Lingokal, a native of Eldoret, Kenya, continued his dominant debut season by shattering a program record during the Music City Challenge in Nashville this past weekend.
Competing in only his second collegiate meet, Lingokal finished second overall in a field of more than 50 predominantly Division I runners in the 5,000-meter run. His time of 13:48.95 (+) eclipsed the previous Harding school record by nearly 12 seconds.
The performance secured an NCAA provisional qualifying mark and currently ranks 10th nationally in Division II. Additionally, Lingokal served as the anchor leg for the Bisons' Distance Medley Relay team, which captured a fourth-place finish at the event.
Senior jumper Yves Bilong was also nominated for Field Athlete of the Week after posting an NCAA provisional mark of 15.54m (51-00) in the triple jump, finishing third in Nashville.
Lingokal and the No. 8-ranked Bisons return to competition Friday, Feb. 20, at the Arkansas Qualifier in Fayetteville.
Harding's 2026 GAC Men's Athletes of the Week
