Tweet #theGAC  EMPORIA, Kansas — Behind a pair of individual national championships from seniors Vlad Malykhin and Yves Bilong, the No. 9-ranked Harding Bisons put together a legendary final day at Welch Stadium to secure a fifth-place team finish at the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The Bisons racked up 43 team points over the three-day event, marking the second-highest point total at outdoor nationals in program history (trailing only the 50 points scored in 2024). The stellar performance earned Harding its third consecutive top-five national team finish, following a third-place finish in 2024 and a fifth-place finish in 2025.

Senior Vlad Malykhin cemented his status as one of the greatest pole vaulters in collegiate history. The Shostka, Ukraine native captured his fourth consecutive outdoor national title—and his eighth national championship overall, including indoor competition—after a dramatic final flight.

Malykhin passed on the early bars before easily clearing 5.26m on his first attempt. After passing 5.36m, Malykhin missed his opening attempt at 5.46m and strategically passed to 5.56m. Faced with a make-or-break final attempt at 5.56m (18-03.00), Malykhin cleared the bar in spectacular fashion.

Harding teammate Everett Mumme and Pittsburg State's Grayson Smith were the only other competitors remaining. After Smith missed and passed, Malykhin stood alone at the top of the podium yet again, earning his fourth outdoor First Team All-America honor. Mumme also delivered an exceptional performance to join Malykhin on the podium in third place with a career best 5.46m (17-11.00), earning First Team All-America status to fuel the Bisons' point surge.

Senior Yves Bilong made program history in the sand pit, becoming the first Bison ever to win an outdoor national championship in the triple jump.

After fouling on his first attempt, the Saint-Gilles, France native took the lead on his second jump with a mark of 15.86m. He then put the competition out of reach on his third attempt, soaring to a national championship-winning distance of 16.16m (53-00.25). Bilong never relinquished the lead, securing his third outdoor First Team All-America honor and fifth overall.

He was joined on the podium by freshman teammate Artem Konovalenko. The Odessa, Ukraine native saved his best for last, climbing to fourth place overall on his fifth attempt with a massive jump of 15.81m (51-10.50). With the fourth-place finish, Konovalenko earned First Team All-America honors, joining Bilong and Tquan Moore as the only triple jumpers in program history to accomplish the feat.

Harding's fifth-place team finish solidifies the Bisons as a national elite, marking only the fourth top-10 outdoor finish in program history (2006, 2024, 2025, 2026). With a combined 57.5 points from the men's and women's teams, the 2026 campaign stands as the most successful collective year in Harding track and field history.