Dendinger is aiming for Olympic trials
HARTINGTON — She may have left the college game behind, but Michaela Dendinger definitely has kept her hammer close at hand.
Maybe the former Hartington High School athlete has decided to become the newest version of Thor, but she certainly has made her mark in the hammer throw as a post-collegiate track and field competitor.
Dendinger will graduate from her master’s program at the University of South Dakota this spring, but in the meantime, she continues to throw the hammer as her performances have put her on the cusp of being invited to the United States Olympic trials.
Recently, she captured the event at the Wayne State Invitational with a throw of just shy of 66-feet (she didn’t break her own record held at the meet), but her attempts have been good enough to set her sights on Eugene, Ore., in June.
Dendinger’s best-ever throw is 68-08 - accomplished during her first post collegiate campaign - but last year she believes in non-recorded throws she has that bested.
She is sponsored by Velaasa of Minneapolis, which supports post-collegiate track-and-field and power lifting athletes.
Dendinger said her current best qualifying throw places her around the top 10 and the top 24 get invited to the Olympic Trials in two months.
“There is a good chance I will be invited, but I can’t officially say ‘yes’ I am going,” she said. “Since the season just started and a lot of people haven’t thrown yet, I can’t say I am technically going. I’ll probably go. I probably won’t get an invite until closer to the end of the season, though,” she said.
It’s definitely something that Dendinger admits being excited.
“I have always dreamed about it and the fact that it’s now here and my name is in the running to possibly be on the team, it’s pretty surreal,” Dendinger said. “It’s just for me to continue to work on my technique and better myself mentally and physically to compete.”
To make the Olympic team, she would have to finish in the top three at the trials, essentially throwing above her current rank.
“I just have to hope all my training comes together and I compete well that day,” she said.
The hammer throw and Dendinger have become peas in a pod since her early track and field days.
“I really enjoy competing and have been involved in sports almost my whole life,” she said. “Throwing, I really enjoy having something I personally work so hard for and see my own results. Selfishly put, it’s just up to me.
“I just think it’s a very freeing sport and very self-gratifying.”
Dendinger played volleyball, basketball and softball, along with track and field while in high school.
She moved on to Wayne State College where she competed in track and field until 2018 before matriculating to USD where she is wrapping up her studies in occupational therapy.
Since leaving Wayne State, where she won nine Division All-American honors and two national titles - one in hammer and the other in shot put, her throws in the former have improved since that senior year excellence.
“It is about a six-feet addition from my one year with the 68-08 and hopefully this year I throw much further than that,” Dendinger said.
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