University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Photo by: Luke Lu
UNI track and field: Darius King three-peats as MVC Field Athlete of the Week
5/4/2022 3:57:00 PM | Track and Field
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - UNI track and field's Darius King picked up his third consecutive Missouri Valley Male Field Athlete of the Week honor today.Â
Darius King battled tough weather conditions and the world record holder at the Drake Relays in the elite division of shot put last weekend to earn this week's award.Â
King took fifth in a shot put field that contained Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser. The top three spots in the invitational division went to competitors with top-15 marks in the world: Ryan Crouser, Nick Ponzio and Payton Otterdahl.Â
King threw 19.19 meters (62 feet, 11.5 inches) and continues to lead the conference with a mark that ranks sixth in the nation.Â
The Panther reset his own UNI shot put record with a throw of 20.26 meters (66-5.75) at the Musco Twilight April 23.Â
His first MVC Male Field Athlete of the Week honor came on the heels of teammate Thomas Yezek winning the award April 12 for his performance in discus. King's first honor was after his outdoor season opener, where he threw 19.68 meters to win the Jim Duncan Invitational.Â
King made his third NCAA championship appearance at the 2022 Division I National Indoor Track and Field Championships. He earned second team all-America honors with a 10th-place throw of 19.58 meters in the shot put.
King finished seventh in the 2021 NCAA outdoor championships with a toss of 19.69 meters.Â
He was 12th at the 2021 NCAA indoor championships. He was then invited to participate in the 2020 Olympic Trials, finishing 12th with a toss of 18.43 meters.
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King is a graduate student from Moline, Illinois. He is the son of Reginald and Beverly King. He is majoring in computer science and technology management with a minor in data science.
Male Track - Isaac Basten, So.; DrakeÂ
Isaac Basten delivered one of the most memorable performances by a Drake athlete on Jim Duncan Track to energize the faithful crowd Friday at Drake Stadium. Basten held off Moad Zahafi of Texas Tech in an eagerly anticipated 1,500 showdown, producing the first victory in the event by a Drake male athlete since 1981, edging the Moroccan challenger by a 3:39.11 to 3:39.59 margin. Zahafi entered the meet as the world leader in the 800 at 1:43.69, but Basten closed in 56.47 in comparison to the Texas Tech standout running the final 400 in 57.39. He moved into No. 19 in the nation with that runÂ
Honorable Mention: Jhivon Wilson (Indiana State), Isaiah Trousil (UNI), Jack Slaughter (Loyola), Cole Maguire (Illinois State), Nehemiah Ray (Valparaiso)
Female Track - Iaunia Pointer, So.; Southern Illinois  Â
Iaunia was a two-time winner this past weekend at the Clark Wood Invitational at Louisville She won the 200m dash on Friday with a new personal best time of 23.44. That time is the third fastest time in SIU history and currently ranks first in the MVC for the outdoor season. On Saturday she won the 100m dash with a time of 11.41 (w/3.1). That time also leads the MVC for that event.  Â
Honorable Mention: Katie Nimrod (UNI), Jocelyn Quiles (Indiana State), Petra Cokaric (Loyola), Anna Lowry (Evansville), Rachel Hickey (Illinois State), Calandra Henry (Missouri State), Grace Aurand (Valparaiso)
Female Field - Melissa Parrella, So.; LoyolaÂ
Loyola sophomore Melissa Parrella took another step towards securing a berth to the NCAA West Preliminary on Saturday at the Clark Wood Invitational in Louisville, Ky. On her final attempt of the day, the Graz, Austria product hit on a personal-best leap of 20-01.75 (6.14m), a mark that ranks third all-time in program history, en route to securing a runner-up finish. Parrella's jump from this past weekend extended her lead atop The Valley leaderboard in the event and moved her up to 32nd in the NCAA West Region.Â
Honorable Mention: Brittney Walker (Indiana State), Bri'yanna Robinson (Southern Illinois) Lydia Berns-Schweingruber (UNI), Amni Austin (Illinois State), Jamilah James (Missouri State), Michelle Pierce (Valparaiso)
Darius King battled tough weather conditions and the world record holder at the Drake Relays in the elite division of shot put last weekend to earn this week's award.Â
King took fifth in a shot put field that contained Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser. The top three spots in the invitational division went to competitors with top-15 marks in the world: Ryan Crouser, Nick Ponzio and Payton Otterdahl.Â
King threw 19.19 meters (62 feet, 11.5 inches) and continues to lead the conference with a mark that ranks sixth in the nation.Â
The Panther reset his own UNI shot put record with a throw of 20.26 meters (66-5.75) at the Musco Twilight April 23.Â
His first MVC Male Field Athlete of the Week honor came on the heels of teammate Thomas Yezek winning the award April 12 for his performance in discus. King's first honor was after his outdoor season opener, where he threw 19.68 meters to win the Jim Duncan Invitational.Â
King made his third NCAA championship appearance at the 2022 Division I National Indoor Track and Field Championships. He earned second team all-America honors with a 10th-place throw of 19.58 meters in the shot put.
