Lincoln, NE (April 17th, 2025) - Nebraska Wesleyan track and field is set to compete at two meets this week. A small number of athletes will travel to Lawrence, Kansas for the Kansas Relays, while a majority of the team will head west for the Loper Invite.
KANSAS RELAYS
Host: University of Kansas
Date: Thursday April 17th- Saturday, April 19th
Location: Rock Chalk Park, Lawrence, KS
Time: 2:00 p.m.
LOPER INVITE
Host: University of Nebraska-Kearney
Date: Saturday, April 19th
Location: Kearney High School, Kearney, NE
Time: 11:00 a.m.
ABOUT NEBRASKA WESLEYAN
This week will see Nebraska Wesleyan compete at its seventh and eighth meets of the 2025 season. Last week, Nebraska Wesleyan competed at two meets, where several athletes hit national qualifying marks, and personal bests. At the NWU-Doane Dual,
Avery Decker tossed a national leading javelin throw of 47.50 meters, while the women's 4x100 meter relay consisting of
Keeley Hourigan,
Raegan Levi,
Chloe Mooberry, and
Natalie Cummins ran the ninth fastest time in the country. On the men's side,
Sam Clements set a new program freshman record in the shot put at Tuesday's Doane Quadrangular. Nebraska Wesleyan will look to continue to find improvement as the regular season begins to wind down.
NATIONAL TOP 50 MARKS
WOMEN
Nebraska Wesleyan boasts 12 top 50 national marks in women's track and field. The list is headlined by
Avery Decker's number one ranking in Javelin at 47.50 meters. Joining Decker in the top 50 is
Aliah Clarke who sits at 18th. Fellow throwers
Anna Lundahl,
Kaelyn Means,
Aspin Collins, and
Ava Larmon rank fourth, sixth, 13th, and 14th in discuss, while
Emmilly Berglund sits second nationally in shot put. In high jump
Grace Pyle ranks 30th, while
Natalie Cummins and
Chloe Mooberry hold the 28th and 38th spots. Cummins and Mooberry also maintain key positioning on NWU's 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays that sit at 13th and 38th nationally. In the 4x100, the duo are joined by
Keeley Hourigan and
Raegan Levi. In the 4x400, Cummins, Mooberry, and Levi are anchored by
Delaney Vacek.
MEN
Nebraska Wesleyan holds 13th top 50 national marks in men's track and field. In the field,
Eli Mackowski ranks second in high jump, while
James Bruner checks in at 42nd.
Drake Ferris sits 10th in discuss.
Sam Clements holds the 14th best shot put in the country, while
Eric Lenz sits close behind in 31st. Lenz also ranks 36th in hammer.
Colin Wojtkiewicz ranks 25th and 30th in hammer and discuss respectively. On the track,
Connor Plahn ranks 24th in the 400m hurdles, and
Morgan Conner sits in 31st in the 200. Plahn and Conner make are key components of NWU's 40th ranked 4x400 meter relay squad that also consists of
Gavin Vlcan and
McClain Meyer. Meyer and Conner are joined by
Steven Dalmeida and
Ghaith Taha on the 4x100 meter relay squad which occupies the 32nd spot nationally.
DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD AND CROSS COUNTRY DERRICK MCKENZIE PROFILE
Derrick McKenzie is in his second season as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Nebraska Wesleyan. In his first year, Nebraska Wesleyan had 14 NCAA qualifying performances, five NCAA All-Americans, and two National Runner Ups. The Prairie Wolves also won six individual conference championships and broke numerous school records. Prior to being named Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, McKenzie served as an assistant coach at NWU, where he coached sprints and relays.
