Over the past 10 years, Harding sports have evolved, received national recognition and paved the way for future generations as the new decade approaches.
\nHead Men\u2019s Basketball Coach and Athletic Director Jeff Morgan has been at Harding for 27 years, and in 2011, he watched Harding move from the Gulf South Conference (GSC) to the Great American Conference (GAC).
\n\u201cIn 2011, the men\u2019s basketball team finished 25-5, was nationally ranked and won the GSC Championship while being named the GSC West Division Team of the Decade,\u201d Morgan said.
\nThis wasn\u2019t the only division change made during the decade. In 2013, Abilene Christian University moved up to Division I, so Harding was no longer in competetion with the Wildcats.
\nThe communication department assisted the athletic program as it made strides in technological advances, allowing people from near and far to keep up with sports. Asstistant professor of communication Tim Hamilton said he believed the incorporation of new cameras changed the way sports were covered.
\n\u201cThe addition of wireless cameras for our football and basketball productions have been the biggest change,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cMany of the games were produced with just a single camera. Now we use four cameras for football and basketball; multiple cameras for soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball; and we added the all-important centerfield camera in softball a few years ago.\u201d
\nAssistant athletic director Brenda Seawel has spent the past 11 years in the athletics department and said the program has improved drastically since she\u2019s been there.
\n\u201cOur student athletes are competing at a higher level and continue to improve in all areas,\u201d Seawel said.\u201cWe are also grateful for several new facilities that definitely enhance our programs.\u201d
\nSuch facilities include the Huckeba Field House in 2019, the renovation of the Rhodes-Reaves Field House in 1949, and installation of the practice gym, and new lights added to the baseball and softball fields.
\nSome of the most memorable moments in Harding sports have been the level of competition on a national level.
\n\u201cFootball making their run to the national semi finals, women\u2019s basketball reaching the Final Four, softball team hosting the Super Regional and one game away from the College World Series, and volleyball\u2019s outstanding season last year with numerous individuals in our individual sports having success as well,\u201d Morgan said.
\nIn 2013, the Rhodes-Reaves Field House was voted \u201cBest Road Trip Destination in College Basketball\u201d and was featured on CBS, which Hamilton and Morgan said was one of their favorite memories in Harding sports.
\nWhile memories have been made through the past 10 years and records have been broken, there is still history to be made. This can be seen with junior fullback Cole Chancey.
\nChancey was nominated as a finalist for the Harlon Hill award, which recognizes the best player in Division II football. He is the first Harding player ever to rush for more than 1,300 yards in two different seasons. The last time a student was nominated for this award was David Knighton 12 years ago.
\nHarding looks for success in the future not only on, but off the field. Ending the decade ranked 2nd in the GAC for men\u2019s athletics and 3rd in women\u2019s athletics, Harding is competing at a very impressive level. It\u2019s been a great decade for our Harding Bisons, and it\u2019s exciting to see what the next decade holds. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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