Mike Hardbarger broke his own school record on Saturday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Division III Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh by finishing fifth in the 1,500-meters in a blistering time of 3:49.36. He held the lead for nearly the entire race, setting a quick pace.
"Mike came right out and took the lead and set a great, honest pace, running three straight (400-meter laps) 61's (seconds)," said RIT Head Coach Dave Warth. "He has two more years of outdoor track eligibility left. Mike really took a big step up and hopefully this is just the beginning for him."
On Thursday, Hardbarger won his elimination heat in a time of 3:57.26, 28 hundredths of a second faster than second place finisher Andy Hodge of Wartburg College. Hardbarger enjoyed a tremendous season for RIT, having broken a bevy of indoor and outdoor marks.