King finished seventh in the 2021 NCAA outdoor championships with a toss of 19.69 meters.Â
He was 12th at the 2021 NCAA indoor championships. He was then invited to participate in the 2020 Olympic Trials, finishing 12th with a toss of 18.43 meters.
Â
King is a graduate student from Moline, Illinois. He is the son of Reginald and Beverly King. He is majoring in computer science and technology management with a minor in data science.
Male Track - Isaac Basten, So.; DrakeÂ
Isaac Basten delivered one of the most memorable performances by a Drake athlete on Jim Duncan Track to energize the faithful crowd Friday at Drake Stadium. Basten held off Moad Zahafi of Texas Tech in an eagerly anticipated 1,500 showdown, producing the first victory in the event by a Drake male athlete since 1981, edging the Moroccan challenger by a 3:39.11 to 3:39.59 margin. Zahafi entered the meet as the world leader in the 800 at 1:43.69, but Basten closed in 56.47 in comparison to the Texas Tech standout running the final 400 in 57.39. He moved into No. 19 in the nation with that runÂ
Honorable Mention: Jhivon Wilson (Indiana State), Isaiah Trousil (UNI), Jack Slaughter (Loyola), Cole Maguire (Illinois State), Nehemiah Ray (Valparaiso)
Female Track - Iaunia Pointer, So.; Southern Illinois  Â
Iaunia was a two-time winner this past weekend at the Clark Wood Invitational at Louisville She won the 200m dash on Friday with a new personal best time of 23.44. That time is the third fastest time in SIU history and currently ranks first in the MVC for the outdoor season. On Saturday she won the 100m dash with a time of 11.41 (w/3.1). That time also leads the MVC for that event.  Â
Honorable Mention: Katie Nimrod (UNI), Jocelyn Quiles (Indiana State), Petra Cokaric (Loyola), Anna Lowry (Evansville), Rachel Hickey (Illinois State), Calandra Henry (Missouri State), Grace Aurand (Valparaiso)
Female Field - Melissa Parrella, So.; LoyolaÂ
Loyola sophomore Melissa Parrella took another step towards securing a berth to the NCAA West Preliminary on Saturday at the Clark Wood Invitational in Louisville, Ky. On her final attempt of the day, the Graz, Austria product hit on a personal-best leap of 20-01.75 (6.14m), a mark that ranks third all-time in program history, en route to securing a runner-up finish. Parrella's jump from this past weekend extended her lead atop The Valley leaderboard in the event and moved her up to 32nd in the NCAA West Region.Â
Honorable Mention: Brittney Walker (Indiana State), Bri'yanna Robinson (Southern Illinois) Lydia Berns-Schweingruber (UNI), Amni Austin (Illinois State), Jamilah James (Missouri State), Michelle Pierce (Valparaiso)
Players Mentioned
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