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With a fresh bench of 20 newcomers,the Bison tracksters started the 1977season with some new talent. Eighteenreturnees also softened the loss of sevenlettermen to graduation.The Bisons got off to a good start attheir first meet in Arkadelphia. Steve Flattclaimed a first in the shot put and BruceGaither soared 6-4 for a first in the highjump. Phil Hostetler came through with asecond in the 5000-meter run .Travelling on to the meet at Monticello,the tracksters posted seven individual first place finishes taking runneruphonors in the triangular preconferencemeet.In the annual Bison Booster InvitationalRelays, Harding obtained fiveindividual blue ribbons . First places wentto Steve Flatt in the shot put, Tom Jonesin the pole vault, John McAlister in themile and also to the 400-meter relayteam.Harding, serving as host for theArkansas I ntercollegiate Conference meetMay 6, possessed the advantage of havingtrained on the track on which the conferencechampionship would be decided.In the first AIC meet run over metricdistances , with the exception of the milerun , all runners times became initialconference standards. All times wererecorded on an electronic timer.After a two-year absence from theranks of the front runners, OuachitaBaptist University established itself as afavorite to win the meet on the basis of itsqualifying performances in thepre1 iminari es.Harding's traditional strength in thedistance races was supplemented byqualifiers in the sprints and middledistance races . Daryl Bassett qualified inthe 100- and 200-meter dashes, GregShepherd and Mike O'Keefe in the 800-meter run and Rick Stegall in the 400-meter dash.Results of the AIC meet were notexactly what theBison tracksters wou ldhave liked. The Tigers of OBU, aspredicted, roared to t he conferencecrown with 64 points, followed byArkansas Tech with 52 points . Hardingcame in fifth with a score of 28 points.Arkansas Tech's Paul White set a newrecord in the shot put with ameasurement of 61 -2'h . Harding's PerryFraley placed second in the pole vau ltwith a 15-0 vault, setting a new schoolrecord . Other scorers for Harding placedin the discus, shot put, 4OO-meter dash,pole vau lt, high jump, 5000-meter runand the 1600-meter relays but it was notenough and the tracksters foundthemselves ri ght in the middle of thestandings with the season over.•• _ 0_ .4'.""", Track .187.-