Stanford's King, Arizona's Noennig named Pac-12 track & field top scholar-athletes

EUGENE, Ore. - Stanford's Keyshawn King and Arizona's Samantha Noennig were named the 2022 Pac-12 Track & Field Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the league office announced Saturday prior to the start of the second day at the conference championships. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes who are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

A seven-time All-American (six first team), Noennig is wrapping up her career at Arizona while she pursues her master's in public health with an emphasis in family and child health and maintains a 4.0 grade-point average. A two-time NCAA champion who won both indoor and outdoor shot put titles in 2019, Noennig graduated from Arizona State with a 4.0 grade-point average and a health sciences bachelor's degree. The two-time Pac-12 shot put champion (2019, 2021) owns a collegiate best of 59-10.5 (18.25m) from Feb. 2021, which is a Wildcat indoor record and places her No. 8 on the Pac-12's all-time performers' list (indoor and outdoor). She was also a 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier, reaching the finals in her signature event, and a 2020 CoSIDA first-team Academic All-American. Her outdoor season-best of 57-7.5 (17.56m) is ranked seventh in the NCAA.

King is double majoring in psychology and sociology with a concentration in data science, markets and management, and owns a 3.63 grade-point average. In 2021, he became the first active Stanford triple jumper to reach the U.S. Olympic Trials final since 1960. This season, he is ranked No. 12 in NCAA Division I with a Stanford all-conditions record of 53-0 3/4 (16.17m) and his best wind-legal jump of 52-6 3/4 (16.02m) tied the school outdoor record held by three-time Pac-12 champion Darian Brooks. King was a USTFCCCA All-Academic selection in 2021 and a two-time Pac-12 all-academic honoree.

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility), on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year is named in each of the Pac-12’s 24 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. The award was first established during the 2008-09 academic year.

ALSO NOMINATED:
Men – Zach Annanie, WASH; Davonte Burnett, USC; Colin FitzGerald, CAL; Colton Johnson, WSU; Munir Kabbara, UCLA; Steven Neumaier, ORE; Paxton Smith, COLO; Trent Stimac, ARIZ.
Women –  Mina Anglero; CAL; Emily Coombs, WSU; Micaela DeGenero, COLO; Lexi Ellis, ORE; Gwyn George, UCLA; Anna Gibson, WASH; Bailey Lear, USC; Audrey Lookner, OSU; Virginia Miller, STAN; Jorinde van Klinken, ASU; Cara Woolnough, UTAH