YEARS AS THE W HEAD COACH IN 2025-26: 5th
Dedrick Burnett joined The W staff before the 2019-20 season and serves as the head coach for the Owls' cross country and track & field programs. Burnett also coordinates transportation for the Owls' Athletics Department.
2024-25 cross country season saw Hannah Owens repeat as a second-team All-St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) performer.in 13th place. As a team, the Owls' women were fifth and the men finished ninth, with Owens and Kalee Sanders representing the ladies at the NCAA III South Regional, as well. On the track, the MUW women were third in thr SLIAC for both indoor and outdoor, while the men plced sixth and fifth, respectively. The Owls' teams earned a total of 18 All-SLIAC finishes, as well as the Outdoor Freshman of the Year for both women's field events (Brooklyn Kelley) and men's track events (Cortland Earl).
in 2023-24, Burnett ushered in the NCAA Division III era for The W cross country and track & field, as well as the University's first season as a member of the SLIAC. In cross country, the Owl women tied for seventh and the men finished 10th at the SLIAC championships, with the women's Owens finishing ninth to earn second-team All-SLIAC status. For track & field, The W women were the SLIAC runner-up for both the indoor and outdoor seasons, while the men placed fifth indoor and sixth outdoor. Ty'Kerria Young (60 hurdles, 100 hurdles) and Hannah Owens (10K) won SLIAC championships, with freshman Sinaj Lynn voted both the Newcomer of the Year and Field Events Athlete of the Year at the indoor championships.
The 2022-23 year saw the Owls' Kaitlyn McRee finish 37th at the USCAA cross country championships in a school 6K-record time. Joshua Gonsalves led the men's squad by placing 17th. During the track and field season, the MUW women were third and the men sixth at the USCAA championship meet (setting eight school records along the way). Erin Jones was as USTFCCCA All-South Region selection in the triple jump. Between the cross country and track and field teams, Owls brought home a total of eight USCAA All-Academic awards.
In 2021-22, Burnett's cross country teams each sent two members to the USCAA championship meet in Virginia Beach, Va. Five members of his squads earned spots on their respective USCAA All-Academic Team in cross country. In track and field, the Owl women finished second and the men sixth in the USCAA championship meet. McRee was the meet's leading point scorer and also earned a USTFCCCA All-Region selection in the heptathlon. Loren Winters was a USTFCCCA All-Region honoree in the 60-meter dash for indoors. Five members of the track & field teams were also USCAA All-Academic selections.
Burnett began as the assistant coach for The W's cross country and track & field programs, ascending to the head coach position for both in 2020-21. Unfortunately, his first year guiding the programs saw the seasons canceled due to COVID.
As an assistant in 2019-20, he helped coach the Owls men's cross country team to its first USCAA Cross Country Championship appearance with women's runners Caroline Greer and Mateline Newman.
Before coming to The W, Burnett, spent seven years in Jackson, Miss. as the equipment manager and graduate assistant coach at Jackson State University and a volunteer coach with the Mississippi Trackstars summer track club for youth athletes ages 6-18.
As a coach at JSU, Burnett mentored several multi-event athletes to help the Tigers men’s track program reach as high as second place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championships. While on the women’s side, distance runners under his guidance garnered top marks, with several achieving third place in the SWAC.
Volunteering with young athletes has been a desire for Burnett since he graduated from high school. He competed for a summer track program (Mobile Parks & Recreation Department) in Mobile, Alabama, where he met Coach Jay Shine. Coach Shine became his motivation to get into coaching as he looked up to him as a father figure and mentor. Over the past years, Burnett has had the opportunity to coach several young athletes who qualified to compete at the USATF Junior Olympics Championships, with some securing national medals and All-American honors.
As a student-athlete at Jackson State, Burnett competed in the decathlon, 800-meter run, 400 hurdles, long jump, pole vault, and threw the javelin. His coaches best describe him as a “Swiss Army Knife” because he was able to compete in so many events. He was a three-time all-conference performer for his performance during the indoor seasons and four-time all-conference performer for outdoor competitions.
Burnett is a native of Mobile, Ala., where he attended John L. LeFlore High School, graduating with an Advanced Honor Diploma in 2006. He later attended JSU and graduated with his B.S. in health, physical education, and recreation administration in 2012.
