TFRRS Profile (For full results and PRs)
Awards/Accolades
-2024 NCAA Outdoor Second Team All-American
-2x Big South Field Athlete of the Year (2020-21 & 2023-24)
-2021 Big South Freshman of the Year
-4x USTFCCCA All-Academic Honoree (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
-2x CSC Academic All-District Honoree (2022-23, 2023-24)
-3x Big South Outdoor Shot Put Champion (2021, 2023, 2024)
-3x Big South Outdoor Discus Champion (2021, 2023, 2024)
-2x Big South Indoor Shot Put Champion (2019-20, 2023-24)
-8x Outdoor Big South Field Athlete of the Week (Apr. 7, 2021, Mar. 24, 2022, Apr. 13, 2022, Apr. 20, 2022, Mar. 21, 2024, Mar. 27, 2024, Apr. 10, 2024, Apr. 24, 2024)
-7x Indoor Big South Field Athlete of the Week (Jan. 15, 2020, Feb. 10, 2021, Mar. 21, 2023, Jan. 26, 2022, Feb. 22, 2023, Feb. 7, 2024, Feb. 21, 2024)
Personal Records (Outdoor)
SP: 19.12m (Big South/HPU Record)
DT: 59.57m
HT: 49.85m
JV: 59.93m
Personal Records (Indoor)
SP: 18.88m
WT: 17.42m
2024 (Outdoor):
- Claimed Second-Team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships following his 18.82 performance in the shot put, becoming HPU's first-ever men's outdoor track & field All-American in the event as well as the Big South's first shot put All-America since 2013.
- Finished 9th at the NCAA East First Round in men's shot put with a Big South and school-record throw of 19.12m.
- Also competed in the discus at the NCAA East First Round and placed 35th with a 51.77m throw.
- Crowned the Big South Outdoor Champion in the shot put and discus becoming the first men's student-athlete in Big South history with three career individual titles in both events and won the shot put with a Championship Meet-record and facility-record 18.77m.
- In his first meet of the outdoor season he threw 18.25m at the Beach Opener hosted by Long Beach State and set the meet record.
- A five-time winner in the shot put during the season, in addition to two victories in the discus.
- Threw the hammer at two meets with a season best 46.59m at the Big South Championships.
- Competed in 14 meets during the outdoor season.
2023-24 (Indoor):
- Competed in eight indoor meets.
- Crowned the Big South Shot Put Champion with a 18.63m throw.
- Recorded a season-best distance of 16.89m in the weight throw at the Conference Championship to earn points with his fourth-place finish.
2023 (Outdoor):
- Qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the shot put and discus for the second time in his career.
- Was crowned the Big South Shot Put and Discus Champion throwing a season-best 18.00m in the shot put and 52.56m in the discus.
- Finished fifth at the Big South Championships in the javelin after throwing 53.16m to contribute points.
- Threw a season-best 58.08m in the discus at the Meet of Champions to place first.
- Threw a personal-best 49.85m in the hammer throw at the Meet of Champions.
- Placed first in the shot put three times and the discus three times.
2022-23 (Indoor):
- Competed in six meets during the 2022-23 indoor season.
- Competed in his first meet back from injury at the Dick Taylot Carolina Challenge in the shot put and placed first with a 17.10m throw.
- Runner-up at the Big South Championships in the shot put with a 17.87m throw.
- Placed fourth at the Big South Championships in the weight throw with a 16.11m throw to score points for the team.
2022 (Outdoor):
- Placed 1st in the Discus at the Bob Davidson Memorial Meet, with a mark of 59.57m (3/18).
- Finished 2nd in the Shot Put at the Duke Invitational, with a mark of 17.86m (4/9).
- Placed 5th in Hammer Throw at the Meet of Champions, with a new personal best of 49.22m , also placed 1st in the Discus with a throw of 56.97m (4/16).
- Ended his season the week before the Conference Championship with a torn Achilles.
2021-2022 (Indoor):
- Placed 2nd in the Shot Put at the Liberty Kickoff Meet, with a mark of 17.62m (12/3)
- Finished 1st in the Shot Put at Brant Tolsma Invitational, with a new personal best mark of 18.88m (1/22)
- Placed 1st in the Shot Put at Camel City Invitational, with a mark of 18.52m (2/4)
- Placed 1st in Shot Put at Big South Championships, with a mark of 18.25m, also placed 3rd in Weight Throws with a new personal best of 17.42m (2/25)
2021 (Outdoor):
- Placed 1st in Discus at the Perry Palooza Early Bird Classic, with a mark of 54.90m (2/27)
- Van Niekerk made Big South history as he set a new personal best, meet record, facility record, and tied the all-time Big South record in the shot put. His mark of 18.67m earned him a Big South Individual championship.
- Van Niekerk earned the honor of Big South Freshman of the year after a dominating week in several throwing events.
- Van Niekerk finished first in both the shot put and the discus. Earlier in the week, Van Niekerk finished in the Javelin with a personal-best mark of 59.93m and finished first in the discus with a mark of 55.42m.
2020-2021 (Indoor):
- Placed 2nd in the Shot Put at Liberty Elite Invitational, with a mark of 17.43m (1/23)
- Placed 1st in the Shot Put and Weight Throw at the VMI Winter Relay, with a SP mark of 17.39m and WT mark of 15.86m (1/29)
- Placed 1st in Shot Put at the Brant Tolsma Invitational, with a mark of 17.97m (2/6)
- Placed 3rd in the Weight Throw at the Darius Dixon Memorial with a mark of 16.10m (2/13)
2020 (Outdoor): Canceled Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
2019-2020 (Indoor):
- Competed in seven meets this season
- Placed third in the shot put at the Dick Taylor Carolina Challenge (1/11)
- Runner up in the shot put with a personal record throw of 17.39m at the Carolina Challenge (1/31-2/1)
- Finished third in the shot put at the Camel City Invitational (2/7-8)
- Set a personal record of 15.38m in the weight throw on the way to a third place finish at the JDL College Team Challenge (2/13)
- Champion in the shot put at the Big South Indoor Championships (2/28-29).
Prior to HPU: 2018 Provincial Shot Put and Javelin Champion... Junior Discus Bronze Medalist at Nationals in 2019... Junior National Shot Put Champion in 2019... 2019 Junior African Champion in Discus and Silver Medalist in Shot Put
