East Central University Athletics

Podium Finishes Highlight Men’s Track & Field Effort at GAC Championships

5/3/2026 5:50:00 PM

SEARCY, Ark. – The East Central University men's track & field team closed out its regular-season at the Great American Conference Championships April 29–May 1, highlighted by strong distance performances and key scoring efforts across the meet. The three-day meet was hosted by Harding University, who also secured the team title.
 
Donald Kipsang led the way for the Tigers, turning in a standout weekend with a runner-up finish in the 800 meters (1:52.35) to earn eight points. He added two third-place finishes in the 1,500 meters (3:53.15) and 5,000 meters (14:48.20), contributing significantly to ECU's team total.
 
Freshman Josh Horne paced the Tigers in the sprints with an impressive showing, placing third in the 200 meters (21.11) to score six points and adding a fifth-place finish in the 100 meters (10.69) for four more. Horne also played a key role on both relay teams, helping the 4x100-meter relay to a fifth-place finish (41.93) and the 4x400-meter relay to sixth (3:21.83).
 
ECU's distance group added depth behind Kipsang. Bhekizulu Khumalo scored with a seventh-place finish in the 5,000 meters (14:50.99) and also competed in the 1,500 meters (3:59.56) and 10,000 meters (32:17.35). Brian Mitei placed eighth in the 800 meters (1:57.40) to score a point and added a 10th-place finish in the 1,500 meters (3:57.91). Freshman Emmanuel Kemboi earned two points with a seventh-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:32.95) and also competed in the 5,000 meters (15:15.82).
 
In the field events, Gustin Snodgrass scored in two events, placing seventh in the javelin (51.60 meters) and seventh in the high jump (1.79 meters).
 
Additional performances included Ryan Owens leading ECU in the 400-meter preliminaries (50.34), along with efforts from Samuel Brown and Jeremiah Rice. Eddie Jennings competed in both the 100 meters and long jump (6.44m), while Lee Cobb added a mark in the long jump (6.18m).

Highlighting ECU's success in the classroom, Harley Cobb, Cade Duvall, and Huston Holder were named to the GAC Academic Honor Roll for their excellence in the classroom.
 
With the conference meet complete, the Tigers now wait for one final opportunity to qualify for the NCAA D2 Outdoor National Championships.