EUGENE, Ore. – In a narrow victory (50.9% - 49.1%) Senior Javonte Byrd from Northwest Christian University has advanced to the second round of the Dark Horse Dunker competition. He is now one of the final eight under-the-radar players competing for a spot in the State Farm College Slam Dunk and Three-Point Championships.
Fans can vote once per day per account at
DarkHorseDunker.com for their favorite player. They can log in and vote with a twitter account, Facebook account, and any verifiable email address.
Round one featured a close win for Byrd, facing off against Chris Waller from Southwestern College. Also an NAIA Division II school, Southwestern boasts an enrollment that is twice the size of NCU’s.
The second round will be an even bigger challenge as Byrd will face Wes Washpun from NCAA Division I Northern Iowa. UNI, a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, has an enrollment of just under 12000 which is 20-times larger than Northwest Christian.
The Dark-Horse Dunker competition is set up as a bracket, with two players going head-to-head every week. Second round voting began Wednesday and continues through 1 p.m. EST on February 24. The player receiving the most votes in each individual matchup will advance to the next round.
Voting will continue over the course of four weeks until a Dark Horse Dunker is crowned. The winner will compete LIVE on ESPN in the State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships, held Thursday, March 31 on Final Four Weekend in Houston, TX.
The Dark Horse Dunker fan vote winner has gone on to win the College Slam Dunk Championship in three of the last five years.
When voting, fans will be prompted to sign in via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or provide their email address to vote. Each individual user can vote once per day, per platform. Fans are also encouraged to like the College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships Facebook Page and their Twitter page to follow the results of the competition.