30 Mar 2022 Harding Men’s Track ranked No. 8

SEARCY — With eight individuals and one relay team ranked in the top 10 in an event, the Harding men’s outdoor track and field team opened the 2022 season ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division II by the United States Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association.

Harding has 115.55 ranking points, the most of any team in the Great American Conference. No other GAC team is in the top 25.

The Bisons were 53rd in the preseason rankings and moved up 45 spots after their performances at three events last weekend.

Harding’s highest-ranked individual is senior Matt Hipshire, who is ranked third in the decathlon with 6,467 points.

Other individuals ranked in the top 10 nationally are senior Austin Parrish (4th, pole vault), sophomore Dakarai Bush (6th, 110-meter hurdles), senior Alex Hindman (6th, pole vault), freshman Kylor Aguilar (6th, pole vault), junior Fallou Gaye (7th, 400-meter hurdles), freshman Antiwain Jones (8th, high jump) and sophomore Nikolasz Csokas (10th, 400-meter hurdles).

Harding 4×400-meter relay team of Gaye, Csokas, Tad Kirby and Bush is ranked fourth nationally.

Grand Valley State is No. 1 in the rankings, followed by West Texas A&M and CSU Pueblo.

Harding will compete at two meets this weekend. The distance runners will be at the WashU Distance Carnival in St. Louis, Missouri, and the rest of the team will be at the Joey Haines Invitational, hosted by Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.