Michaela Dendinger Sweeney

Michaela Dendinger Sweeney (2013-18) is the most decorated track and field athlete in school history as a thrower, winning two national championships while earning All-American honors nine times. From Coleridge and a graduate of Hartington Public High School, Dendinger helped the WSC women to four of the all-time best finishes as a team at the NCAA Championships -  ninth in 2015 outdoors, 12th in 2017 and 16th in 2018 to go with 16th place finish as a team in 2018 indoors. Dendinger Sweeney was the 2017 national champion in shot put and 2018 national champ in hammer throw and was a national runner up four times. She was an eight-time NSIC Conference champion. Academically, Dendinger was a Second Team Academic All-American as a junior. Following her career at WSC, Dendinger continued to compete in the hammer throw qualifying for the USA National Indoor Meet in 2019, 2021 and 2022. She was a qualifier for the USA Olympic Trials in the hammer throw in 2021 and a USA National Outdoor Meet qualifier in the hammer in 2018 and 2019. She is now an occupational therapist at CNOS in Dakota Dunes, S.D., and resides in Vermillion, S.D., where she also served as a volunteer assistant throws coach at the University of South Dakota from 2018-22.