MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mother Nature spared much of Thursday's second day action at the 2024 Great American Conference Men's Track & Field Championship as a handful of brief downpours served as the only dampening of what was forecasted to be tournament-altering weather. However, the Decathlon field was not spared from the consistent presence of graduate Connor White who grabbed the top spot on the podium besting ten other competitors with a ten-event score of 5,506 points. White's individual title win earned SAU its first of the championship and gave the Muleriders ten points twoards their two-day total of 35.

In the remaining five events of the Decathlon, White opened action with a fifth-place finish in the 100m hurdles (17.82) and followed with a fourth-place showing in the discus (27.00m). White's best effort of the day came in the pole vault where he logged the second-highest reach at 3.93m. He placed third in the javelin (39.07m) and sixth in the 1500m (5:01.61) to finish 24 points ahead of the second-place competitor.

Jeremy Jackson placed seventh in the event to claim two points. Jackson's third-place finish in the 100m hurdles (16.90) highlighted his afternoon.

Derrick Onyeador and Jeremy Jackson both scored for Southern Arkansas in the high jump. Onyeador finished tied for fourth at 1.83m to claim 4.5 points, while Jackson finished tied for eighth at 1.78m to grab a half point.
Onyeador added six more points for the Muleriders with a third-place showing in the long jump. He earned All-GAC First Team honors after landing 7.10m.

Korbin McAuliffe launched a fifth-place finishing throw of 51.87m in the javelin to earn the Muleriders' four points. The finish gives McAuliffe All-GAC Second Team honors.

Brandon Sofi qualified for Friday's 110m hurdles. He ran 15.50 to finish seventh in Thursday's qualifying.

Bryson Johnson ran the second-fastest 100m time on Thursday at 10.70 to qualify for Friday's finals. He will also compete in the finals of the 200m after recording the fourth-fastest time at 21.71. Teammates Travon Johnson (21.99) and Dezmand Bryant (22.05) will join him.

Southern Arkansas enters day three 52 off of Harding's lead and just four back of third place. Tournament Central can be accessed at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.