With a fresh bench of 20 newcomers, the Bison tracksters started the 1977 season with some new talent . Eighteen returnees also softened the loss of seven lettermen to graduation . The Bisons got off to a good start at their first meet in Arkadelphia . Steve Flatt claimed a first in the shot put and Bruce Gaither soared 6-4 for a first in the high jump. Phil Hostetler came th rough with a second in the 5000-meter run . Travelling on to the meet at Monticello, the tracksters posted seven indiv idual first place finishes taking runnerup honors in the triangular preconference meet . In the annual Bison Booster Invitational Relays, Harding obtained five individual blue ribbons . First places went to Steve Flatt in the shot put , Tom Jones in the pole vau lt, John McAlister in the mile and also to the 400-meter relay •• _ 0_ .4' team. Harding, serv ing as host for the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference meet May 6, possessed the advantage of hav ing trained on the t rack on which the conference championship would be decided. In the first AIC meet run over metric distances , with the exception of the mile run , all runners times became initial conference standards . All times were recorded on an electronic timer. After a two-year absence from the ranks of the f ront runners, Ouachita Baptist University establi shed itself as a favorite to win the meet on the bas is of its qualifying performances in the pre1iminari es. Harding's traditional strength in the distance races was supplemented by qualifiers in the sprints and middle distance races . Daryl Bassett qualified in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, Greg Shepherd and Mike O'Keefe in the 800meter run and Rick Stegall in the 400meter dash. Results of the AIC meet were not exactly what theBison tracksters wou ld have liked . The Tigers of OBU, as predicted , roared to t he conference crown with 64 points, followed by Arkansas Tech with 52 points . Harding came in fifth with a score of 28 points . Arkansas Tech 's Paul White set a new record in the shot put with a measurement of 61 -2 'h . Harding's Perry Fraley placed second in the pole vau lt with a 15-0 vault, sett ing a new school record . Other scorers for Harding placed in the discus, shot put , 4OO-meter dash, pole vau lt, high jump, 5000-meter run and the 1600-meter relays but it was not enough and the tracksters found themselves ri ght in the middle of the stand ings with the season over. .""", Track .187 .-
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