University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Wednesday, June 9
Eugene, OR
University of Northern Iowa
at
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Photo by: Dayton Hammes
King Gears Up for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
6/7/2021 5:10:00 PM | Track and Field
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI shot-putter Darius King has his sights set on the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships after punching his ticket to Eugene, Oregon in the men's shot put category at the NCAA West Preliminary Round on May 26. The men's shot put is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT (9:10 p.m. CT) on June 9. King is slated to throw in the first of two flights.
King qualified for the NCAA Championships after finishing fourth at the NCAA West Prelims in College Station, Tex., posting a toss of 20.08m. The toss matched the mark he recorded at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships to earn gold in the event.
The Moline, Ill. native ranked sixth in the West Region and ninth in the NCAA after setting a new UNI school record with a toss of 20.14m at the Gibson Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. on April 16. The previous UNI record was 19.36m (63' 6.25"), set in 2016 by Justin Baker.
King now holds the UNI school record for the indoor and outdoor shot put, with tosses of 20.06m and 20.14m, respectively. He also holds the MVC Championship meet record for the indoor shot put (19.77m). All three records were broken over the course of the 2021 season.
Scouting the Competition
The nation's top 24 competitors, including King, will face off in Wednesday's event. Leading the pack is Arizona State's Turner Washington, who posted a mark of 20.74m to break the E.B. Cushing Stadium facility record during the West Prelims. The previous facility record of 20.33m was set by Texas' Adrian Piperi on April 6, 2019. Piperi, who placed second at the West Prelims, is the third seed with a season-best mark of 20.23m, while Michigan's Andrew Liskowitz holds the second seed with a toss of 20.28m, recorded at the East Prelims. Jordan Geist, representing Arizona, is fourth, with a seed mark of 20.11m. King rounds out the top five with the mark of 20.08m. Joining King in representing the MVC will be Drake's Adam Kessler, who is the ninth seed with a toss of 19.53m. Alabama, Michigan, and Kentucky each have two contenders in the field.
The Field of 24
1. Turner Washington – Arizona State – 20.74m
2. Andrew Liskowitz – Michigan – 20.28m
3. Adrian Piperi – Texas – 20.23m
4. Jordan Geist – Arizona - 20.11m
5. Darius King – Northern Iowa - 20.08m
6. Isaac Odugbesan – Alabama – 19.79m
7. Zack Short – Idaho - 19.71m
8. Jordan West – Tennessee – 19.60m
9. Adam Kessler – Drake – 19.53m
10. Connor Bandel – Florida – 19.52m
11. Kristoffer Thomsen – North Dakota State – 19.47m
12. McKay Johnson – USC – 19.38m
13. Burger Lambrechts Jr. – Nebraska – 19.33m
14. John Meyer – Michigan – 19.33m
15. Jonah Wilson – Washington – 19.21m
16. Kyle Mitchell – Liberty – 19.20m
17. Eric Favors – South Carolina – 19.06m
18. Kyle Atkinson – Minnesota - 19.03m
19. Matthew Katnik – USC - 19.01m
20. Daniel McArthur – North Carolina – 18.98m
21. Michael Shoaf – Notre Dame – 18.91m
22. Josh Sobota – Kentucky – 18.75m
23. Charles Lenford Jr. – Kentucky – 18.72m
24. Santiago Basso – Alabama – 18.67m
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will run from June 9-12. Wednesday's broadcast coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU and 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Thursday's coverage will start at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, while Friday's coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN 2. Saturday's coverage will start at 6:00 p.m. ET. All field events will be shown on ESPN3 and available to stream live on Watch ESPN.
King qualified for the NCAA Championships after finishing fourth at the NCAA West Prelims in College Station, Tex., posting a toss of 20.08m. The toss matched the mark he recorded at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships to earn gold in the event.
The Moline, Ill. native ranked sixth in the West Region and ninth in the NCAA after setting a new UNI school record with a toss of 20.14m at the Gibson Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. on April 16. The previous UNI record was 19.36m (63' 6.25"), set in 2016 by Justin Baker.
King now holds the UNI school record for the indoor and outdoor shot put, with tosses of 20.06m and 20.14m, respectively. He also holds the MVC Championship meet record for the indoor shot put (19.77m). All three records were broken over the course of the 2021 season.
Scouting the Competition
The nation's top 24 competitors, including King, will face off in Wednesday's event. Leading the pack is Arizona State's Turner Washington, who posted a mark of 20.74m to break the E.B. Cushing Stadium facility record during the West Prelims. The previous facility record of 20.33m was set by Texas' Adrian Piperi on April 6, 2019. Piperi, who placed second at the West Prelims, is the third seed with a season-best mark of 20.23m, while Michigan's Andrew Liskowitz holds the second seed with a toss of 20.28m, recorded at the East Prelims. Jordan Geist, representing Arizona, is fourth, with a seed mark of 20.11m. King rounds out the top five with the mark of 20.08m. Joining King in representing the MVC will be Drake's Adam Kessler, who is the ninth seed with a toss of 19.53m. Alabama, Michigan, and Kentucky each have two contenders in the field.
The Field of 24
1. Turner Washington – Arizona State – 20.74m
2. Andrew Liskowitz – Michigan – 20.28m
3. Adrian Piperi – Texas – 20.23m
4. Jordan Geist – Arizona - 20.11m
5. Darius King – Northern Iowa - 20.08m
6. Isaac Odugbesan – Alabama – 19.79m
7. Zack Short – Idaho - 19.71m
8. Jordan West – Tennessee – 19.60m
9. Adam Kessler – Drake – 19.53m
10. Connor Bandel – Florida – 19.52m
11. Kristoffer Thomsen – North Dakota State – 19.47m
12. McKay Johnson – USC – 19.38m
13. Burger Lambrechts Jr. – Nebraska – 19.33m
14. John Meyer – Michigan – 19.33m
15. Jonah Wilson – Washington – 19.21m
16. Kyle Mitchell – Liberty – 19.20m
17. Eric Favors – South Carolina – 19.06m
18. Kyle Atkinson – Minnesota - 19.03m
19. Matthew Katnik – USC - 19.01m
20. Daniel McArthur – North Carolina – 18.98m
21. Michael Shoaf – Notre Dame – 18.91m
22. Josh Sobota – Kentucky – 18.75m
23. Charles Lenford Jr. – Kentucky – 18.72m
24. Santiago Basso – Alabama – 18.67m
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will run from June 9-12. Wednesday's broadcast coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU and 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Thursday's coverage will start at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, while Friday's coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN 2. Saturday's coverage will start at 6:00 p.m. ET. All field events will be shown on ESPN3 and available to stream live on Watch ESPN.
Players Mentioned
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