2013 - Harding Track Preview

Harding Track and Field Preview

2013 Season – by Don Garrett

What? You say. Why do a profile on Harding, who left the LSC after 5 years of membership to move first to the Gulf South Conference, than 2 years ago to the newly formed Great America Conference. However, the GAC does not have a conference track meet – indoors or outdoors. Harding has spent the past several years as an independent in track and field. Several coaches in the LSC wanted to see the conference host an indoor track championship. The NCAA will help pay for a conference championship, BUT only if there are 6 schools that sponsor that sport in both genders. By adding Harding as an affiliate member, the LSC has 6 schools that will send a men’s team to the new LSC indoor championship – ACU, Incarnate Word, Harding, Eastern New Mexico, TAMU-Kingsville, and West Texas A&M. There will be 8 teams on the women’s side – these 6 schools, plus Angelo which will only send a women’s team indoors and Midwestern, which only fields a women’s team. Voila, Harding re-joins the LSC in track only and the NCAA pitches in more money for both the indoor and outdoor meet. I think it is a good move on part of the LSC office.

That said, I will try to look at a team that has not been on the LSC radar for 12 years.  They have a very solid team, usually a few national qualifiers each year. I think the best way to look at them is to single out key contributors – national qualifiers and top LSC performers, plus some newcomers that should be of great help.

WOMEN – it would appear that they have a chance of breaking into the top half of the conference, both indoors and outdoors. They have some seasoned distance runners and some of the best vaulters in the LSC.

·         Dallis Bailey – Soph from Conway, MO – top 10 LSC 800

·         Brittany Bartelt – So from Elizabethton, KY – top 10 LSC shot put and 2^nd at the Harding Inv outdoor SP last spring

·         Portia Bell – Sr from Pacoima, CA – already a provisional national qualifier indoors in the 200 and 400

·         Tiffany Chambers – Sr from Rogers, AR – provisional qualifier in the vault

·         Kara Dobbs – Jr Transfer from Western Kentucky – top 3 in the LSC in the vault

·         Lydia Gordon – Fr from Vilonia, AR – top 10 in the LSC TJ, but she was also 6^th in the AR 5A 400 last year

·         Tammy Kim- Fr from Temecula Valley, CA – 10^th in the  GAC XC last fall, now ranked in the top 10 in the LSC 400

·         Bailey Pearson – Soph from Bentonville, AR – top 10 in the LSC high jump, plus she was 2^nd last spring in the Harding Bison Inv 400 hurdles

·         Erin Perring – Jr from Guthrie, OK – top 10 in the LSC SP

·         Kathryn Phillips – Fr from Searcy Harding Acad – top 15 LSC 400, top 20 LSC 60 hurdles – at the AR 3A state meet in 2012, she was 2^nd in the 300 hurdles, 3^rd in the 100 hurdles and 5^th in the triple jump

·         Jordan Rapowitz – Fr from Searcy Harding Acad  – top 10 LSC 5K

·         Rachel Roberts – Jr from Guthrie, OK – 13^th in the GAC XC meet last fall, she won the Harding Bison Inv 3K last spring and is ranked in the top 5 in the LSC 3K this winter

·         Kelsey Taylor – Fr from Marietta, GA, Walton – top 15 in the LSC 3K this winter, after finishing a strong 4^th in the GAC XC meet last fall

·         Ewa Zaborowska – So from Poland – last year she was 9^th in the NCAA D-II Indoor 800 and 10^th at the national meet outdoors – already a provisional qualifier in the 3K indoors this eyar

·         The women’s distance medley relay is already a provisional qualifier for the indoor national meet, the only one from the LSC.  That is a pretty well-rounded team that should compete well at the LSC.

MEN – like their women, the Harding men appear to have a well-rounded team with depth in the middle distances, throws and sprints/hurdles

·         Dillon Bagwell – Soph transfer from Azle and North Texas – ranked top 10 in the LSC 400

·         Corey Bassett – Fr from Plano East – 7^th in the 5A 100 last year, already a provisional qualifier for the national indoor meet in the 60

·         Landon Belcher – Jr from Keller – provisional national qualifier in the 400 and ranked top 10 in the LSC 200 & 400

·         Ryan Cagle – So from Nashville’s Lipscomb Academy – ranked top 10 in the LSC shot put

·         Kenny Duong – Fr from Clovis Christian in NM – won the NM 1A SP and is ranked LSC top 10 in the shot

·         Scott East – Fr from Elkins, Ark – 3^rd in the Ark 3A 800, ranked in the LSC top 10 mile

·         Andrew Evans – Fr from Rogers, AR, Shiloh Christian – ranked top 10 LSC 3K-2012

·         Stephen Hedlund – Fr from O’Fallon Christian in MO – in the MO Class 2 state meet, he was 1^st in the 300 hurdles and 2^nd in the 110 hurdles, already ranked in the LSC top 10 in the 60 hurdles

·         Taylor Lively – Jr from Lake Dallas – a strong 800/1500 runner in 2012, he placed 15^th in the Great America Conference XC meet last fall, but has not run yet this indoor season

·         Jacob McDonald – Fr from Rogers, AR – ranked top 10 in the LSC shot put

·         Kevin Naceanceno – Fr from Clovis Christian in NM – ranked top 15 in the LSC 60, he won the NM state meet in the 1A 100, 200 and 400

·         David Pencarinha – Fr from Kingsport, TN – top 10 in the LSC 60 hurdles

·         David Salley – won the South Carolina 3A pole vault for Charleston’s Porter-Gaud HS, but has not competed yet this year

·         Zach Uhiren – So from Cabot, AR – ranked top 10 on the LSC 3K

·         Eric Wilson – Sr from Cerritos, CA – ranked  top 10 in the LSC 800

·         Josh Winslager – Sr from Arlington’s Grace Prep – top 10 in the LSC high jump and pole vault

·         Harding’s 4x400 relay is already a provisional qualifier for the national meet and they appear to be right up there in the conference rankings as well – running 1^st or 2^nd all year

Harding has recruited a good, strong group of newcomers. I think that the Harding women have a better shot at moving into the top 4 in the conference standings, but the men certainly appear to be highly competitive.