NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Three members of the Harding men's track and field team made a final push for national qualifying marks this past Sunday, competing at the Christopher Newport Qualifier inside the Freeman Center.
While the Bisons captured two individual event victories at the meet, they were unable to improve upon their existing season-best marks, leaving their status for the upcoming NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships uncertain. Generally, the NCAA invites the top 20 performers in each individual event to the national meet.
Junior Isaac Hodges secured first place in the pole vault, clearing a height of 4.82m (15-09.75). However, the mark did not surpass his season-best of 4.92m set at the Arkansas Qualifier, which currently ranks him No. 39 on the national performance list. Senior Kylor Aguilar finished as the runner-up in the event with a clearance of 4.62m (15-01.75). Aguilar's season-best of 4.86m currently sits at No. 50 nationally.
In the triple jump, freshman Nathan Boulay took the event title with a top leap of 14.55m (47-09.00). Boulay's season-best mark of 14.98m from the Samford Invitational remains his official qualifying entry, which currently places him at No. 24 in Division II—just four spots outside the traditional qualifying window.
Harding's Indoor Provisional Qualifiers
The Bisons conclude the regular season with a deep pool of provisional qualifiers:
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60m: Caledon Ruwende (6.81, No. 68)
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200m: Caledon Ruwende (21.10, No. 12)
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400m: Emmanuel Ragira (47.97, No. 60)
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5000m: Benson Lingokal (13:48.95, No. 10)
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Pole Vault: Vlad Malykhin (5.45m, No. 1); Everett Mumme (5.12m, No. 16); Isaac Hodges (4.92m, No. 39); Kylor Aguilar (4.86m, No. 50)
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Long Jump: Anton Kopytko (7.49m, No. 8)
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Triple Jump: Yves Bilong (15.55m, No. 5); Artem Konovalenko (15.17m, No. 14); Nathan Boulay (14.98m, No. 24)
The official field for the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships will be announced by the NCAA by 5 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, March 3.
