31 Jan 2024 Kirby breaks Harding’s 60-meter dash record

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Senior Tad Kirby broke the school record in the 60-meter dash and the No. 5-ranked Harding indoor men’s track and field team recorded six provisional marks and one event victory at the Wendy’s Pittsburg State Invitational on Saturday inside the Robert W. Plaster Center.

Kirby broke the school record in the 60-meter dash, running 6.80 seconds in the qualifying. The previous record was 6.87 seconds by Corey Bassett in 2015 and Donatella Luckett in 2016. Kirby is ranked 26th in the event in Division II.

Senior Dakarai Bush won the 400 meters in an NCAA provisional 47.40 seconds. He ranks fifth nationally in the event.

Junior Savian Bush placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdles in an NCAA provisional 7.97 seconds. He is tied for ninth nationally.

Harding’s 4×400-meter relay team of Bryan Singleton, Tad Kirby, Derick St. Jean and Dakarai Bush placed fifth with a provisional time of 3:14.26. It was just .08 seconds off the team’s season-best time. The quartet is ranked 12th in Division II.

Harding had two provisionals in the pole vault. Sophomore Vlad Malykhin, the national athlete of the week last week, placed second with a provisional clearance of 5.23m (17-1.75). Malykhin leads Division II with a season-best clearance of 5.50m (18-0.50). Senior Jonathan Wall cleared 4.83m (15-10) to finish seventh. His season-best clearance of 4.90m (16-0.75) has him ranked 18th in Division II.

Harding also had three other top-eight finishes.

Newcomer Josphat Meli placed second in the 3,000 meters in 8:23.09, and teammate Arnaud des Boscs placed fifth in 8:30.05.

Sophomore Kelmen de Carvalho placed eighth in the long jump with a mark of 7.01m (23-0).

Harding’s next action is Feb. 1-3 at the Bearcat Invitational, hosted by Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Missouri.