Northwest Missouri State Athletics

Wick Cunningham serves as an assistant track & field/cross country coach at Northwest Missouri State University.

Cunningham effectively oversees the Bearcat cross country program and has twice been awarded as the MIAA Coach of the Year in 2024 and 2025. Cunningham has led the Bearcat men's cross country teams to back-to-back MIAA titles in 2024 and 2025. Not only has Northwest won the men's team title, but a Bearcat individual has won the conference race with Grant Bradley taking first place in 2024 and Aziz Mohammed gaining first-place honors in 2025.

The Bearcat men's cross country team has produced three top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championships under Cunningham's leadership. Northwest placed 24th in 2023, 10th in 2024 and 11th in 2025. He has seen six Bearcats capture all-America honors in cross country (Drew Atkins - 2023; Nate Mueller - 2024; Drew Atkins - 2024; Grant Bradley - 2024; Aziz Mohammed - 2025; Drew Atkins - 2025).

The Northwest women's cross country squad earned a 24th-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Amber Owens became only the third Bearcat female cross country runner to tally all-America status with a 24th-place finish in 2022.

Cunningham helped Reece Smith capture back-to-back NCAA outdoor national championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2022 and 2023. 

Head coach Brandon Masters announced the hiring of Cunningham as an assistant coach in 2021.
 
“We are excited to be able to add Wick to our coaching staff,” Masters said. “The ability to add an alum to the coaching staff is a bonus as well. Wick was a great distance performer for the Bearcats and we look forward to having him be able to continue with the growth of our programs in cross country and track and field.”
 
Cunningham was a two-time national qualifier in cross country for the Bearcats in 2014 and 2016. Cunningham notched all-MIAA honors and USTFCCCA all-region status as a distance runner for the Bearcats. At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Cunningham held the school record for men’s indoor 3,000m (8:28.30).
 
Cunningham served as a graduate assistant coach for the Northwest program in 2018-19 after a two-year stint of volunteering with the distance runners.
 
Cunningham earned his bachelor of science degree in middle school education and his master of science degree in health education from Northwest. He has worked as an Iowa Title Abstracter at the Marion County Title Services office in Knoxville, Iowa since the fall of 2020.

Cunningham and his wife, Caroline, reside in Maryville with their son, Wick Jr.