Karen Henning Season 2025
Events: Weight Throw (61-10 ½), Hammer Throw (201-0)
CAREER CAPSULE
Graduated from LSU in May 2014 with her degree in kinesiology … Was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier in the hammer throw during her collegiate career while competing at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds from 2012-14 … Was the 2012 SEC Outdoor bronze medalist in the hammer throw to highlight her sophomore season … Finished in fifth place in the hammer throw in 2011 and 2013 and seventh place in 2014 at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Ended her collegiate career with personal bests of 61 feet, 10 ½ inches in the weight throw indoors and 201-0 in the hammer throw outdoors … Ranked No. 3 in the weight throw and No. 4 in the hammer throw on LSU’s all-time performance list at the end of her career … A two-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2012 and 2013.
2014
Ended her collegiate career as an NCAA quarterfinalist in the hammer throw to cap her senior season in 2014 … Threw 189-4 for a 16th-place finish in the quarterfinal round at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds held in Jacksonville, Florida … Scored two points for the Lady Tigers with a seventh-place finish in the hammer throw at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships … Posted a series-best of 183-6 at the conference meet … Recorded a seasonal best of 194-3 in a third-place finish at the LSU Invitational … Opened the outdoor season by throwing 191-8 for a seventh-place finish in the A section at the Texas Relays … Followed by throwing 191-1 in a third-place finish at the Battle on the Bayou … Placed sixth in the hammer throw at the LSU Alumni Gold (176-2) and seventh at both the Penn Relays (187-2) and Hurricane Alumni Invitational (176-10) … Earned a ninth-place finish after qualifying for the final of the 20-pound weight throw at the SEC Indoor Championships … Threw 61-2 ¾ at the SEC Indoor meet … Kicked off the indoor season by throwing back-to-back seasonal bests of 61-5 in a runner-up finish at the Auburn Indoor Invitational and a third-place finish at the Texas A&M Triangular … Posted a series-best of 61-2 for fourth place in the weight throw at the New Mexico Team Invitational … Also competed in the weight throw at the Aggie Invitational (58-5 ¾), Tyson Invitational (58-1) and LSU Twilight (57-10 ¼).
2013
Continued her climb in the school record books as one of the program’s premier performers in the weight throw indoors and hammer throw outdoors … Eclipsed the 200-foot mark in the hammer throw for the first time in her collegiate career with a personal-best mark of 201-0 in a fifth-place finish at the Texas Relays … Posted the No. 4-ranked mark on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list in the women’s hammer throw with her best of 201-0 … Qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds for the second-straight season … Nearly earned a spot in the national semifinals with a 13th-place finish in the hammer throw at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds … Threw 188-9 in her final hammer competition of the season … Scored four points for the Tigers by claiming a fifth-place finish in the hammer final at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships … Threw 185-5 for fifth place at the SEC meet … Won the hammer title at the LSU Alumni Gold with a series-best of 194-9 … Claimed back-to-back second-place finishes at UCLA’s Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational (195-9) and Battle on the Bayou (196-7) during the outdoor season … Also placed fourth at the 119th Penn Relays with a mark of 190-0 … Twice eclipsed the 60-foot mark in the 20-pound weight throw during the indoor season … Smashed her personal best with a seasonal-best mark of 61-10 ½ for second place at the LSU Twilight … Indoor PR of 61-10 ½ was the No. 3-ranked mark on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list at the end of the 2013 season … Threw 60-7 ¾ for seventh place at the Armory Collegiate Invitational … Placed 10th in the weight throw at the SEC Indoor Championships with a throw of 58-7 ½ … Opened the season with a fourth-place finish at the Crimson Tide Indoor Opener (58-2 ½) … Also threw the 20-pound weight at the Texas A&M Triangular (59-10 ½), Razorback Invitational (59-1 ½ ) and Tyson Invitational (58-6) … Was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the second-straight season.
