Wayne State’s throwing standout Michaela Dendinger and her coach, Brett Suckstorf, both earned national honors this week.
Dendinger added another postseason honor to her listing of awards Tuesday as she was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Central Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year. She joins Carly Fehringer (2013) and Sara Wells (2014) as past Wildcat recipients of the Coaches’ Region Athlete of the Year Award.
Last week, Dendinger was named the NSIC Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year for a second straight season. She won the conference triple crown in throws for the second straight year at the NSIC Outdoor Championships in Winona, Minn. on May 12, winning the shot put, discus and hammer throw. She set a new NSIC meet record by winning the shot put at 54 feet, 3 3/4 inches, and also took first in the discus (166-6) and the hammer throw (203-3).
During the regular season, Dendinger was named NSIC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week five out of six times and won the award 11 of 12 weeks over the last two seasons.
She enters the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend in Charlotte, N.C., with three NCAA automatic qualifying marks, ranked first nationally in the shot put (54-3 3/4), second in the hammer throw (205-10) and sixth in the discus (175-0).
Suckstorf was selected Tuesday as the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Central Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year. It’s the third time that Suckstorf has received Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors from the coaches’ association, adding to awards he won in 2012 and 2014.
Suckstorf, in his eighth year at Wayne State, coached Wildcat women throwers to three NSIC championships and six national qualifiers in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. Wildcat throwers scored 45 of Wayne State’s 50 points at the NSIC Outdoor Championships.
Under Suckstorf, Wayne State College women’s track and field has had at least one All-American thrower five of the last six seasons.
