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2018 SEC Indoor Champion (Shot Put)
2018 Indoor First-Team All-American (Shot Put)
2018 Outdoor First-Team All-American (Shot Put)
2017 Indoor First-Team All-American (Shot Put)
2016 Outdoor First-Team All-American (Shot Put)
2018 Second-Team All-SEC (Outdoor Shot Put)
2017 Second-Team All-SEC (Outdoor Shot Put)
2016 Second-Team All-SEC (Indoor Shot Put)
SEC Field Athlete of the Week (3/28/17)
SEC Field Athlete of the Week (1/12/16)
SEC Freshman of the Week (4/28/15)
2015 SEC All-Freshman Team
2015, 2016, 2017 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2018
Indoors: Posted one of the greatest individual seasons in Carolina indoor history… won the SEC Championship, set the Carolina record and finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the shot put… earned victories at the Navy Winter Invitational and the Columbia Challenge… brought home the SEC title, Carolina’s first in the event since 1999, with a school-record throw of 21.33m (69-11 3/4)… that was the ninth-best indoor shot put effort in collegiate history… threw 20.15m (66-1 1/2) to earn the bronze at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Outdoors: Capped off his collegiate career with a record-breaking outdoor season, including another new school record and silver-medal finishes at the SEC and NCAA Championships in the shot put… won regular-season shot put titles at the Tennessee Relays and the USC Open… broke the Carolina outdoor record with a mark of 20.77m (68-1 3/4 ) to finish second at the SEC Championships… was the top finisher at the NCAA East Regional with a final throw of 20.57m (67-4 3/4)… had a wild ride at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, sneaking into the finals in ninth place… once in the finals, he left one final mark at Carolina, throwing 20.57m (67-6) to finish second, just four centimeters short of the national champion… also won the discus title at two meets, the Weems Baskin Invitational and Gamecock Invitational, and was an NCAA Regional qualifier in the event.
2017
Indoors: Won the shot put at the season-opening Clemson Invitational and finished second at the next three events, at Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Clemson… battled through injuries to score for the Gamecocks at the SEC Championships, finishing seventh in the shot put… came back strong at the NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing fifth to earn first-team All-America honors… threw 64-6 at NCAAs, a new indoor career best and the second-best mark in Carolina history.
Outdoors: Earned four event victories, winning the discus at the Spec Towns Invitational and Gamecock Invitational, and taking the shot put at the Gamecock Invitational and Penn Relays… set collegiate PRs at the Penn Relays in the discus (191-11) and the shout put (65-6)… ended the season ranked second in school history in the shot put and fifth in the discus… earned the silver medal at the SEC Championships in the shot put, and also scored with an eighth-place showing in the discus… qualified for the NCAA East Regional in both the discus and shot put, but elected to only compete in shot put… finished seventh at Regionals to earn a second-straight trip to Eugene… placed 19th at the NCAA Championships to end his collegiate season.
2016
Indoors: Finished outside the top two in the shot put just once over the course of seven meets… won the silver medal in the shot put at the SEC Championship after throwing a new personal-best of 18.98 meters (62-3 1/4)… that mark now ranks third in school history, and was the best mark by any Gamecock since 1998… came just 2.5 inches from qualifying for nationals, finishing 18th in the country for the shot put… earned SEC Field Athlete of the Week honors on Jan. 12, after throwing 18.66 meters to win the USC Open… placed second overall at major meets in back-to-back weekends, first at the Armory Invite (Feb. 5) then at the Tyson Invite (Feb. 13).
Outdoors: Earned first-team All-American honors in the shot put after placing seventh overall at nationals with a personal best of 19.43 meters (63-9)… that mark ranks second in school history, behind only Brad Snyder’s 1999 school record of 67-3 1/2… closed the season strong after missing almost two full months due to injury… returned to action just in time for the SEC Championships, and scored for the team in the shot put (4th) and discus (8th) despite the prolonged break from training… qualified for East Regionals in both events, and placed ninth in the shot and 13th in the discus, just one spot shy of making nationals.
2015
Indoors: Returned from a redshirt to excel at the shot put, weight, hammer and discus throws… finished fourth in the shot put at the Armory Invitational with a throw of 57-2… saved his best shot attempt of the season for the SEC Indoor Championship, throwing 59-4 to finish seventh and score for the team… had a top weight throw mark of 61-4 at the Hokie Invite, finishing ninth.
Outdoors: Regional qualifier… threw mainly the shot and discus, but also attempted the hammer… won in back-to-back weeks in the shot, winning the Crimson Tide Invite (60-10) and Bill Carson Invite (57-6 ¾)… at the Crimson Tide meet, his mark was good for sixth-best all time in the event… posted equally solid marks in the discus, with wins at the Bill Carson Invite (165-0) and the Penn Relays (191-3)… in his trip to Penn, his winning throw puts him in fifth place in program history and the best throw by any Gamecock in 16 years… set a new PR at the SEC Championships, finishing fifth overall with a throw of 60-11.25… also competed in the discus at the SECs, finishing 10th… competed in the discus and shot put at the East Regional, finishing 16th and 22nd, respectively.
2014
Redshirted the Winter and Spring seasons…competed at the 2014 USATF Junior Outdoor Championships, narrowly missing bids to IAAF World Junior Championships in the shot put and discus, finishing fourth in the discus with a mark of 191’6″ (58.37m) and third in the shot put with a heave of 62’10 3/4″ (19.17m).
HIGH SCHOOL
Lettered in indoor and outdoor track as well as earning three varsity letters for football at Delsea Regional High School…placed fifth in the discus at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a throw of 185-4…won the shot put at the NJSIAA State Meet of Championships with a mark of 61-1…three-time New Jersey state champion, twice in the discus and once in the shot put…two-time All-South Jersey Track & Field…was also MVP of his high school football team…football team won the 2012 South Jersey Group 3 Championship…boasts personal bests of 192-5 in the discus and 61-6 in the shot put.
PERSONAL
Son of Adeola and Christina Awotunde, Josh was born Olayinka Awotunde…has three siblings, Yomi (22), Joyce (20) and Michelle (10)…considered Oklahoma, Rutgers, Nebraska, East Carolina and UConn, but settled on the Gamecocks because of the great competition, great academics and the opportunity to accomplish great things.
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