FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It was a historic Friday for the No. 10-ranked Harding Lady Bisons at the John McDonnell Invitational, as the squad toppled three outdoor school records against a field of elite Division I and Division II competition.
Senior Tetiana Kharashchuk delivered one of the most anticipated performances of the meet in the 800-meter run. Crossing the finish line in 2:09.52, Kharashchuk placed second overall and officially broke the 12-year-old school record of 2:09.63 previously held by Harding legend Ewa Zaborowska (2014).
In the field, senior Cadence Sansom continued her remarkable season by claiming the school record in the pole vault. Sansom cleared 4.12 meters (13-06.25) on her final attempt to take second place in the event. Her performance surpassed the previous record of 4.10 meters set by Sierra White in 2022. Sansom moved to seventh in Division II in the pole vault.
The record-breaking trend extended to the sprint relays, where the quartet of Kharashchuk, Leila Ngapout, Kewes Gomes, and Jerlana Williams took nearly a full second off the school's 4x100-meter relay record. The team clocked a blistering 45.54 to finish sixth overall, easily eclipsing the 2019 mark of 46.26. The record time ranks 15th in Division II this season.
Other notable performances on the track included:
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Leila Ngapout: Placed 12th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.72.
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Kewes Gomes: Finished 13th in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.40 seconds.
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Jerlana Williams: Took 18th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.89.
With three new school records on the books and a top-10 national ranking, the Lady Bisons head into the final stretch of the regular season with significant momentum. Harding will now shift its focus toward the Great American Conference Championships, which begins Wednesday in Searcy.
