Our Coaches
Coach Mat Maynor – Middle Distance, Distance & Javelin – Mat and his wife Bethany and their two kids, Kegan and Ellie live in the Liberty area. Coach Mat was a successful 400M runner clocking one of the best class times in the state of Kansas during his time as a high school athlete. He graduated from William Jewell College where he ran track and cross country. His post-collegiate running career saw him take on much, much longer running endeavors. Mat and his wife Bethany were members of one of the best adventure racing teams in the midwest. The team consistently finished inside the top 5 and was ranked nationally. Coach Mat completed 3 Pike’s Peak races and several multi-day adventure races before “retiring” from extreme sports. Currently, Coach Mat also coaches javelin at Liberty High School.
Coach Bethany (Coach B) – Communication & Admin – Bethany is a proud resident of the Liberty area. She has lived in the Northland her entire life. She went to Smithville High School where she was a multi-sport athlete competing in varsity Track and Field, Volleyball, and Basketball. She competed successfully at the HS State Track level, becoming an 800m State Champion, in the middle distances/relays. She attended William Jewell College where she earned her Education degree in Physical Education K-12 and French K-9. She currently teaches 1st grade in the North Kansas City School District. Her passion is to help youth to develop a growth mindset.
Coach David Grace – Sprints, Hurdles, Relays – David started competing in AAU track and field in 2nd grade. At Excelsior Springs high school, he earned All-State honors four times and established four hurdle and sprint school records that still stand over thirty years later. Also during his high school years, he earned AAU All-American honors in the 55M Hurdles and the 110M Hurdlers, with top-five finishes in the AAU Junior Olympics. He competed as a scholarship athlete at the NCAA D1 level at SW Missouri State, earning All-conference honors, and holding school records in the 55m Hurdles and 4×100 Relay. After transferring to William Jewell College, he earned a collegiate All-American honor in the 55m Hurdles. His ambition is to promote youth track and field in the Kansas City area. He believes that having a good foundation in track and field can truly help any athlete in his or her chosen athletic discipline.
Coach Aresa Grace – Hurdles & Long Jump – Aresa grew up in TrackTown USA in Oregon, with University of Oregon season track tickets. In her youth, she competed with the Track City Track Club, whose home track was Hayward Field. She attended Bill Dillinger (former Olympian and University of Oregon head coach) track camps coached by Alberto Salazar and was coached by her father, a Division I Mid-distance runner for the University of Hawaii.
Coach Dalwyn Hodgkin – Sprints – Dalwyn has been a runner since the 8th grade. He competed in numerous sports in high school and college including cross country, football, wrestling, baseball, and track. He still runs today and has completed over 40 full and half marathons. Dalwyn loves to coach and encourage kids. He tries to teach the values of good sportsmanship, perseverance, and belief in yourself. Most importantly, he wants kids to have fun while being active, so it becomes a lifelong habit.
Coach Jason Kuhlman (Coach Jason) – Long jump & Triple jump – Jason has lived in the Northland his entire life and currently resides in Liberty with his wife and two daughters. He graduated from North Kansas City High School where he was a Cross Country and Track and Field athlete. He also competed successfully at the college track level at both Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) and the University of Central Missouri (UCM). He graduated from UCM where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Commercial Illustration. Jason currently owns Kuhlman Construction, LLC where he renovates homes in our community.
Coach Marina Lopez – Middle/Distance – Marina has been a runner since the 5th grade. Running continues to be a passion, as she still competes in 5Ks/10Ks and has run 7 half marathons and 3 marathons. She competed in both Cross Country and Soccer in high school and college. She teaches Spanish and coaches Cross Country & Distance Track at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy. Marina believes in perseverance and great sportsmanship being the key to a great athlete. She wants runners to have fun and uplift each other as a team.
Coach Josh Miller – Shot and Discus – Josh was a state qualifier in the shot put in high school. He went on to throw shot, discus, weight, and hammer in college becoming an All-American, and still holds a few school records.
He coached at the collegiate level at Hutchinson Community College and Sterling College. Josh had to opportunity to coach several All-Conference, national qualifiers, and All-Americans during his college coaching career. He then moved to the high school level and coached for 5 years at Hutchinson High School in Kansas. He had a state podium finisher/qualifier every year and even a few record holders in girl’s discus, shot, javelin, hammer, and boy’s hammer throw. Josh also helped start a local youth track club in Hutchinson, KS the Salt City Track Club which is still going strong. Josh has a USATF Level 1 and Youth Level 2 coaching certification and a World Throws Center Phase 1 coaching certification.
Coach Andy Zink – Middle/Distance – Bio coming soon.