CONWAY, Ark. – The Harding men's track and field team successfully transitioned to the outdoor oval this weekend, securing eight individual and relay event titles at the Hendrix College Open.

While Harding's top-ranked indoor qualifiers prepare for next week's national championships, the rest of the roster made a statement in the outdoor debut, led by a dominant performance from the throwing unit and a sweep of the hurdles and distance events.

Hammitt Leads Javelin Surge

Senior Casen Hammitt provided the performance of the meet on Saturday. On his fourth attempt in the javelin, Hammitt uncorked a massive throw of 61.17m (200-08) (+) to take first place. The mark is an NCAA Division II provisional qualifier and immediately places Hammitt among the top throwers in the country.

The Bisons displayed incredible depth in the event, as freshman Isaac Baker (57.21m) and Camden Helms (56.00m) followed in third and fourth, respectively.

Kauffman Dominates Throws

Freshman Kameron Kauffman enjoyed a perfect start to his outdoor career, winning both the shot put and the discus. Kauffman took the shot put title with a mark of 15.74m (51-07.75) and followed it up with a victory in the discus, posting a top mark of 48.96m (160-07). Fellow freshman Nate Rivers added a third-place finish in the shot put (15.28m) and the hammer throw (45.10m).

Success on the Track

Senior Savian Bush led the hurdles group, winning the 110-meter hurdles in a swift 14.08 (+). On the flat, the Bisons' 4x100-meter relay team of Jaxon Hardy, Brayden Shine, Jalen Beckmann, and Devin Harding captured first place with a time of 42.21.

In the distance events, senior Nate Perry led a 1-2 Harding finish in the 5,000-meter run, clocking a winning time of 15:15.19, followed by Noah Haileab in 15:25.05. Freshman Marek Krisica secured the 800-meter title in 1:56.23, edging out teammate Brady Axtell (1:56.92).

Jumpers and Vaulters

Sophomore Hayes Cox won the long jump with a leap of 6.97m (22-10.50) and also contributed a sixth-place finish in the discus. In the pole vault, Joseph Bonacci cleared 4.75m (15-07) to take home the event title, leading a Harding 1-3-5 finish that included Hutson Davis and Elijah Barnes.

Up Next While the outdoor season continues for the majority of the roster, Harding's indoor national qualifiers will travel to the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships next week. The official field for the indoor championships will be announced this Tuesday, March 3, at 5 p.m. CT.