NEW ORLEANS — Missouri Southern track & field thrower
Dailynn VanDeren was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II Women's National Athlete of the Week, the organization announced Monday.
VanDeren set career bests in the shot put and hammer throw for a pair of podium finishes at the 2026 MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this past weekend in Pittsburg, Kansas.
The junior from Bolivar, Missouri, improved her Missouri Southern program record with a career-best shot put throw of 17.34m (56-10.75). The distance is the best mark in NCAA Division II history since 2021. VanDeren now only trails Adriane Blewitt and Zada Swoopes in NCAA DII history for women's shot put.
VanDeren picked up her second All-MIAA honor of the 2026 Outdoor Championships with another career best in hammer throw. She finished third with a personal-best 61.70m (202-5) which ranks second all-time in MSSU program history.
VanDeren leads NCAA Division II in shot put in 2026 and ranks fourth overall for hammer. She has won seven event titles this 2026 outdoor season.
This is the second time in program history that a female student-athlete from Missouri Southern has been named M-F Athletic USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. VanDeren joins 2017 honoree Emily Presley.
M-F Athletic USTFCCCA National Athletes of the Week (May 4, 2026)
- NCAA Division I Men – Jonathan Simms, Georgia
- NCAA Division I Women – Kaylyn Brown, Arkansas
- NCAA Division II Men – Caden Williams, Pittsburg State
- NCAA Division II Women – Dailynn VanDeren, Missouri Southern
- co-NCAA Division III Men – Ryan Hagan, SUNY Geneseo
- co-NCAA Division III Men – Luke Schroeder, UW-La Crosse
- NCAA Division III Women – Serena McNeilly, Centre
- NAIA Men – Xzavion West, William Penn
- NAIA Women – Adrianna Rodencal, Concordia (Neb.)
- NJCAA Division I Men – LeBron James, New Mexico JC
- NJCAA Division I Women – Ra'Nayla Moten, Allen (Kan.) CC
- NJCAA Division III Men – Jeremaiyh Burch, Nassau (N.Y.) CC
- NJCAA Division III Women – Inara Bradford, Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC
