KHS Pioneer Athletics

                                             What to expect from the Kirkwood Track & Field Coaches:

•  Appropriate language and behavior. Respect and dignity towards each athlete as an individual. 
•  To promote the safety of each athlete and to ask no more in practice or competition than what the athletes are capable of delivering.
• To promote the conditions and circumstances that encourages each athlete to realize their true potential.
•  To impose time demands that acknowledges the   primary importance of the athlete's academic and family responsibilities.
•  To promote among all athletes and coaches a solid sense of team membership.
•  To utilize the most recent thinking and strategies in the sport.
•  To be available to parents at times that is mutually convenient.
•  To work, whenever appropriate, with other school personnel to guarantee the best interests of each athlete. 

                                                2023 Track & Field Coaches

Head Girl's & Boy's Track & Field Coach
Roberta McWoods
roberta.mcwoods@kirkwoodschools.org (314) 313-8887   

Coach McWoods is a 39-year educator in the Kirkwood School District. She received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1985 and a Masters in Elementary Education with a Certification in Reading (K-12) from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1992. In the 1992-93 school year, Coach McWoods was named the Kirkwood School District teacher of the year and retired in 2014 as a Literacy Specialist from North Glendale Elementary and later became the Master Mentor for Teachers of Color in 2018. She has served on multiple Educational Equity committees and championed equity efforts for the marginalized and under resourced for most of her career. As a Master Mentor, Coach McWoods has supported the teachers of color in the Kirkwood School District by facilitating culturally responsive mentoring and coaching through staff development opportunities relevant to their needs and interests. In addition to these culturally relevant activities, Coach McWoods has been instrumental in partnering with other administrators. She was instrumental in creating the Kirkwood Teachers of Color Peace Walk and establishing a scholarship fund for Black, Indigenous and students of color in the Kirkwood School District by creating “The Glory run/walk Virtual Marathon 26.2, which has generated over $30,000 for students of color in its first year. As a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Coach McWoods was a member of the Track & Field team where she competed as a 2x All-Big Eight Conference Heptathlete and a 400m hurdler. Her passion for equality, inclusion, and diversity can also be seen in her leadership as a coach, as she works to inspire pride, teamwork, confidence, and compassion in her athletes. Additionally, she uses sport to transcend the cultural differences of her athletes, to galvanize them into achieving a common goal of unity both on and off the track and field. Coach McWoods has built a coaching staff of amazing assistants that have contributed to the team’s enduring success. These accomplishments have garnered Kirkwood five Final 4 top finishes in the State of Missouri, multiple individual state champions, in addition to countless sectional, district, and conference titles. Coach McWoods’ leadership has gained her respect from her colleagues around the state in her sport. She was inducted into the Missouri Track & Cross-Country Coaches Association (MTCCCA) Hall of Fame in 2014 and was the first woman to serve on the board for MTCCCA and was later named President of the Missouri Track & Cross-Country Coaches Association. Coach McWoods also served on the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) advisory board and has recently become a member of the National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS) rules committee for Track & Field, which is a national committee of high school leaders from around the United States. In 2020, Roberta was named Coach of the Year by the Missouri State High School Activities Association through the National Federation of High School Sports. Coach McWoods has been married for 30 years and has a daughter and son who graduated from Kirkwood High School in 2012 and 2014 respectively.  Her daughter Bria was a state runner-up in the 300m hurdles and former record holder, as well as a state finalist in sprints and played basketball and softball. Her son Eric was also a state finalist in relays, a point guard on the Varsity Basketball team for 4 years, an All-American in soccer and is currently playing professional soccer in Europe. She also serves as a church Lector and is an active member on the Outreach Committee and Board member for her church.

