Derek Frese is in his 13th season at Nebraska Wesleyan as a throws coach.
Frese has been named the Central Region Field Assistant Coach of the Year five times in his career, most recently in 2018 for Women’s Indoor Track & Field. He was the 2014 Women’s Central Region Assistant of the Year. He also earned the honor during the 2010 outdoor season then during both the 2011 indoor and outdoor seasons.
Now under his guidance his women throwers have set five school records and his men’s throwers have set school records in three events.
Last season he added two more All-American honors to his resume when Dayton Dolincheck was an All-American in the shot put at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships, placing as she was the women’s national runner-up indoors. He had two athletes qualify for nationals in five total events.
During the 2018 season SteaVen Becker earned All-America in the shot put at the Indoor championships for a second straight year. He had three athletes compete at NCAA III Outdoor Championships in three different events.
He had two athletes qualify for four events at the 2017 NCAA III Championships. In 2016 he added two more All-American honors to his total as Samantha Dolezal earned All-America in the shot put at both the Indoor and Outdoor Championships, finishing as national runner-up at the outdoor meet.
All together, he has coached six athletes to 21 total All-American awards.
In 2012, Frese guided two athletes to the NCAA Championships in four events bringing home three more All-American awards. During the 2011 season Frese had three athletes earn six NCAA III All-American awards, including four women’s All-American awards at the outdoor championships. He also coached both Amanda Brichacek, Bailey Soucie and Elliott Bulling to school records in the weight throw, discus and shot put, respectively.
In 2010 he coached his first All-American and also had three athletes qualify for four events at the NCAA III Outdoor Championships.
Frese came to NWU from Northwest Missouri State University where he served as a graduate assistant track and field coach for two seasons. He earned a master’s degree in athletic administration from NWMSU in 2007.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in sports administration from University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2005. While at UNK he was a four-year member of the track team. Frese was a four-time NCAA II All-American in the throws and earned All-RMAC recognition in seven of the eight seasons he competed. He was also a team captain during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
Frese, a Bancroft, Neb., native lives with his wife Karla and two children in Lincoln. He also serves as the Strength Coach at Nebraska Wesleyan.
