Distance runner Derek Gross attended Neenah High School where he lettered in cross country and track and field while serving as team captain during his senior season, foreshadowing his career as a collegiate athlete.
In high school, Gross reached out to then-Marquette head cross country coach Mike Nelson about attending the university to run there. Nelson, who left Marquette for Monmouth University shortly before last fall’s cross country season, was replaced by current head coach Bert Rogers.
“I always knew I wanted to run at a Division I university throughout high school,” Gross, a senior in the College of Business Administration, said.