Marquette University Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach - XC/Distance
Liz Erschen (Berkholtz) is in her first season as a volunteer assistant coach for Marquette University's cross country and track & field programs, working primarily with the distance runners.
A native of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, Erschen was one of the top distance runners in University of Minnesota history. During her collegiate career, she earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors, All-Midwest Region recognition twice, and made four appearances at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. As a team captain in 2015, she led the Golden Gophers in six of seven races and capped her career with a personal-best 44th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. She was also a standout in the classroom, earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, USTFCCCA All-Academic recognition, Academic All-Big Ten accolades, and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar status.
Prior to Minnesota, Erschen enjoyed a decorated prep career at Sun Prairie High School, where she was a four-time state cross country qualifier, three-time conference champion, and three-time cross country all-state selection. She captured WIAA Division I state titles in both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs as a senior and helped lead the Cardinals to three consecutive conference, regional, and sectional championships.
Following her collegiate career, Erschen continued her success on the roads and marathon circuit. She won the 2019 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon and posted a personal-best marathon time of 2:40:40 after qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials at the 2020 Chevron Houston Marathon.
Outside of coaching and competition, Erschen serves as a neonatal nurse practicioner (NNP) at Children's Wisconsin. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in neuroscience from Minnesota, attended Marquette to achieve her accelerated nursing degree, and went on to pursue her post masters to be a neonatal nurse practicioner (NNP) at the University of Conneticut.
