Written by Stephanie Gregory
The indoor track season is now underway and the outdoor meets will start in March. Indoor track mainly focuses on individual runners, but this indoor season is showing Steve Guymon, Harding University track coach, that the team will be in good shape for the upcoming outdoor season.
“We have had a really good year so far” Guymon said.
On Feb. 12, the track team traveled to the Iowa State Track and Field Classic. Frank Bolling and Daniel Kirwa both ran NCAA provisional qualifying times. Bolling placed fifth out of 69 runners in the 800-meter. He broke his own personal best as well as Harding’s 800-meter school record with a time of 1 minute 53.04 seconds. In the 2009 season, Bolling beat Harding’s 800-meter record with the time of 1:53.13.
Kirwa competed in the men’s 5000-meter race. He placed ninth out of 30 runners with a time of 14:43.65. Kirwa, a two-time All-American in the indoor 5000 meter, has the ninth fastest 5000 meter time in Division II.
However, the final list of runners competing in the NCAA Indoor Championships will not come out until Feb. 28 when Harding’s distance medley will make an appearance. The distance medley, which is ranked 12 in the nation, consists of Ryan Johnson, Blake Arnold, Frank Bolling and Manase Busienei.
Guymon said he is proud of what his team has accomplished individually in indoor and cannot wait to see what his team has to offer when outdoor season begins.
“As a team we do the best we can and we are really looking forward to competing in the outdoor meets,” Guymon said.
Guymon expects to see big things from Bolling, who runs the 400-meter and is the only senior distance runner on the team. Bolling is currently ranked 10 in his 800-meter time. However, he was unable to race in the 2009 outdoor season.
Kirwa is a four-time national champion. Last season he won the NCAA Division II individual national championship in both the 5000-meter and 10000-meter. He won the 5000-meter with a time of 14:17.05 and the 10000-meter with a time of 29:46.84.
Arnold posted a career-best 400-meter time of 48.56 and had the fastest 400-meter time by a Bison in 2009.
Senior Logan Wheeler competes in the hurdles. Wheeler ran a career best in the 2009 outdoor season with the time of 15.50 in the 110-meter hurdles.
On the women’s side, Guymon is looking at senior distance runner Katy Grant. Grant competes in the steeplechase, 1500-meters and 5000-meters. Last year Grant set a school record in the steeplechase with a time of 10:36.83.
Another Lady Bison to look at this coming season is junior high jumper Dia Gibson. Gibson jumped in six meets last season and took home first at two of them. She finished top ten in every meet she entered.
“Sprinter Corey Howard is doing really well and is someone to look at in the next few years” Guymon said.
Howard is someone that the team is looking at to become a leader in the next few years. Harding has several successes on the track but is gaining more success on the field.
Another promising freshman is Tiffany Chambers. Chambers, who competes in the pole vault, placed third in the Mule Relays at University of Central Missouri on Feb. 6. Chambers bested the school record by almost a foot, vaulting 10 feet and 2 inches.
The next indoor track meet will beat the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., on Feb. 20. The NCAA Indoor Championship will be on March 12 in Albuquerque, N.M.
The outdoor season will kick off on March 20, at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.
