Harding sports are locked into preseason as members of Harding track and field, softball, and men’s and women’s basketball teams express their hopes and goals for the upcoming season.
While preparing and learning from preseason, Harding athletes are hoping to take this season to the next level.

Sophomore track and field athlete Anna Bristo said she hopes to improve personally in pole vault and become the best teammate she can be.

“I chose to play for Harding because all the people I talked to before I came said how much of a family they had found within the track team, and I definitely found that,” Bristo said. “I hope that this year, both men’s and women’s track teams win the GAC Championship, and that we have multiple national qualifiers.”

If you talk to any student athlete, they will tell you that playing at Harding means more than just wins and losses.

Men’s basketball coach Jeff Morgan had a lot to say regarding this upcoming season and why his group of young men have a chance to shine.

“I believe that we have a team that plays really well together and plays really hard,” Morgan said. “If we can do those two things, I believe it can be a great year and get us on a great trajectory for the future.”

The team has a lot to prove this season as they have seven new players, three transfers and four freshmen. With only one returning senior, Morgan said they are a very unselfish group with great team chemistry that will only continue to get better.

Junior track athlete Natalie Toney shared her season goals as a long-distance runner and how she views Harding sports as a community.

“My goal for this season is to get my 400-meter hurdle record time down,” Toney said. “Above all, I love the atmosphere of Harding, and I feel like my teammates are my second family.”

With preseason underway for Harding sports, all teams continue to prepare and encourage each other to succeed higher than expected in their given sports on and off the field.