Texas Tech University Athletics
Kicinski Named Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year
July 22, 2019 | Track and Field
National champion discus thrower honored as top academic field athlete in the country for the outdoor season.
NEW ORLEANS – A national championship in the discus and a graduate degree from Texas Tech in hand, Duke Kicinski earned another impressive award Monday when the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named him the Men's Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. He is the first Red Raider to receive the award, now in its 13th year, for the outdoor season. He is the second to win the award overall, as Trey Culver took home the distinction of Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year in 2017.
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"What a fabulous way to end your career being the NCAA national champion in the discus and a Scholar Athlete of the Year," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Wes Kittley. "We are all so incredibly proud of Duke."
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Kicinski, whose 2019 campaign counted as his second season in Lubbock, took home the national title in dramatic fashion in Austin. The graduate student was hot right off the bat, placing himself atop the field of 24 through the first two rounds with a mark of 203'-3" (61.96m) – his best throw in over a month. He was surpassed in the next round by a foot by North Dakota State's Payton Otterdahl, a semi-finalist for The Bowerman and the favorite to win the event. Kicinski roared back in the final three throws, though, posting two of over 204 feet with the winning distance coming in at 205'-2" (62.53m). In addition to marking Tech's second individual title in the discus this decade – Julian Wruck won it in 2011 – it tacked on 10 more points to Tech's total to clinch the team title.
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"Everybody was so happy for Duke," said senior sprinter Andrew Hudson after the meet. "The other thrower was on The Bowerman list all year long, and when we found out Duke won it, it was probably a highlight moment for us. Our throws don't get much recognition, but in a moment like that at NCAAs he came through and it was amazing."
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Kicinski, who began the year as the national leader in the discus after a monster 207'-10" (63.34m), ended it right there again with his first NCAA title at the Division I level. The feat makes him the second-ever to win the national title in the discus at both the D-I and D-II level, the only other being none other than his throws coach at Tech, Cliff Felkins.
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Kicinski has been honored academically by the Big 12, too. He is a two-time Second Team member of the Academic All-Big 12 Team. He studied Business Administration at Tech.
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The reigning national discus champion will be back in action for the first time since his title this week as he joins eight other Red Raiders on a trip to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the USATF Championships. The top American-born track stars in the country will compete for selection to don the Red, White and Blue at upcoming international meets.
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"What a fabulous way to end your career being the NCAA national champion in the discus and a Scholar Athlete of the Year," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Wes Kittley. "We are all so incredibly proud of Duke."
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Kicinski, whose 2019 campaign counted as his second season in Lubbock, took home the national title in dramatic fashion in Austin. The graduate student was hot right off the bat, placing himself atop the field of 24 through the first two rounds with a mark of 203'-3" (61.96m) – his best throw in over a month. He was surpassed in the next round by a foot by North Dakota State's Payton Otterdahl, a semi-finalist for The Bowerman and the favorite to win the event. Kicinski roared back in the final three throws, though, posting two of over 204 feet with the winning distance coming in at 205'-2" (62.53m). In addition to marking Tech's second individual title in the discus this decade – Julian Wruck won it in 2011 – it tacked on 10 more points to Tech's total to clinch the team title.
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— Texas Tech Track & Field (@TexasTechTF) June 8, 2019
It was at this moment, with Duke's winning discus launch, we won the whole darn thing. ??
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"Everybody was so happy for Duke," said senior sprinter Andrew Hudson after the meet. "The other thrower was on The Bowerman list all year long, and when we found out Duke won it, it was probably a highlight moment for us. Our throws don't get much recognition, but in a moment like that at NCAAs he came through and it was amazing."
Â
Kicinski, who began the year as the national leader in the discus after a monster 207'-10" (63.34m), ended it right there again with his first NCAA title at the Division I level. The feat makes him the second-ever to win the national title in the discus at both the D-I and D-II level, the only other being none other than his throws coach at Tech, Cliff Felkins.
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Kicinski has been honored academically by the Big 12, too. He is a two-time Second Team member of the Academic All-Big 12 Team. He studied Business Administration at Tech.
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The reigning national discus champion will be back in action for the first time since his title this week as he joins eight other Red Raiders on a trip to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the USATF Championships. The top American-born track stars in the country will compete for selection to don the Red, White and Blue at upcoming international meets.
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