SEARCY, Ark. – Senior Hanna Onufriieva provided the definitive highlight of the Harding Mother's Day Last Chance Meet on Sunday, delivering a career-best performance in the triple jump to keep her national championship hopes alive.
The meet, held at the Ted and Marcie Lloyd Track and Field Complex, served as the final opportunity for the Lady Bisons to secure or improve qualifying marks before the NCAA Division II field is finalized.
Triple Jump Breakthrough
Onufriieva entered the day looking to move into the "safety zone" of the national rankings. She did exactly that on her final attempt of the afternoon, leaping 12.28m (40-03.50). The mark earned her a first-place finish and, more importantly, catapulted her to No. 18 in Division II. Teammate Karyna Vehner followed in second place with a jump of 11.91m (39-01.00), while Eva Gommier placed third (11.23m).
Sprints and Relays
Sophomore Jerlana Williams showed elite speed in the 100-meter dash, taking the top spot with a time of 11.79 seconds. Williams remains a key piece of the Lady Bisons' national relay aspirations.
Harding's 4x400-meter relay squad of Jayden Bowman, Leila Ngapout, Sharon Strydom, and Tetiana Kharashchuk put in one last collective effort, winning the event in 3:44.24. Having set a season-best earlier in the week at the Arkansas Twilight, the quartet used Sunday to maintain their rhythm ahead of the national selection.
Middle Distance and Field Highlights
Junior Dinah Winders pulled double duty for the Lady Bisons, finishing second in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:36.72 before taking second in the 800-meter run (2:19.39). Kaia Bieker claimed the 800-meter title, clocking in at 2:13.32.
In the field, senior Cadence Sansom continued her preparation for the national meet by winning the pole vault. Sansom cleared 3.96m (12-11.75) to take first place. Freshman Eva Gommier added to her busy day by winning the long jump with a mark of 5.49m (18-00.25), while senior Audri Aaron placed second in the javelin (32.29m).
Up Next
With the regular season and qualifying window now closed, the Lady Bisons await the official announcement from the NCAA. The Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships committee will release the full list of invited participants later this week. Harding is expected to be well-represented across multiple disciplines, including the relays, pole vault, throws, and horizontal jumps.
