The LSU throws group has flourished in two seasons under assistant coach Derek Yush, and 2009 proved to be a banner season for the Tigers and Lady Tigers as the squad made history with its performance during both the indoor and outdoor seasons a year ago.

All-American Walter Henning led the charge with his performance as he put an exclamation point onto the end of an outstanding sophomore season with a national runner-up finish in the hammer throw at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Henning also earned All-America honors during the 2009 indoor season with a fourth-place finish in the 35-pound weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Henning broke a 16-year drought by becoming the first LSU Tiger since David Paddison in 1993 to earn All-America honors in both the weight throw and hammer throw in the same year.

The first-year transfer from North Carolina also made history by becoming LSU’s first Southeastern Conference champion in both the weight throw and hammer throw with his effort at the SEC Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

With Yush’s guidance, Henning cemented his place among the all-time great throwers to wear the LSU uniform as he wrapped up his first season with the Tigers as the school record holder in both the weight throw and hammer throw. Henning shattered the weight throw mark by nearly five feet with a seasonal best of 74-5 ½ before breaking the hammer throw mark by nearly 14 feet with a seasonal best throw of 235-11.

Not only has Henning added the title of All-American to his resume under Yush’s guidance, but he was also crowned World Junior Champion in the summer of 2008 with his gold-medal winning performance in the 6-kg. hammer throw at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, after transferring to LSU from the University of North Carolina. His throw of 252-4 at the IAAF World Junior Championships was an American junior record in the event.

Following his performance as a sophomore, there is no doubt that Henning will help lead the Tigers as an NCAA title contender once again in 2010.

Henning was not the only LSU thrower to earn recognition for a tremendous 2009 season as Anthony Martel and Kim Williams also earned All-SEC honors in their respective events at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Martel finished runner-up in the javelin throw with a new personal best mark of 221-7, while Williams also earned a second-place finish in the hammer throw with a seasonal best mark of 192-3.

Yush also coached a pair of LSU javelin throwers into the NCAA Championships during the 2009 outdoor season as Anna Lyons and Aaron Moore joined Henning in Fayetteville.

Yush has now guided his athletes to a total of three All-America honors during his tenure as the LSU’s throws coach as former Tiger javelin thrower Preston Chatham earned his first career All-America honor during the 2008 outdoor season with a fourth-place finish in the javelin at the NCAA Outdoor Championships while setting a personal best of 234-7.

Yush came to LSU in 2007 after spending the previous eight seasons at the University of Rhode Island, where he coached the men’s throws, jumps and multi-events while also acting as an assistant with the cross country team. Rhode Island enjoyed tremendous success under Yush’s guidance as he helped lead the squad to 11 Atlantic-10 Conference titles from 2001-07, including five indoor and six outdoor crowns.

The Rams also excelled individually on a national level as Yush coached a total of 24 NCAA Regional qualifiers in six events, while also guiding his athletes to 51 Atlantic-10 championships and 15 New England individual titles in eight events during his tenure at the school.

In addition to his experience at Rhode Island, Yush brings head coaching experience to the position as he served as the head men’s and women’s coach at Eastern Connecticut State University from 1998-99. He actually got his start in the coaching profession at ECSU as he was named the assistant sprints, jumps and throws coach in 1997.

During his time at East Connecticut State, Yush helped develop several All-Eastern College Athletic Conference and All-New England performers as well as an All-American long jumper.

The Enfield, Conn., native also served two seasons as an administrative assistant at the University of Connecticut where he served as a team captain and helped lead the Huskies to Big East and New England as a senior. He was a consistent scorer at the Big East Championships and was an Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America performer.

Yush has earned a USA Track and Field Level II Coaching Certificate as he is fully certified to coach sprints, hurdles, relays, jumps, throws and multi-events. He is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist after joining the National Strength and Conditioning Association in 1997. He earned a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Connecticut in May 1997.

His wife, Kristal, is one of the world’s premier hammer throwers as she represented the United States at the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan. She made her first career appearance at the World Championships after winning a silver medal at the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. 

The Yush File

Coaching Experience
LSU
2007-Present – Assistant Coach
Rhode Island
1999-2007 – Assistant Coach
Eastern Connecticut State
1998-99 – Head Coach
1997-98 – Assistant Coach

Records and Achievements at LSU
2 All-American athletes earning 3 All-America honors
9 NCAA Championships qualifiers
1 SEC Champion athlete winning 2 SEC titles
3 All-SEC athletes earning 4 All-SEC honors