Eastern Michigan Athletics
Staff Directory
Henderson, Nia
Nia Henderson
- Title:
- Assistant Coach - Throws
- Email:
- Phone:
- 734.487.8020
Eastern Michigan University Track & Field Co-Directors Chris Best and Sterling Roberts announced the hiring of Nia Henderson as an Assistant Coach Monday, Oct. 21. Henderson will work with the team's throwers. She is entering her first season at Eastern in 2024-25.
In five seasons at Madonna, Henderson coached throwers to 21 NAIA national qualifying performances, nine NAIA All-American Awards, and 11 school records. She was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023. She also played an instrumental role in the Crusaders winning the 2021 NAIA Men's Outdoor National Championship.
In 2018, Henderson founded the Michigan Elite Throws Club (MET), a youth throws club that has quickly become one of the premier youth throwing clubs in the nation. The club has gone on produce highly-successful athletes at the high school level, as MET throwers have gone on to earn titles such as 2024 New Balance National Champion (girl's discus), 2024 Nike Indoor National Champion (girl's weight throw), 2022 Nike Outdoor National Champion (boy's shot put), 2021 Nike Outdoor National Champion (boy's shot put and discus), and 2021 Adidas Indoor National Champion (boy's weight throw).
MET alums have also produced numerous records at the high school level, including the girl's hammer throw Michigan state record, along with sophomore, junior, and senior state records. MET also features athletes who hold the Michigan high school girl's Division I discus state record, and the Michigan high school boy's Division IV state records in shot put and discus. Several of MET athletes have gone on to earn Division I, II, and NAIA track and field scholarships.
Before joining the collegiate coaching ranks, Henderson had coaching stints at numerous Michigan high schools such as Livonia Churchill, Canton, Plymouth, and Salem.
As an athlete, Henderson was an all-state thrower at Livonia Churchill from her sophomore through senior year, winning indoor states her senior year and receiving runner-up at outdoor states, before earning a track & field scholarship to Kent State University. At Kent, Henderson was an NCAA Division I All-American in the weight throw, and earned a fifth-place finish in the 2009 NCAA Indoor National Championships.
She holds personal-best marks of 17.67m (57-11.75) in the shot put, 48.43m (160-3) in the discus, 58.32m (191-4) in the hammer throw, and 20.63m (67-8.25) in the weight throw.
She continued to compete post-collegiately for several years, seeing action in the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, as well as picking up power lifting in 2014, where she ended up being selected to compete in the 2014 Powerlifting World Championship.
Henderson graduated from Kent State with a bachelor's in Business Management/Accounting, and earned her master's in Sport Management from Eastern Michigan University.
In five seasons at Madonna, Henderson coached throwers to 21 NAIA national qualifying performances, nine NAIA All-American Awards, and 11 school records. She was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023. She also played an instrumental role in the Crusaders winning the 2021 NAIA Men's Outdoor National Championship.
In 2018, Henderson founded the Michigan Elite Throws Club (MET), a youth throws club that has quickly become one of the premier youth throwing clubs in the nation. The club has gone on produce highly-successful athletes at the high school level, as MET throwers have gone on to earn titles such as 2024 New Balance National Champion (girl's discus), 2024 Nike Indoor National Champion (girl's weight throw), 2022 Nike Outdoor National Champion (boy's shot put), 2021 Nike Outdoor National Champion (boy's shot put and discus), and 2021 Adidas Indoor National Champion (boy's weight throw).
MET alums have also produced numerous records at the high school level, including the girl's hammer throw Michigan state record, along with sophomore, junior, and senior state records. MET also features athletes who hold the Michigan high school girl's Division I discus state record, and the Michigan high school boy's Division IV state records in shot put and discus. Several of MET athletes have gone on to earn Division I, II, and NAIA track and field scholarships.
Before joining the collegiate coaching ranks, Henderson had coaching stints at numerous Michigan high schools such as Livonia Churchill, Canton, Plymouth, and Salem.
As an athlete, Henderson was an all-state thrower at Livonia Churchill from her sophomore through senior year, winning indoor states her senior year and receiving runner-up at outdoor states, before earning a track & field scholarship to Kent State University. At Kent, Henderson was an NCAA Division I All-American in the weight throw, and earned a fifth-place finish in the 2009 NCAA Indoor National Championships.
She holds personal-best marks of 17.67m (57-11.75) in the shot put, 48.43m (160-3) in the discus, 58.32m (191-4) in the hammer throw, and 20.63m (67-8.25) in the weight throw.
She continued to compete post-collegiately for several years, seeing action in the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, as well as picking up power lifting in 2014, where she ended up being selected to compete in the 2014 Powerlifting World Championship.
Henderson graduated from Kent State with a bachelor's in Business Management/Accounting, and earned her master's in Sport Management from Eastern Michigan University.
| The Nia Henderson File | ||||
| Name: | Nia Henderson | |||
| College: | Kent State - Bachelor's of Business Management Eastern Michigan - Masters of Sport Management |
|||
| Professional Experience | ||||
| Year | School/Team | Position | ||
| 2024-Pres. | Eastern Michigan University | Assistant Coach (Throws) | ||
| 2018-Pres. | Michigan Elite Throws Club | Founder | ||
| 2020-24 | Madonna University | Assistant Track & Field Coach (Throws) | ||
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