RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Thursday, the Great American Conference announced the results of its 2025 GAC men’s track & field coaches’ poll. Harding received five first-place votes from the league’s head coaches to enter the season as the preseason favorite.

Last season, the Bisons claimed their third-straight GAC Championship title. They went on to place third at the NCAA Championships. Vlad Malykhin won his second national championship in the pole vault. Antiwain Jones has won three-straight GAC Championships in the high jump. Anton Kopytko owns consecutive GAC titles in the long jump, as does Casen Hammitt in the javelin. Spencer Helms returns after he earned a GAC Championship in the discus with a winning throw of 51.71 meters. Malykhin, Jones and Kopytko qualified for the upcoming NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in addition to Savian Bush and Olaolu Olatunde – in the 60-meter dash – plus Kelmen deCarvalho in the heptathlon

Oklahoma Baptist collected two first-place votes and finished second in the balloting. The Bison bring back GAC champions in Boone Bennett, 110-meter hurdles, and Sean Dixon, 400-meter hurdles. They return three – Dixon, Caden Peevey, and Isaiah Willis – from the GAC-winning 4-400 meter relay team. The Bison’s Steven Schmidt qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the heptathlon and the high jump.

Southern Arkansas took third, followed by East Central. The Muleriders bring back 2024 GAC triple jump champion Derrick Onyeador. The Tigers’ Melvin Kipkemboi won three events – the 800, 1,500 and 5,000 – to garner MVP honors and Paul Korir captured the title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Northwestern Oklahoma State placed fifth, followed by Ouachita Baptist and Southern Nazarene.

The 2025 GAC Championships return to Shawnee, Oklahoma with all seven teams competing from Thursday, May 1 through Saturday, May 3.

WWW.GREATAMERICANCONFERENCE.COM

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