                                                                                               Assistant Coaches

Wille Parks/ Associate (Sprints Girls & Boys) willie.parks@kirkwoodschools.org

April Maldonado/Associate (shot, discus, javelin) april.maldonado@kirkwoodschools.org

Coach April Maldonado, coaches the girls' and boys' shot put, discus and javelin. She has coached at Kirkwood High School for the last 25 years. Coach Maldonado has had the pleasure of coaching state champion, All-State and state qualifiers. She loves the everyday competition and bringing athletes into the world of throwing. Coach Maldonado is from a small town in Minnesota,  and is the wife of  husband Omar and mom to four children, Adreanne, 28, who is a new wife, teacher and softball coach in Pennsylvania where she teaches. Christian, 21, is studying music education at Florida State University and volunteer coaches with the Track & Field program at Kirkwood High School at the conclusion of his college semester in the spring. He specializes in javelin, which he threw for KHS T&F in 2019/20. Solis is a freshman on the team and currently working on all three throwing events, and Eli is a 6th grader at Nipher. Coach Maldonado was a thrower in high school and threw for some conference meets in college at Lindenwood University, where she also  played volleyball.  Coaching for Kirkwood High School is an honor and truly rewarding to see athletes develop in their events and especially as citizens of the world when they enter high school. Coach Maldonado of the Missouri Track Cross Country Coaches Association (MTCCCA).

Charles Causey (shot, discus, javelin) charles.cauey@kirkwoodschools.org

Coach Causey coached shot-put, discus and javelin at Potosi High School from 1997 to 2013, where his team won a state championship in 2006 and 2007, with 4 top 4 finishes from 2000 to 2008. Coach Causey also coached at Farmington High School , where he had 4 All-State throwers and multiple other State qualifiers at Farmington HS from 2014 to 2021 - multiple All-State throwers and qualifiers. He is now in his second year at Kirkwood High School, coaching shot, discus and javelin.  Coach Causey has also coached basketball ,where his team were in the Final four. Coach Causey is a basketball referee, where he has officiated  two State Championships in Basketball. He has served  as a football referee and officiated a state championship football game.  

Chris Scott/Assistant (Boy's Distance) chris.scott@kirkwoodschools.org

Chris Scott has coached athletes from across the St. Louis area for 35 years, including at John Burroughs School, Lafayette High School, Riverview Garden High School,  St. Louis University High School and Kirkwood High School. He began his career in 1987-1989 at John Burroughs, where he helped produce 8 All-State athletes. From 1990-1992, Coach Scott coached at Lafayette High School, where he helped coach 14 All- State athletes and 1 individual state champion. In 1993-1995, Coach Scott coached Riverview Gardens Girls track & field, where 12 All-State Athletes. In 1996 -1999, Coach Scott coached a 2x State championship team at Berkeley High School, where the boys also finished 2nd in another year. He also assisted on the girls' side. The girls were state champions and finished 2nd while he was there. 1990 brought Coach Scott to CBC Hight School, where he was an XC and Track Asst coach. Chris was a part of the individual State XC Championships and  3 All-State teams with 1 runner-up in XC. Coach Scott was the Track and Field Head Coach from 2003-2010, where there were 3 state championships 4x100 Relays, 35 All state athletes and 2 top 5  teams in the state. Coach Scott coached at SLUH High School from 2010-2016. Coach Scott was also an Asst, where he produced in XC 3 state team titles,2 All-State finishes 3rd and 4th places and in Track and field 3rd in the state Team  33 All state athletes 4x800 state championships top 5 all time  2018,Coach Scott became the boys distance coach at Kirkwood High School and helped contributed to a 3rd place finished at the state championships with two back to back champions in the 4x800. In summary, Coach Scott has 10 state champions and 15 All-State athletes. In 2022, Chris Scott received the Distinguished Coach Award from the Missouri Track Cross Country Coaches Association.   

Tori Tinsley/ Assistant (Girl's Distance) tori.tinsley@kirkwoodschools.org

Coach Tori Tinsley has coached for Kirkwood High School for 3 years, where she has coached pole vault for one year and the Girls distance for 2 years. Coach Tinsley coached Cross Country and Track Coach at Herculaneum Cross Country for 2 years and was the Freshmen Basketball Coach at Herculaneum for 1 year. She was the Assistant Cross Country and Track Coach  for 1 year  at Southern University Carbondale. Coach Tinsley also coached volleyball  and track at Carbondale Middle School for 1 year. Coach Tinsley was a member of the SIUC-Cross Country & Track & Field team for 4 years, where she is the current 10k record holder. Coach Tinsley is a PE Teacher at North Glendale and is also married to a PE teacher and is a Track Fanatic! Coach Tinsley grew up in Jackson, Missouri and loves spoiling her two cavalier King Charles spaniels, Ollie and Ellie.” 

