Fremont alumnus Wes Ferguson spent a year away from track and field battling injuries. Now, he’s a professional runner and a national champion.
Ferguson has battled a few injuries that have disrupted his running career, including a dull pain in his right Achilles, quad spasms and a hamstring tweak. He said that his Achilles has bothered him throughout his career, but doctors don’t know why.
“I didn’t want to stop running or give it up; I just had so many frequent things pop up that it made my training nowhere near consistent,” Ferguson told Hurrdat Sports. “So it was basically a full year of maybe gaining some momentum for a few weeks, but then having another setback, losing that fitness, gaining it back after being back out there for a few weeks, and losing it again. Even after two months of doing that you start to really get down and negative, let alone over a year. So just being able to see everything I’ve done pay off these last few months, and me feeling stronger by the week, it’s really cool.”
Ferguson signed a contract with Under Armour last summer, with the official announcement coming in the winter. He said he faced a lot of mental challenges before returning to competition.
“While I signed a professional contract, I was probably at my lowest mental point,” Ferguson said. “Just confidence, motivation to get up and honestly do it at all, even while being on contract, it was weird. I really just wasn’t enjoying it, I didn’t want to go out and do it. So after grinding through several months of that kind of just negative battlefield, it’s kind of paying off now. I am in a much better spot. I love to do it again, I like to compete, I’m excited for everything. I like training, so I think it kind of paved the way for me to have a good future in it.”
The UNK graduate returned to competition on May 30. He ran at the Under Armour Track and Field Nationals competition in Bradenton, Fla., winning the 800-meter race in the men’s professional division with a personal best time of 1:44.41. The Fremont native snuck up on his competition in the final 100 meters to capture the title.
“The biggest emotion I felt was relief,” Ferguson said. “I had spent the better half of the last year and a half battling injury, rehab on and off, training, gaining momentum, but then taking a few steps back, and also kind of just mental setbacks, kind of convincing myself that I really wasn’t going to get back to where I was in my prime. So to come out and PR and beat a lot of really good runners was amazing. I was just kind of in a euphoric state for a few days after that. I was just kind of trying to appreciate it and soak it all in.”
The former Loper said he was surprised that he won but is grateful for his health and hungry for more.
“I’m trying not to be to satisfied with it or overjoyed,” Ferguson said. “I have a lot bigger goals coming up, so I think while it’s good to have that happen, I just need to kind of keep doing what I’ve been doing mentally and kind of stay normal and relaxed.”
The UNK graduate is no stranger to performing on big stages. In 2024, he ran in the semifinals of the Olympic Trials. He also competed at the 2025 USA Indoor Championships in February. Ferguson finished with a time of 1:44.92 to claim the bronze medal.
“I think the structure and the way we approach things (has helped me succeed),” Ferguson said. “It’s really calculated, it’s super specific, the lifting I’m doing with Chris Slatt — he’s my strength coach here in Lincoln — and Adam Gentzler, my chiropractor here in Lincoln too. It’s just kind of the small circle I have of everyone helping me fine-tune my body and train the way that my body needs to versus maybe in college where you’re kind of doing more generalized training and lifting that everyone does. Now, all my running and lifting, it’s all really calculated, and we can make adjustments as we go.”
Ferguson said he got serious about track during his junior year of high school when he was convinced to give up competitive golf. He said he didn’t like running at first, but eventually that changed.
The Fremont product was a two-time Class A state champion for the Tigers in the 800 meters. He also won the 400-meter state title as a senior.
His success continued when he joined the Lopers.
After redshirting in 2019-20, he went on to win five national titles and capture nine All-America honors during his career. He set the Division II record in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:23.80 and also owns UNK’s 800-metter record with a time of 1:45.46.
Ferguson said he’s enjoyed representing Nebraska on the collegiate and national stage.
“I love it, because Nebraska’s not the biggest running state,” Ferguson said. “Running here is a big deal if you get involved in the community, but relatively speaking to other states, the results aren’t always super comparable. So, being someone I guess you could consider made it from Nebraska is really cool. You don’t hear a lot about professional runners from Nebraska, from what I’ve heard at least.”
Ferguson’s not only representing Nebraska as a runner, but he’s also working as a coach. In August of 2025, he joined the Nebraska Wesleyan cross country and track and field staff as an assistant coach.
“At the time, I didn’t have this professional contract with Under Armour, so I kind of needed to figure out something to do, right?” Ferguson said. “I needed to work, so I was just looking at employment, and I saw that the assistant coaching job opened up. I figure why not? That would pair really well with running. I’m good at it, I think it fits me pretty well, I have a good resume for it. So I ended up getting that job, and it kind of just took off from there.”
Ferguson has made an impact as a runner and a coach. He said he wants younger runners to know that anything is possible.
“Even when you think you’re at your lowest, or you think there’s no chance of making it, there really is,” Ferguson said. “At this point, I think I’ve hit every emotion you can in this sport. There are some really good ones, and there are some really crappy ones, and the crappy ones kind of outweigh the good ones emotionally. If you can dig yourself out of that hole, you build confidence and resilience that will carry you in not just running, but in the rest of your life.”
Ferguson ran at the Los Angeles Grand Prix on Sunday. He said he’ll compete in a few more races before the USA Championships in July.
“I truly think I can get top three,” Ferguson said. “I think the battle will just be getting into that final, but I think if I can get into that final than I have what it takes to land it there.”
