FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Senior Vlad Malykhin and freshman Artem Konovalenko posted high-caliber field marks on Friday as the No. 8-ranked Harding men's track and field team tested themselves against elite competition at the John McDonnell Invitational.
Malykhin, who holds the Harding school record with a vault of 5.71 meters (18-08.75), finished fourth overall in a field heavy with Division I challengers. The senior cleared 5.50 meters (18-00.50) on his first attempt. Though short of his personal best and school record set in 2023, the mark remains among the best in NCAA Division II this season. Senior Kylor Aguilar placed 12th in the event, clearing 4.75 meters (15-07.00).
In the triple jump, freshman Artem Konovalenko secured a second-place finish with a leap of 15.37 meters (50-05.25) on his final attempt. Konovalenko's mark was the best of the day for the Bisons' jumpers, chasing the school record of 16.20 meters set earlier this year by Yves Bilong. Freshman Nathan Boulay also cracked the top 10, finishing ninth at 14.00 meters (45-11.25).
Senior Anton Kopytko, the school record holder in the long jump (7.80 meters), placed sixth on Friday with a jump of 7.22 meters (23-08.25).
On the track, the Bisons' 4x100-meter relay team of Hayes Cox, Donald Nwamere, Brayden Shine, and Caledon Ruwende clocked 40.62 to take eighth place. The squad is currently working to chase down the school record of 39.65 set by the 2025 relay team.
Other notable track performances included:
The Bisons will return to action as they prepare for the Great American Conference Championships, which begins Wednesday in Searcy.
