NEW ORLEANS – For the third consecutive week, the Harding men's indoor track and field team is ranked among the ten best programs in the country, landing at No. 9 in the latest USTFCCCA NCAA Division II National TFRI released Tuesday.

The Bisons, who reached as high as No. 8 in the previous week's rankings, currently hold a total of 71.44 points. Harding remains the highest-ranked Independent program in Division II and sits just behind regional powerhouse Northwest Missouri (No. 6) and ahead of CSU Pueblo (No. 10).

Harding's top-10 status is anchored by senior Vlad Malykhin, who has held the No. 1 ranking in the pole vault since early February. Malykhin's mark of 5.45m (17-10.50) remains the standard in Division II. The Bisons' vertical jump depth was further bolstered this week by junior Everett Mumme, who jumped to No. 13 nationally following his 5.12m (16-09.50) performance at the Arkansas Qualifier. Junior Isaac Hodges also holds a national ranking at No. 35.

In the horizontal jumps, the Bisons feature a "triple threat" in the triple jump, led by senior Yves Bilong at No. 5 (15.55m). He is followed by freshmen Artem Konovalenko (No. 13) and Nathan Boulay (No. 22). On the long jump runway, senior Anton Kopytko ranks No. 7 in the nation with a season-best leap of 7.49m (24-07).

On the track, sophomore Caledon Ruwende remains a national contender in the 200-meter dash, holding the No. 7 spot with a time of 21.10. Freshman Benson Lingokal rounds out the Bisons' top-10 individual performers, ranking No. 10 in the 5,000 meters (13:48.95).

Grand Valley State continues to hold the No. 1 spot in the national rankings, followed by Wingate and Pittsburg State.

With the regular season concluded, the Bisons now turn their attention to the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships. The official championship fields will be posted by the NCAA by 5 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, March 3.