University of South Carolina Upstate

Kenny Sugishita is in his second season as an assistant Coachfor the USC Upstate track & field program. He works primarilywith the Spartan throwers, while running the strength andconditioning development program for the throws, sprints andjumps.

He was a member of the Upstate track & field team from 2010-13as a thrower. He transferred to USC Upstate after spending twoyears at Moonpark Junior College in California.

Sugishita won two A-Sun individual championships in 2012 for theshot put and weight throw, and currently owns the second andeighth-best marks in A-Sun Indoor Championship history in the shotput. He earned six A-Sun All-Conference accolades during histhree-year career including two First Team All-Conference honorsfor the shot put and weight throw in 2012. Sugishita was also namedSecond Team All-Conference for the shot put and Third team in theweight throw as a junior, Third Team All-Conference in 2013 in theshot put and weight throw. He became the second Spartan in programhistory to receive A-Sun Indoor Most Outstanding Field Performerfollowing the 2012 indoor season. Sugishita was voted A-Sun IndoorField Performer of the Week three times in his career.

He also excelled in outdoor track & field, competing twice atthe NCAA Outdoor East Preliminary Championships in the hammerthrow. The Arroyo Grande, Calif. native is the school outdoorrecord holder for the shot put, discus and hammer throws. Sugishitaearned A-Sun Most Outstanding Field Performer in 2012 after winningthree individual championships in the shot put, discus and hammerthrow en route to being named First Team All-Conference. Hefollowed that performance in 2013 by winning the shot putindividual championship, and placed on the First TeamAll-Conference, while also being placed on the Second Team for thediscus and hammer throw. Sugishita holds two of the top five throwsall-time in A-Sun Outdoor Championship history for the shot put,and is first for the discus and sixth in the hammer throw. He wasnamed A-Sun Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week four times.

Sugishita lettered in football and track at Arroyo Grande HighSchool, where he was an All-County football selection andAll-Conference performer in track. Coming out of high school, heranked second in the state of California for the discus and thirdin the shot put.

He graduated from USC Upstate in 2013 with a degree inaccounting.