LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska Wesleyan University Director of Athletics Dwight Merilatt announced today the hiring of Courtney Medina as the new head coach of the Prairie Wolves softball program.
Medina joins Nebraska Wesleyan after a successful three-year stint as the head coach at Western Nebraska Community College, where she led the Cougars to a program resurgence capped by their first winning season since 2019. In 2025, her squad finished 27–25 and claimed runner-up honors at the Region IX Tournament, marking one of the strongest campaigns in school history.
"I'm really excited that Courtney will be joining us at Nebraska Wesleyan University as our new head softball coach," Merilatt said. "I know she will bring positive energy to our program and will do a great job leading our very successful softball team."
During her tenure at Western Nebraska, Medina built a program defined by academic excellence and community impact. Her teams earned NFCA Academic Team Awards each of the past three seasons and recorded the highest team GPA in school history (3.23) in 2024–25. Off the field, she organized community engagement opportunities and established a culture centered on discipline, leadership, and growth.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Medina was a decorated collegiate player. She began her career at Western Nebraska Community College, earning NJCAA All-Region IX First Team and NFCA All-America Third Team honors in 2016. She went on to star at Lubbock Christian University, where she was the Heartland Conference Newcomer of the Year (2017), a two-time All-Conference outfielder, and ranked among the top 20 nationally in stolen bases.
A native of Colorado, Medina holds a Master of Business Administration in Management from Emporia State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Lubbock Christian University.
"I want to thank Director of Athletics Dwight Merilatt for the amazing opportunity. I am really excited to get going and be a part of the program here at NWU," Medina said. "I was drawn here because of the culture that's already been built and the way our current student-athletes have carried it forward. The girls have outstanding character and integrity, so I feel blessed to step into this role with this group. NWU is filled with amazing people, and the tight-knit community already feels like home. My goal is to keep building on the winning culture here and continue bringing in hard-working student-athletes who want to compete for each other."
Medina becomes the 16th head coach in program history and will lead a Prairie Wolves team coming off an American Rivers Conference Championship season and an NCAA Division III tournament appearance.
