NEW ORLEANS – Following a dominant opening month to the outdoor season, the Harding men's track and field team earned a No. 4 national ranking in the first regular-season U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rating index released Tuesday.
The Bisons, who are coming off a top-five finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this month, collected 215.87 points in the initial computer rankings. Grand Valley State holds the top spot, followed by Angelo State and Fresno Pacific.
Harding's high ranking is fueled by a pair of top-three individual marks. Seven-time national champion Vlad Malykhin holds the No. 1 spot in the pole vault after clearing 5.40m (17-08.50) at the Harding Invitational on March 6. Senior hurdler Savian Bush sits at No. 3 nationally in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.88.
The Bisons also showed significant depth in the multi-events and jumps. Sophomore Hayes Cox is ranked No. 3 in the decathlon (6,401 points) and also holds the No. 24 mark in the long jump. Senior Yves Bilong ranks No. 4 in the triple jump with a leap of 15.49m (50-09.75), while freshman Artem Konovalenko sits at No. 7 in the same event.
Harding currently features nine individual performances ranked inside the national top 10:
In the relays, the Bisons' 4x400-meter team of Dillon Williams, Bush, Donald Nwamere, and Emmanuel Ragira is ranked 17th with a time of 3:14.49.
Harding is the highest-ranked team from the Great American Conference, followed by Oklahoma Baptist at No. 16.
The Bisons return to action this weekend with a heavy slate of competition in Texas. Members of the squad will compete at the prestigious Texas Relays in Austin, the Bobcat Invitational at Texas State in San Marcos, and the Carl Kight Invitational at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches.
