Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's Track & Field
Nia Henderson
- Title:
- Assistant Coach (Throws)
- Email:
- lhender1@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.8020
Nia Henderson was hired as an assistant coach to EMU’s track and field throwers Oct. 21, 2024. She is now entering her third season at Eastern in 2026-27.
In Henderson’s second year, Jake McEachern earned All-MAC Second Team honors with his 61.98m (203-4) hammer throw at the 2026 MAC Outdoor Championships. McEachern also qualified for 2026 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships First Round in the hammer throw, while Ray Glory-Ejoyokah qualified in the discus throw.
Also in the outdoor season, Henderson led nine throwers from the men’s and women’s programs to earn program top-10 marks. On the women’s side, Savannah Breitwiser now holds spot No. 3 in the shot put with a throw of 14.31m (46-11.50) and spot No. 6 in the discus throw with a 42.78m (140-4) mark, while Faith Moore and Aleah Johnson sit in spots No. 8 and No. 9 in the hammer throw, with best throws of 51.96m (170-6) and 51.56m (169-2), respectively. For the men, Leland Godfrey is now tied for ninth in the shot put with a toss of 16.96m (55-07.75), Glory-Ejoyokah and Demarrio Roetherford hold spots No. 4 and No. 5 in the discus throw with marks of 55.02m (180-6) and 53.60m (175-10), respectively, while McEachern and Roetherford are sixth and 10th in the hammer throw, as McEachern threw a best 64.29m (210-11), and Roetherford saw a throw of 56.90m (186-8) to earn the spot.
McEachern earned MAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week honors April 14, after receiving two weekly MAC honors in the indoor season.
At the 2026 MAC Indoor Championships, Lukas Ray earned All-MAC Second Team with his shot put throw of 16.42m (53-10.50). Also in the indoor season, McEachern threw a best weight throw of 19.77m (64-10.50) for spot No. 9 in the program rankings.
McEachern earned MAC Men’s Field Athlete of the week Dec. 10, and MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week Jan. 14.
Under Henderson’s guidance, the women saw six indoor program top-10 throws. Lena Korte and Breitwiser earned spots No. 8 and No. 9 in the shot put, with throws of 13.66m (44-09.75) and 13.51m (44-04.00), respectively. In the weight throw, Moore, Nicolette Lewis, Johnson, and Korte all hold spots in the program ranks. Moore earned spot No. 4 with a throw of 18.46m (60-06.75), Lewis sits in sixth with a 17.52m (57-05.75) mark, Johnson is seventh with a toss of 17.38m (57-00.25), and Korte landed spot No. 10 with a 16.59m (54-05.25) heave.
In the 2024-25 outdoor season, Jake McEachern captured EMU’s first title of the Outdoor MAC Championships, winning the hammer throw with a season-best 63.63m (208-9). Also earning all-conference honors was Drew Knieper, who earned silver in the javelin throw with a toss of 59.43m (195-0). Women’s thrower Isabella Brent notched a program top 10 mark with her hammer throw of 57.54m (188-9), earning spot No. 5 in EMU history.
Henderson led both McEachern and Brent to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships First Round in the hammer throw events.
In the indoor season, Henderson saw McEachern earn All-MAC honors with his second place finish in the weight throw 17.99m (59-00.25) at the Indoor MAC Championships. On the women’s side, Faith Moore improved her program top 10 standing as she tosses the women’s program’s sixth-best mark at 16.99m (55-09.00).
Also in the indoor season, two more throwers from the women’s team notched program top 10 spots under the guidance of Henderson, as Aleah Johnson now holds spot No. 7 with a weight throw of 16.95m (55-07.50), and Nicolette Lewis holds spot No. 10 with a weight throw of 16.43m (53-11.00).
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 Henderson’s second year, Jake McEachern earned All-MAC Second Team honors with his 61.98m (203-4) hammer throw at the 2026 MAC Outdoor Championships. McEachern also qualified for 2026 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships First Round in the hammer throw, while Ray Glory-Ejoyokah qualified in the discus throw.
Also in the outdoor season, Henderson led nine throwers from the men’s and women’s programs to earn program top-10 marks. On the women’s side, Savannah Breitwiser now holds spot No. 3 in the shot put with a throw of 14.31m (46-11.50) and spot No. 6 in the discus throw with a 42.78m (140-4) mark, while Faith Moore and Aleah Johnson sit in spots No. 8 and No. 9 in the hammer throw, with best throws of 51.96m (170-6) and 51.56m (169-2), respectively. For the men, Leland Godfrey is now tied for ninth in the shot put with a toss of 16.96m (55-07.75), Glory-Ejoyokah and Demarrio Roetherford hold spots No. 4 and No. 5 in the discus throw with marks of 55.02m (180-6) and 53.60m (175-10), respectively, while McEachern and Roetherford are sixth and 10th in the hammer throw, as McEachern threw a best 64.29m (210-11), and Roetherford saw a throw of 56.90m (186-8) to earn the spot.
McEachern earned MAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week honors April 14, after receiving two weekly MAC honors in the indoor season.
At the 2026 MAC Indoor Championships, Lukas Ray earned All-MAC Second Team with his shot put throw of 16.42m (53-10.50). Also in the indoor season, McEachern threw a best weight throw of 19.77m (64-10.50) for spot No. 9 in the program rankings.
McEachern earned MAC Men’s Field Athlete of the week Dec. 10, and MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week Jan. 14.
Under Henderson’s guidance, the women saw six indoor program top-10 throws. Lena Korte and Breitwiser earned spots No. 8 and No. 9 in the shot put, with throws of 13.66m (44-09.75) and 13.51m (44-04.00), respectively. In the weight throw, Moore, Nicolette Lewis, Johnson, and Korte all hold spots in the program ranks. Moore earned spot No. 4 with a throw of 18.46m (60-06.75), Lewis sits in sixth with a 17.52m (57-05.75) mark, Johnson is seventh with a toss of 17.38m (57-00.25), and Korte landed spot No. 10 with a 16.59m (54-05.25) heave.
In the 2024-25 outdoor season, Jake McEachern captured EMU’s first title of the Outdoor MAC Championships, winning the hammer throw with a season-best 63.63m (208-9). Also earning all-conference honors was Drew Knieper, who earned silver in the javelin throw with a toss of 59.43m (195-0). Women’s thrower Isabella Brent notched a program top 10 mark with her hammer throw of 57.54m (188-9), earning spot No. 5 in EMU history.
Henderson led both McEachern and Brent to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships First Round in the hammer throw events.
In the indoor season, Henderson saw McEachern earn All-MAC honors with his second place finish in the weight throw 17.99m (59-00.25) at the Indoor MAC Championships. On the women’s side, Faith Moore improved her program top 10 standing as she tosses the women’s program’s sixth-best mark at 16.99m (55-09.00).
Also in the indoor season, two more throwers from the women’s team notched program top 10 spots under the guidance of Henderson, as Aleah Johnson now holds spot No. 7 with a weight throw of 16.95m (55-07.50), and Nicolette Lewis holds spot No. 10 with a weight throw of 16.43m (53-11.00).
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 |
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| 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) | ||
Wednesday, June 17
Tuesday, April 21
Monday, December 01
Monday, December 01
