MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Harding senior Wojciech Kopec ran the first NCAA II outdoor provisional time by a Bison this season in winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Rhodes Invitational on Saturday. Harding also picked up event victories in the high jump and 4x400-meter relay.
 
Kopec, a native of Hrubieszow, Poland, won the steeplechase in 9 minutes, 14.86 seconds, the third-fastest time in Division II this season. Kopec placed 15th in the steeplechase at the national meet last season.
 
Senior Logan Callier of Rockwall, Texas won the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 4 inches. It was his third career event victory and first since winning at Rhodes last season.
 
Harding's 4x400-meter relay team of Kory Howard, Landon Belcher, Jacek Dybowski and Milton Stewart defeated 11 other teams with a time of 3:16.86, the best time run by the quartet this season.
 
Harding's top performance in the sprints came from Howard, a junior from Vilonia, Ark., who placed third of 40 runners in the 200 meters in a personal-best 22.30.
 
Harding also performed well in the middle distance races. Senior Justin Durham, a native of Memphis, was fourth in the 800 meters in 1:57.97, and sophomore Taylor Lively of Lake Dallas, Texas, was third in the mile in a personal-best 4:20.56.
 
In the other field events, Harding picked up a second-place finish from sophomore Josh Winslager in the pole vault (13-11.25) and sixth-place finishes from freshman Ryan Cagle in the shot put (41-02.50) and junior Kyle Kinser in the discus (138-11).
 
Harding will be back in action next Saturday at the Ole Miss Invitational in Oxford, Miss.