Members of Harding University's 2023 football team. Credit: Harding University

On Monday, more than 30 members of Harding University’s 2023 NCAA Division II championship football team were in Washington, D.C., attending an annual event at the White House honoring NCAA athletes.

The event marked Vice President Kamala Harris’ first public appearance since President Joe Biden endorsed her in the 2024 presidential race after a Sunday afternoon announcement that he was dropping out. 

Speaking on the South Lawn with several members of NCAA championship winning teams standing behind her, Harris spoke about Biden’s legacy.

Harding went 15-0 in 2023, winning the first football national championship in program history and its first national title of any kind since its National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics bowling title in 1975. The Bisons went 11-0 in the Great American Conference and defeated Colorado School of Mines 38-7 at the national championship game in McKinney, Texas. The Bisons finished the year with 6,161 rushing yards, a single-season record. No other school in any NCAA division has rushed for more than 6,000 yards in a single season.

Harding, located in Searcy (White County), is the largest private university in Arkansas.

Rhett Brinkley is the food editor at the Arkansas Times. Send restaurant tips and food selfies to rhettbrinkley@arktimes.com