Written by Morgan Wrigley // Photo by Macy Cox
The men’s and women’s track and field teams participated in their first outdoor meet at the University’s new track facility last weekend at the Harding Multi and Invitational.
The two-day meet consisted of the heptathlon and decathlon Friday, March 17, and the rest of the track and field events Saturday, March 18.
This meet was the first meet the teams hosted at their new facility.
“We just started practicing there a couple of weeks ago,” senior Jenna Akins said. “It’s amazing. Everything is just very new, and so it’s fun to break it in and also just be in a place where everything’s up to date.”
Akins said in the old practice facility, it was difficult to do a full workout because the space was in close proximity to the football facility.
“It’s been nice to do everything to its full capacity and work as hard as we can,” Akins said.
Akins added that the new facility is not just beneficial for Harding athletes.
“It’ll be exciting even for the other athletes who come because any new facility is good to run on because it’s not worn,” Akins said.
Senior Sierra White said she was also excited to use the facility.
“We’ve gotten used to practicing and we’re ready to actually compete on it,” White said. “I’m specifically excited for the pole vault side of it because now we have a pole vault pit that can go any direction that we need it to go. … You don’t have to worry about wind or things like that causing problems with the actual track.”
Senior Dak Bush said the new track felt fast, and the new setup made a difference in the atmosphere.
“The best part is that the fans get to sit closer to the athletes,” Bush said.
Akins said home meets are always special because it provides more of an opportunity for the Harding community to come support the team.
“It’s on our home ground,” Akins said. “We want to not only show our competitors what we’re capable of, but the rest of the Harding community … They can come and watch, and faculty members and students can come, and our friends can come watch. You can feel the togetherness of being at a home meet compared to away.”
White added that this meet following Harding’s success at the indoor national tournament made the team even more excited about the outdoor season.
“We’re coming off of having five All-Americans, coming back and starting the meet, starting the outdoor season right,” White said.
The men’s and women’s track teams both had success at the meet, with 10 event wins for the women’s track team and 11 for the men’s.
The team will travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to compete in the Ole Miss Classic this weekend.
