A COLWYN Bay athlete has gained a significant track and field honour for his efforts at an American University.Matty Harding, attended Rydal Penrhos and Ysgol Eirias, is a member of the University of North Carolina Asheville and officially closed out his impressive freshman year by being tabbed as an NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field All-American by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).Harding garnered Honourable Mention All-America accolades in the 800 meters.Jesse Normal, UNC Asheville track and field head coach, said: “I think it’s a great cap to his year to be an Honourable Mention All-American.“It’s super-exciting for him as a freshman and for us as a program. It’s already paying off big for us as a program with everyone seeing him and UNC Asheville in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene on ESPN.“The other exciting element about it is that we can show everybody else on our team that you can go to UNC Asheville and be an All-American. I am excited to see how this all plays out during the fall and the coming years.”Honourable Mention accolades went to those that finished 17th through 24th in their event at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.Running in heat three in the national semi-finals of the 800 meters that were carried live on ESPN, Harding posted a time of 1:49.71 to finish sixth in his heat.The 19-year-old originally advanced to the national semi-finals by posting a personal-record time of 1:47.92 in the national quarter finals of the 800m on Friday, May 26, at the NCAA East Regional Preliminary in Lexington.His time in the national quarterfinals is a school-record and the second-best time in Big South Conference in the 800 meters. Harding enters his sophomore season owning two of the three top times in conference history.