Track season has started and the team has high hopes to have many members qualifying for nationals.
The track team started its season with indoor meets Saturday, Jan. 21, and will continue for the next four weeks to attend meets and focus on qualifying for the indoor national meet March 9 and 10, starting the outdoor season at the end of March.
The team is young this year, said head coach Steve Guymon, but he said he thinks that they have a shot at getting plenty of athletes to qualify.
“Last year we had a pretty successful year for both men and women … we lost a few seniors, but coming into this season they have taken that excitement and it’s showing in their workouts,” Guymon said.
The men’s and women’s teams competed at the ASTATE Invitational Meet on Jan. 27, breaking records and making a qualification for nationals.
Freshman Ewa Zaborowska won the 800-meter in 2 minutes, 14.66 seconds, achieving the sixth fastest 800 time by a Division II runner this season and qualifying her for nationals.
Freshman Dallis Bailey finished seventh in the 800 with 2:21.41.
Senior E. Cathy Ebenja placed fourth in the 55-meter dash in 7.15.
Junior Tiffany Chambers broke her own school record in pole vault, clearing 11-5 3/4, and Rhiannon Roper broke two school records, one in shot put with a 36-7 throw and the other in the weight throw with 40-06 3/4.
On the men’s side, sophomore Taylor Lively ranked fourth in the 800 with 1:58.28.
Senior Milton Stewart placed sixth in the 200 with a time of 22.45.
Sophomore Landon Belcher and junior Kory Howard made the top 10 in the 400, with Belcher finishing ninth at 50.86 and Howard finishing 10th at 50.87. These are personal records for both runners.
Harding’s 4×400 meter relay team; senior Milton Stewart, senior Justin Durham, junior Kory Howard and sophomore Landon Belcher, ranked fourth with a time of 3:22.3.
Harding filled out a full throwing team for the first time, and freshman Eric Rapp broke his own school record in weight throw with a throw of 31-6 1/2.