2012
Emerged as one of the elite throwers in the SEC during the 2012 season … Scored six points for the Lady Tigers as the bronze medalist in the hammer throw at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge … Posted a top mark of 193-2 to take third place in the hammer throw at the SEC Outdoor meet … Was a catalyst in the Lady Tigers winning their fifth SEC Outdoor title in six seasons … Competed in the hammer throw at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds for the second-straight season … Finished in 44th place in the qualifying round at the NCAA Championships … Shattered her personal record in the hammer by nearly 13 feet as she opened the outdoor season with a mark of 197-2 for third place at the LSU Relays … Moved up two spots to No. 4 on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list with her personal best … Also threw the hammer at the Battle on the Bayou (194-11), Texas Relays (191-0), Arizona State Tri-Meet (188-11) and Penn Relays (184-7) … Eclipsed the 60-foot mark in the 20-pound weight throw for the first time in her career during the indoor season … Shattered her PR with a seasonal-best mark of 60-10 in a runner-up finish at the LSU Twilight to climb to No. 4 on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list … Scored two points for the Lady Tigers with a seventh-place finish in the weight throw at the SEC Indoor Championships with her mark of 59-7 ¾ … Placed fifth at both the Tyson Invitational (59-2 ¾) and Texas A&M Dual Meet (57-9 ½) … Threw 56-9 ½ at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational … Honored for her performance in the classroom with a selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
2011
Proved herself as one of the top young throwers in the SEC as a freshman in 2011 … Shattered personal bests in both the weight throw indoors and hammer throw outdoors during the season … Scored four points for the Lady Tigers with a fifth-place finish in the hammer throw at the 2011 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in Athens, Georgia … Threw a series-best 181-1 at the conference meet to help the Lady Tigers win their fourth SEC Outdoor team title in five seasons … Won the hammer throw title at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational with a top mark of 177-8 … Placed fifth in the event at the Texas Relays after throwing a best of 183-2 during the collegiate season … Also recorded throws of 181-9 at the LSU Invitational and 181-2 at the LSU Alumni Gold … Followed the collegiate season by setting a personal best in the hammer throw at the 2011 USA Junior Championships held in Eugene, Oregon … Won the silver medal in the event with her PR of 184-5 that ranks No. 6 on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list in the event … Improved her PR in the hammer throw by nearly 20 feet over the course of the 2011 season … Posted an indoor PR of 58-0 ¼ in the 20-pound weight throw to take third place at the Razorback Invitational … That mark ranked No. 7 on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list at the end of the season … Earned an 11th-place finish in the weight throw at the SEC Indoor Championships with her mark of 56-1 ¼ … Was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team as the league’s top performer in both the weight throw and hammer throw at the SEC Championships during the 2011 season … Crushed her weight throw PR entering the season by nearly five feet during the campaign.
PRIOR TO LSU
One of the nation’s top hammer prospects … Set a personal-best mark of 164-3 during the 2008 outdoor season … Her personal record ranked No. 7 in the country among all classifications during the 2008 outdoor season … Was crowned hammer throw champion at the 2009 USA Track & Field World Youth Championships Trials held at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with a mark of 154-5 … Also won a bronze medal in the event at the 2009 Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina, throwing 156-2 during the competition … Finished the 2009 season with a seasonal-best mark of 160-4 set in a runner-up finish at the Hartford High School Invitational on May 9, 2009 … Ranked No. 7 nationally in the weight throw during the 2010 indoor season … Set a PR of 53-4 to win the weight throw title at the St. Anthony’s Developmental Meet on Dec. 12, 2009 … Also threw 51-6 ¼ to capture the weight throw title in the high school division at the prestigious Millrose Games in New York on Jan. 29, 2010 … Qualified for the Millrose Games by winning the weight throw at the Millrose Games Trials on Jan. 14, throwing 50-9 … Threw 52-3 ½ to take first place at the 2010 Southern Tier Track & Field Classic.
PERSONAL
Full name is Karen Anna Therese Henning … Born on May 7, 1992 … Parents are Walter and Marybeth Henning … Brother, Walter, is a two-time NCAA champion at LSU … Was an honor student at St. Anthony’s High School … A member of the Tau Fraternity and Kolbe Society at her high school … Graduated from LSU in May 2014 with a degree in kinesiology with a concentration in human movement.