University of South Dakota Athletics

Three-time Olympian A.G. Kruger III took over responsibilities as South Dakota's throws coach on Aug. 21, 2015. He enters his seventh year with the team in 2021-22.

Kruger has continued the development of the Coyote throws program. A total of 61 athletes across the 12 throwing events on USD’s top-10 list have been coached by Kruger. He’s worked with five athletes who have broken eight of those 12 school records in the last six seasons – Danielle Waldner (indoor and outdoor shot put), Lara Boman (indoor weight and outdoor hammer throw), Ben Hammer (outdoor discus), Ethan Fenchel (indoor weight and outdoor hammer throw) and Meghan Dennis (outdoor javelin).

Under Kruger, three athletes have earned six entries for the NCAA Championships with three All-America honors. Kruger's tallied 24 entries to the NCAA West Preliminary in the throwing events in five seasons.
 
The Coyotes have won eight Summit League titles and garnered 29 all-Summit League honors across the throwing events under Kruger. South Dakota captured its first Summit League women's team title in 2018.
 
Coyote thrower Jessie Sullivan was named the 2021 Summit League Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, the most prestigious individual award given by the league each season. Sullivan, who boasts a 4.00 grade-point average as a chemistry major, captured a Summit title in the discus and qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary in two events in 2021.

In his own competitive career, Kruger represented the United States at the 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, and 2012 London Olympic Games in the hammer throw. He competed on a total of five World Championship teams and qualified for 15 U.S. National Championships.
 
Kruger came to South Dakota after spending 13 years training, coaching and teaching at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. He holds Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification, Functional Movement Screening (FMS) certification and is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

In 2014, Kruger broke American records in the 35-pound weight throw and 56-pound ultra weight throw. He also holds the 35-39 age group World record for the throws pentathlon, a combined event consisting of the hammer throw, shot put, discus throw, javelin throw and weight throw.
 
Kruger, a native of Sheldon, Iowa, is no stranger to the DakotaDome. He set the DakotaDome weight throw record with a mark of 77 feet, 7 ½ inches in 2006.
 
A 2001 graduate of Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, Kruger earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education. He was a NCAA Division II national champion in the hammer throw as a senior. He was also named the 2001 NCAA DII National Outdoor Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
 
Kruger was inducted into Morningside’s Hall of Fame in 2008 and the NCAA DII Hall of Fame in 2010.
 
Kruger and his wife, Laura, have two children, Geo and Marina.

Kruger File:
- Three-time Olympian in the hammer throw (2004, 2008, 2012)
- Assistant coach for the 2018 Summit League Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship team

- Six NCAA Championships qualifiers
- Eight Summit League Champions
- 29 All-Summit League honors
- One Academic All-American (Lara Boman, 2018)
- One Summit League Scholar Athlete of the Year (Jessie Sullivan, 2021)
- 10 Academic All-Summit League honors