Former Nebraska Wesleyan All-American runner Jackie (Spelts) McKenzie begins her ninth season as an assistant coach for the Prairie Wolves track & field program. She also serves as an assistant cross country coach. McKenzie has joined Coach Bulling in earning Conference Women’s Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year honor three times during her career.
A 2010 NWU graduate, she joined the staff after coaching stints at two other institutions. She spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at South Dakota State University where she earned a master’s degree in exercise science. During the 2013-14 season, McKenzie served as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska.
As a NWU student-athlete, she was a two-time All-American in cross country. Her fifth place finish in 2008 at the NCAA III Cross Country Championships is the highest finish for a NWU female runner. She was also an All-American in track in the 5,000 meters. She won seven individual GPAC Championships and holds four school records.
In 2010, the Lincoln Journal Star named her the State College Athlete of the Year. Later that year, Jackie was one of 29 women in the nation to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
In addition to her coaching duties, McKenzie is now an admissions counselor at Nebraska Wesleyan. She is married to Derrick McKenzie, a 2012 NWU graduate and former member of the track & field program who is an assistant for the Prairie Wolves track team. They have a one infant son, Christian.
