Coach Berens is entering his 3rd season as the head coach of cross country and assistant coach of track and field working specifically with the distance runners.
The 2024-2025 season saw great progress and success for the NWU distance runners. In cross country, the men’s XC team finished in the top 15 at the NCAA Regional Championship. On the track, Conner Ross broke the school record during the indoor season in the 3K running 8:25.15 while also running the 10th fastest time in school history in the 5k. At the conference championships, he had 5 performances that placed in the top 8 in the distance events.
In his time at Nebraska Wesleyan, coach Berens has coached one all-conference performer, a school record, and another all-time top 10 performer. Under his direction, the roster in XC has grown from 19 in 2023 to 49 in 2025.
Before Nebraska Wesleyan he served as the Director of Operations for Track & Field and Cross Country at the University of Utah. He also worked a brief stint at Summit Academy High School as the Head Track Coach and Assistant Cross Country Coach.
Coach Berens is an alum of Nebraska Wesleyan University and holds a bachelor's degree in sports management. As an athlete, Berens qualified for the National Cross Country Championships in 2017 and was repeatedly selected for the All-IIAC teams in both track and field and cross country.
Following graduation, Berens worked as a graduate assistant for the cross country and track and field programs at Wichita State University while pursuing his master's degree there.
Chad and his wife Hanna ('19) reside in Lincoln.
