Track & Field Staff

Jim Fuller Head Track and Field Coach

Since Jim Fuller took over the Northern State University track and field and cross country teams in 1988, the Wolves have consistently fielded top teams on a conference, regional and national scale.

Under Fuller’s guidance, Northern State’s men’s and women’s track and field teams have been ranked in the top 30 of the season ending NCAA Division II track polls 38 of 40 times since NSU made the jump from NAIA to NCAA II for the 1995-96 season. During Fuller’s 17 years at Northern State his squads have placed either 1 st or 2 nd in 44 NSIC championship meets, winning 7 team championships. Fuller has been named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Track and Field Coach of the Year six times and NSIC Cross Country Coach of the Year five times. He has coached 36 NCAA Division II and NAIA All-Americans. He has also coached 164 athletes to 682 All-NSIC performances and 19 NSIC MVP Awards.

Fuller’s teams excel not only on the track, but also in the classroom. During his tenure, Northern State track and field and cross country athletes have earned individual Academic All-American honors 31 times. Even more impressively, the women’s cross country and track and field teams have earned NCAA II national academic team honors for ten consecutive years (that’s 20 national academic team awards), meaning they haven’t missed the national academic honor since moving under the NCAA II ranks. Respected nationally for his record of excellence and knowledge of his sport, Fuller has served as president of the NCAA II Cross Country Coaches Association. Presently he serves as the NCAA II North Central Region track and field representative He has also been a referee and head referee at national track and field meets. Fuller attended Doane College in Crete, NE., graduating Magna Cum Laude with elementary education and physical education degrees. A two-time captain for Doane’s cross country team, he was the top runner in Doane’s traditionally strong program as a junior. He was a 1984 NAIA Academic All-American and earned six letters in cross country and track and field.

Fuller earned his master’s degree in education while serving as a graduate assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1985. His first job out of college was as an assistant track and field and cross country coach at Doane. Resume Link

Brenda Fuller Head Assistant Track and Field Coach

Brenda Fuller’s throwing teams have earned national respect at both the NAIA and NCAA II level. While in charge of the throwers, Brenda also serves as the head assistant coach for the entire track and field team. In addition, Brenda also performs accounting for the athletic department.

Brenda has coached 5 All-Americans and 10 national placewinners at NAIA and NCAA II National Meets. During her 17 year tenure, NSU throwers have earned 60 individual NSIC titles. She has also coached 16 Academic All-Americans. Her women’s throwing squads have been exceptionally dominant in the 1990’s, many times sweeping entire events (placing first, second and third) at conference meets. During the last 11 years Northern throwers have won 12 individual NSIC Discus titles, while at least one NSU thrower has won a Shot Put title in 16 of the last 17 years. NSU had a sensational streak in the Shot Put, winning nine straight women’s shot titles during the indoor and outdoor seasons from 1995-99. In the past three years 12 of her throwers have reached the NCAA II National Qualifying marks. A noted clinician, she has twice presented throwing clinics for the South Dakota High School Activities Association and once for the Nebraska High School Activities Association.

While attending Doane College from 1982-86, Brenda was an All-Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference discus thrower. She graduated from Doane in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Brenda and Jim have twin sons, Aaron and Tyler.

Shawn Wheelock Head Cross Country Coach Assistant Track and Field Coach

Shawn Wheelock took over as the head cross country coach at Northern State in June of 2006. Wheelock is no stranger to Aberdeen or Northern State. Wheelock earned his master’s in Art and Teaching from Northern State back in 1994. He was also an assistant coach with the Wolves from 1991 to 1994 helping with both cross country and track & field. The 1991 men’s cross country team is still the only men’s cross country team that has qualified for nationals at NSU. Wheelock moved on to become the Aberdeen Central High School assistant girls track & field and cross country coach from 1995-98 and then the head cross country coach from 1998 until 2002.

Wheelock was the head cross country coach in 2003 and 2004 at the University of Nebraska Kearney and assistant track & field coach from 2002 through 2005 at UNK. Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams at UNK ranked in the top ten in the North Central Region under his leadership. Wheelock also had two national qualifiers in 2004, one in cross country and one in indoor track & field in the 5K. Wheelock had 12 provisional NCAA qualifiers and saw six school records broken in track & field during his time at UNK.

A graduate of Lewellen (Neb.) Rural High School, Wheelock graduated from Doane College in 1989 with a history degree. At Doane he was a two-time NAIA All-American and won two NIAC (now GPAC) individual cross country titles.

 

Strength and Conditioning Coach Derrick Budig

Northern State strength & conditioning coach Derik Budig has propelled Wolves' athletics to new heights thanks to his comprehensive strength program that has been implemented into the NSU athletic system.

Budig, a Yankton, SD native, joined the Northern staff in 2002. He earned his Master's of Science Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Texas, at El Paso (UTEP) in 2005 after working as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach. He has also served as a strength and conditioning consultant for Olympic track and field athletes in El Paso. Prior to his time at UTEP, Budig was an intern for the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the area of strength and conditioning.

Budig has also had success on the football field where he was a four-year starter and two-year team captain for Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Budig is in charge of developing and coordinating programs which assist student/athletes in developing overall physical strength and conditioning at NSU. He is the founder and director of The Wolves Challenge, a speed, strength, and conditioning camp. In addition, Budig also organizes the weight room for all of Northern's athletic programs and is the sponsor for NSU's Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Budig lives in Aberdeen with his wife Amanda and his daughter Ella, born in April 2005. They are expecting another baby in March.

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