SEARCY, Ark. – Freshman Erika Konovalenko provided the signature moment of the opening day, shattering the conference meet record in the javelin to lead the No. 10-ranked Harding Lady Bisons at the 2026 Great American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Through one day of competition at Lloyd Track, the Lady Bisons sit in a tie for third place with 19 points. Oklahoma Baptist leads the women's standings with 25 points, followed by Northwestern Oklahoma with 21.
Konovalenko Crushes Javelin Record
Erika Konovalenko entered the week as a national title contender, and she lived up to the billing on Wednesday. Her winning toss of 50.36 meters (165-03) broke the previous GAC Meet Record of 46.66m by nearly four meters.
Harding's "Javelin Crew" provided the bulk of the team's Day 1 scoring, accounting for 16 points. Joining Konovalenko on the scoreboard were Emma Zaboronek, who placed fifth with a mark of 36.37m, and Kiera Bartlett, who finished seventh at 36.22m.
Winders Scores in 10,000m
Under the lights in the final event of the night, Dinah Winders secured three points for Harding in the 10,000-meter run. Winders crossed the finish line in 38:19.98 to take sixth place. Abigail Penick narrowly missed the scoring column, finishing ninth in 39:02.83.
Spencer, Tucker Strong in Heptathlon
The Lady Bisons are positioned for a significant points haul when the heptathlon concludes on Thursday. At the end of the first four events, Harding holds five of the top eight spots in the standings.
Roselyn Spencer leads the Bison contingent in second place with 3,144 points, trailing leader Abriel Thrash of Southern Nazarene by just over 100 points. Spencer was particularly dominant in the high jump, clearing 1.69m (5-06.50) to tie for the best mark of the day, and the 200-meter dash, where she clocked a 24.89.
The current heptathlon standings for Harding:
Women's Team Standings (After Day 1)
| Rank |
Team |
Score |
| 1 |
Oklahoma Baptist |
25 |
| 2 |
Northwestern Oklahoma |
21 |
| T3 |
Harding |
19 |
| T3 |
Ouachita Baptist |
19 |
| 5 |
Southern Arkansas |
13 |
| 6 |
Arkansas Tech |
7 |
Up Next
Action resumes Thursday at 9:30 a.m. with the final three events of the heptathlon (long jump, javelin, and 800m). Field event finals scheduled for Thursday include the long jump, shot put, and high jump, while track preliminaries begin in the afternoon.
