Derrick McKenzie is entering his 3
rd year as the Director of Cross Country / Track and Field at Nebraska Wesleyan. His second season at the helm in 2025 produced many national and conference accolades.
At the NCAA National level, his teams had 12 NCAA qualifying performances. This included 3 first team NCAA All-Americans, and an NCAA National Champion. Avery Decker capped off her storied career as she became the National Champion in the javelin throw. Indoors, both Emmilly Berglund and Noah Smith picked up their first career All-American honors. Berglund launched her way to 4
th at the national meet in the shot put while Smith finished 7
th in the national final in the 60H.
Additionally at the national meet, McKenzie’s athletes earned five 2
nd team All-American honors. Eli Mackowski (HJ), Sam Clements (Shot), Kaelyn Means (Discus), Emmilly Berglund (Shot-outdoors), and Colin Wojtkiewicz (Hammer).
Throughout all three seasons of cross country, indoor, and outdoor, the Prairie Wolves accounted for 17 all A-R-C performances including 4 Conference Champions. Six times during the 2025 season his athletes earn A-R-C athlete of the week accolades. During the 2025 season, his athletes racked up 7 school records and 10 All Midwest Region Honors.
Off the track, Morgan Conner and Avery Decker won the programs 35
th and 36
th NCAA Post Graduate honor, which continues to lead the country. Decker also earned herself an Academic All-American honor which is the 55
th in program history and currently ranks #8 nationally.
Since his time of leading the Prairie Wolf cross country / track and field program, McKenzie’s athletes have accounted for:
- 37 All-Conference performances, including 10 Conference Champions
- 8 NCAA first team All-American performances, including 2 National Runner Ups, and 1 National Champion
- 7 NCAA second team All-American Performances
- 29 All-Region Honorees
- 11 school records
- 4 NCAA Post Graduate recipients
- 2 Academic All-American award winners
- 2 A-R-C Scholar Athlete of the Year winners
- 1 NCAA Woman of the Year top 30 finalist
- 1 top 15 team finish at the NCAA Championship
In his eight years as an assistant while coaching the sprinters and relays, coach McKenzie led the Prairie Wolf sprinters to 39 NCAA All-American honors including 10 NCAA National Titles. Within that time frame, his athletes accounted for 75 All-Conference honors with 22 of those being conference champions. Many of those athletes accounted for 134 all-time top 10 performances in school history and 34 different school record performances. In 2019, McKenzie was named the Central Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
McKenzie, a 2012 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan, had spent three years as an assistant coach at Omaha North High School. ONHS had four Top-Finishes finishes in both the Boys and Girls Track and Field State Championship.
As a track & field athlete for the Prairie Wolves, McKenzie was a four-year letterwinner at NWU. He was a seven-time All-GPAC performer in track & field and a two-time NCAA National Qualifier in the 400 hurdles.
A native of Fremont, Nebraska, McKenzie earned his master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2020.
McKenzie and his wife Jackie (‘11), are the parents of two sons, Christian (5) and Marcus (3).
