Sixth Annual Tim Nixon Inv. features loaded fields in Liberty
Tim Nixon built an outstanding boys and girls cross country program at Liberty High School. However, the excellent results, records, rankings, and tangible medals and trophies were just byproducts of his love of running and his passion and work to engage and invest in young people to develop strong work ethics, teamwork, and responsibility.
Tim Nixon left a lasting impact on thousands of lives while he taught and coached for the Liberty School District from 1979 until he passed away in November 2017. For the sixth straight year, many of the best individuals and cross country teams from the Kansas City metro area on both sides of the Missouri-Kansas border and beyond will make their way to the K.C. suburb of Liberty to race in the meet named in his honor, nearly six years after his unexpected passing.
2023 Tim Nixon Invitational Entries
The meet is loaded with teams and individuals with high expectations and goals of earning hardware at the Missouri and Kansas state meets. The meet will be the first competition for most squads while it will be the first large meet for a few teams who already dusted off the spikes with time trials or small meets that featured a handful of teams.
Liberty High School and Liberty North host the annual meet and for a second straight year, it will be held at Capital Federal Sports Complex, on a flat and fast course. Fast is the only way Liberty North's Sage Wilde ran last fall. Wilde is the brightest of the many boy stars in a stacked field of individuals in the varsity boys race on Saturday. He scorched grass all over Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas last autumn. Wilde ran to three consecutive Sub-15-minute 5k victories to kick off his junior campaign before a runner-up 15:01 finish at the Gans Creek Classic and a runner-up 14:36 Arkansas Chile Pepper finish, both trailing just Connor Burns.
Wilde went on to capture the Missouri Class 5 title with a 15:05 at Gans Creek and led his nationally ranked Liberty North squad to the state title. Despite graduating three important pieces in Grayson Tapp, Jorge Perezruiz, and Asher Curp, North is the early favorite as the top contender for this year's title (2023 Class 5 Boys Season Preview). Wilde is joined by returners Sean Forquer, and Collin Kleinhen and Kaden Kleinhen on the Eagles team, giving North the best foursome of any team in the Show-Me State.
The Eagles will be racing for a 4th-straight state trophy. Their top-4 could all finish in the top 10-20 at state in Class 5, so expecting them to all finish in the top 10 or 15 on Saturday wouldn't be a surprise. Wilde won last year's race in 14:54.40.
The meet has a little extra meaning for Chatlos, who co-directs the meet with Liberty head coach Jordan English. Chatlos ran for Liberty and Nixon before becoming one of Nixon's assistant coaches at Liberty and eventually the Liberty North coach when the district opened its second high school. English, an avid multi-sport endurance athlete, got into coaching in 2018, taking Nixon's spot on a standout staff at Liberty.
Wilde isn't the only star who will vie for a top-5 state finish and a top honors Saturday in Liberty. Liberty Jays' senior Peyton Willbanks is coming off a breakthrough year that included a 13th-place Class 5 state finish, a 9:20 3200-meter track PR, and a 7th-place Class 5 state track 3200m finish. Willbanks will try to lead the Jays to another state meet trip despite losing standout Myles Thornburg to graduation and the college ranks at Southeast Missouri State.
Lincoln College Prep's Isaac Rivera is finally a senior. Rivera will be in contention weekly for race titles no matter who he toes the line against. He not only should battle the Liberty North boys and Willbanks for the distinction as Kansas City, Missouri's best runner, but he's also the top contender for the Class 4 state title (Class 4 Boys Season Preview). It seems as if he's been top 10-15 talent in the state for more than just the three years he's been in high school.
Rivera and Adair went 4-5 in Class 4 at the 2022 state meet.
Smithville's Liam Adair should also contend for the Class 4 title with Rivera and others. He's also one of the top entries for the Nixon Invitational. Other standout men racing Saturday are Lee's Summit West's Jack Williams and Caleb Benton, Blue Springs Keagan Enicks, and Platte County's Andrew Johnson. Park Hill South's Thomas Garrett put himself among the all-time great freshmen in state history. The Kansas Citian earned track PRs of 4:24.47 for 1600 meters and 9:23.02 for 3200m. He also ran 4:25.89 for a full mile to take 2nd in the freshman mile at Nike Outdoors.
Six races will be contested. There is one varsity race per gender and the results will be scored to separate individuals and teams into two divisions. The Gold Division will consist of the largest schools, those Class 5 Missouri teams, and Class 5A and 6A Kansas teams while the Silver Division will include Class 4 schools and below.
Class 1 senior Riley Blay will race for his 2nd straight Silver Division title at Tim Nixon and shoot for the overall crown. Blay is a seven-time state champion for Nodaway Valley/West Nodaway/Nodaway-Holt, with PRs of 15:38 for cross country, 2:00 for 800 on the track, as well as 4:25.06 and 9:21.90 in the 1600 and 3200-meter runs.
Mill Valley's AJ Vega has a PR of 15:28 while teammate Carter Cline has track bests of 1:57 and 4:25 in the 800 and 1600. Fellow Kansas school Olathe North graduated several standouts, so they may not be in contention for a team trophy.
Thirty-four Boys teams are scheduled to race while 35 Girls teams will race.
Girls Varsity
While the Olathe North boys graduated some talented boys, the girl's squad seems to have a never-ending supply of stars. North has five returners who have run faster than 20:05 for 5k. That includes the fastest two returners from last season among entries. Senior Anjali Hocker Singh is the reigning Class 6A state champion who has track PRs of 2:17, 4:58.94, 4:58.96, and 10:33 for the 800, 1600, Mile, and 3200 meters. Hocker Singh ran her 3200 PR in winning the 2021 6A title.
Fellow Olathe North senior Shea Johnson placed 19th at the Kansas 6A state meet last year and placed 7th at last year's Nixon meet. She was 2nd at state as a sophomore in 2021. Mill Valley's Charlotte Caldwell may also be in the mix to claim a top finish in Liberty. Caldwell placed 3rd in the 2021 Kansas Class 5A Championships. She owns track PRs of 2:14 and 5:03 for the 800 and 1600.
Other top ladies who may battle for the individual title or a top finish are: Blue Springs' Abigail Brackenbury, Harrisonville's Kayleigh Norris, Kearney's Alexandra Kinstler, Park Hill's Natalie Gerdes, St. Teresa's Gracie Jacobs, Platte County's Sisely Mitchell, Blue Springs South's Emmerson Allen and Ella Rew, and Liberty's Ella Brown.
The girl's team race may likely be one the most dramatic of the day. Blue Springs and Blue Springs South have talented rosters. The Blue Springs South Lady Jaguars are perennial state trophy contenders and while they've graduated a ton of talent the past two years, have are led by two standout returners in Emmerson Allen and Ella Rew. Olathe North could earn top honors while the Liberty ladies could battle for a trophy.
Defending Class 2 Girls State Champions North Platte will race. This season they seek to earn a 4th straight state title in cross country or track. The Lady Panthers have won the past two Class 2 state track and field titles, sandwiching last fall's cross country title.