SEARCY, Ark. — The Harding men’s and women’s track and field teams are headed to Emporia, Kansas, with historic expectations and title-hunting rosters for the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The three-day national meet, hosted by Emporia State University at Welch Stadium, begins Thursday, May 21, and runs through Saturday, May 23.
Harding arrives as one of the premier dual-program powerhouses in the country. The Bison men enter the weekend ranked No. 9 in the latest USTFCCCA National Rating Index, while the Lady Bisons climbed to No. 11.
Historic Depth for the Lady Bisons
The Lady Bisons are making history before even stepping onto the track. Harding is sending a program-record nine athletes to the outdoor national meet, topping the previous school record of seven qualifiers set just last year.
Harding’s women feature a balanced attack across multiple event groups, spearheaded by three top-10 national seeds:
-
Erika Konovalenko (FR): Holds the No. 3 seed in the javelin throw with a mark of 51.84m (170-1).
-
Roselyn Spencer (FR): Enters ranked No. 8 in the grueling heptathlon (5,240 points).
-
Cadence Sansom (SR): Sits at No. 8 in the pole vault after clearing 4.12m (13-6.25) this spring.
The Lady Bisons will also field a dangerous 4×100-meter relay squad, which qualified with a school-record time of 45.25 (No. 12 in DII). Due to a late adjustment, multi-event standout Roselyn Spencer will slide into the anchor position alongside Tetiana Kharashchuk, Leila Ngapout, and Kewes Gomes. Kharashchuk will pull double duty after also qualifying individually in the 400-meter dash (No. 18, 53.98).
Rounding out the women’s entries are GAC champion Yedidya Bangue in the shot put (No. 10, 15.16m), Josie Parks in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (No. 10, 10:26.96), Ally Cheek in the high jump (No. 13, 1.73m), and Hanna Onufriieva, who vaulted into the field at No. 18 in the triple jump (12.28m) at the Mother’s Day Last Chance meet.
Top-Heavy Men Eye Podium Finish
While the women bring unprecedented roster numbers, the No. 9-ranked Bison men are defined by high-end, elite quality. Of Harding’s nine individual male entries, an astonishing four athletes are ranked in the top three of their respective events.
Harding boasts three senior title favorites who all hold the No. 2 seed in Division II:
-
Savian Bush (SR): No. 2 in the 110-meter hurdles (13.59 seconds).
-
Vlad Malykhin (SR): No. 2 in the pole vault after his 5.56m (18-3) clearance at the Arkansas Twilight.
-
Yves Bilong (SR): No. 2 in the triple jump with a massive 16.20m (53-1.75) leap.
Freshman distance phenom Benson Lingokal joins the elite tier as the No. 3 seed in the 10,000-meter run (28:45.43).
The rest of the Bisons’ contingent is equally capable of scoring massive team points. Freshman Artem Konovalenko gives Harding a dual threat in the triple jump as the No. 7 seed (15.52m), while junior Everett Mumme pairs with Malykhin in the pole vault at No. 8 (5.30m). Senior Casen Hammitt is a top-10 seed in the javelin (No. 10, 69.48m), sophomore Caledon Ruwende lines up in the 200-meter dash (No. 10, 20.66), and senior Anton Kopytko looks to make noise in the long jump (No. 14, 7.56m).
Bisons Championship Competition Schedule
Thursday, May 21
-
11:00 AM – Women’s Heptathlon (Day 1) | Roselyn Spencer
-
2:30 PM – Men’s Long Jump (Final) | Anton Kopytko
-
3:00 PM – Women’s Pole Vault (Final) | Cadence Sansom
-
5:00 PM – Women’s 4×100 Meter Relay (Prelims) | Kharashchuk, Ngapout, Gomes, Spencer
-
5:55 PM – Women’s 400 Meter Dash (Prelims) | Tetiana Kharashchuk
-
7:10 PM – Women’s 3,000 Meter Steeplechase (Prelims) | Josie Parks
-
8:10 PM – Men’s 10,000 Meter Run (Final) | Benson Lingokal
Friday, May 22
Saturday, May 23
Note: Running events on Thursday and Friday function as qualifiers. Athletes advancing through preliminary heats will compete in track finals on Saturday afternoon.
Live results, broadcast links, and daily recaps will be available throughout the weekend on HardingSports.com.
