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.
Shawn and his wife Melissa, along with their son Aidan will move to Aberdeen later this summer
