ONU’s King receives top senior male athlete award for stellar play

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — Levi King (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) is the recipient of Ohio Northern’s Gale Daugherty Outstanding Senior Male Athlete Award for the 2022-23 season.

The award is presented annually to a senior male athlete based upon overall athletic accomplishment. The winner is selected from nominations and votes from male sports head coaches at ONU.

A fifth-year senior during the 2022 season, King led the ONU men’s soccer team to an Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament en route to advancing to the third round and finishing the year ranked No. 13 nationally with 13-4-5 overall record.

King earned a number of accolades for his play this season, which included being named as ONU’s male recipient of the Clyde Lamb Award.

He also earned All-Region VII First Team recognition from United Soccer Coaches after being named to the All-OAC First Team as the conference’s Midfielder of the Year for the second straight season. Additionally, he was named to the OAC All-Tournament Team, All-Ohio First Team, Academic All-Ohio First Team and United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American First Team and Scholar All-Region Team. He was selected as the OAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17.

Now a four-time All-Region selection and five-time All-OAC pick, King recorded at least one point in all nine of ONU’s conference games this season and finished with 22 points on seven goals and eight assists. Those totals ranked tied for fourth, tied for sixth and tied for second, respectively, in the OAC.

King started 94 of his 95 career games at ONU and ranks sixth all-time in points (107) and assists (29) and seventh in goals (39).

The Outstanding Senior Male Athlete Award is named in honor of legendary ONU men’s basketball head coach Gale Daugherty, who compiled a 310-218 record in 20 seasons as head coach of the Polar Bears from 1973 to 1992. The winningest coach in ONU men’s basketball history, Daugherty led the Polar Bears to three OAC championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances and was a three-time OAC Coach of the Year honoree.