NEW ORLEANS — The Harding men's track and field team capped off its historic 2025–26 season with national acclaim in the classroom, earning 2026 NCAA Division II All-Academic Team honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Under head coach Don Hood, the Bisons compiled a 3.42 cumulative team grade-point average during the 2025–26 academic year, tying for 21st among all NCAA Division II men's track and field programs nationally. To qualify for the All-Academic Team award, programs must achieve a minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale.
In addition to the team award, 14 Bisons were recognized as USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes for their combined athletic and academic achievements. To earn individual All-Academic honors, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and meet elite athletic criteria, such as finishing among the top 50 nationally in their event or competing at the NCAA Division II Indoor or Outdoor Championships.
The 14 Harding student-athletes honored by the USTFCCCA include:
The academic recognition comes on the heels of a dominant athletic campaign in which the Bisons claimed their fifth consecutive Great American Conference (GAC) Outdoor Championship and finished fifth overall at the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships in Emporia, Kansas, behind individual national titles from Malykhin (pole vault) and Yves Bilong (triple jump).