Richard York/Assistant (Pole vault) richard.york@kirkwoodschools.org

A 2009 graduate of St. Clair (Mo.) High School … 4-time all-state and all-district selection, competing in the pole vault, 300m hurdles, 110m hurdles, high jump, triple jump, and long jump for head coach Dave Priviance … earned all-state honors in three events to lead the Bulldogs to the class 3 state title as a senior … he was the 300m hurdles champion, finished second in the 110 hurdles and pole vault, and was sixth in the long jump at the ’09 state meet … went on to place second at the Great Southwest meet in Albuquerque, trailing only national record holder Curtis Beach with a score of 7,007 points, which was the third-best by a high school athlete in 2009 … the Big River Running Company listed him No. 7 on its list of the greatest Missouri high school athletes of the decade (2000-09) … recorded prep bests of 37.99 in the 300 hurdles, 14.12 in the 110 hurdles, 6-08.00 in the high jump, 22-10.00 in the long jump, 14-06.00 in the pole vault, and 43-09.00 in the triple jump … also earned all-conference and all-district honors all four years in both basketball and football … helped the Bulldog basketball team capture three district championships. 

Richard attended the University of New Mexico, where he participated in the Decathlon and Pentathlon. During his senior year, Coach York competed at 11 meets for the Lobos, concentrating on the decathlon and javelin primarily … Opened in the decathlon at the Texas Relays with strong marks in the long jump (ninth place), high jump (ninth), discus (fifth) and javelin (fourth) … Won the javelin at the Texas Tech Open with a toss of 195-4 (59.54 meters) before improving his distance a week later at the Jim Click Shootout, where he placed third with a mark of 205-4 (62.58) … Participated in the decathlon at the Mt. SAC Relays, earning first in the javelin … Placed ninth in the 400 and sixth in the high jump at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge, with marks of 49.66 and 6-4 ¾ (1.95), respectively … Placed second in the javelin at the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational with a mark of 210-4 (64.12) … Despite a disqualification in the 110 hurdles in the decathlon at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships, placed third in the decathlon via victories in seven of the eight event: the 100, long jump, shot put, 400, discus, javelin, 800 … Also won the javelin at the MW Championships with a then-personal record of 213-5 (65.05) … Advanced to the NCAA West Preliminary Round in the javelin, where he advanced to the national championships with a personal record toss of 215-4 (65.63) … Placed 24th at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 189-2 (57.67).

Coach York has a total of 10 years as a Track and Field Coach and Volunteer (University of New Mexico, Hillsboro High School, Kirkwood High School and Jefferson County Jets Track) in the areas of polevaulting, javelin and multi events. 

Alex Horn (Pole Vault) alex.horn@kirkwoodschools.org

Coach Horn is a graduate of St. John Vianney High School in 2015, where he became a pole vaulter. He went on to pole vault at Truman State University for 3 years and graduated in 2019. He received his Bachelors degree in Exercise Science  with an EPC certification and graduated from Truman State University in 2019. He began his coaching career as a pole vault coach for Nerinx Hall in 2019 and 2020 until the COVID-19 shut down. Coach Horn began coaching at Kirkwood High School in 2021.He is currently  a personal trainer at E3 Performance and Fitness in Creve Coeur. Coach Horn enjoys exercising, comic books, and playing with his cat. 

Sibyl Banks/ Assistant (Long Jump/Triple Jump) sibyl.banks@kirkwoodschools.org

Sibyl Banks PhD. began her teaching career at Catholic School, where she coached for 3 years and then later moved to Riverview Gardens Middle School, spending 33 years there. While teaching at Middle School, Coach Banks coached volleyball, basketball, and track  & field for 4 years with 9th graders.  She then moved to coaching at Riverview High School. Coach Banks was an assistant coach for 4 years and then became a head coach from 1986 to 2010. After Coach Banks retired, she began teaching at another Catholic school for 10 years and, while coaching at Francis Howell High School, for 7 years. Coach Banks began coaching at Kirkwood in 2020 and immensely enjoys her time with the athletes. She believes that each of her previous coaching experiences has rewarded her with this  opportunity of working with the athletes at Kirkwood High School. Coach Banks is passionate about track & field  and has coached for 42 years in the sport and enjoys learning and growing with each athlete that she coaches. 

Mona Onyemelukwe (Girl's & Boy's Hurdles) mona.onyemelukwe@kirkwoodschools.org

Coach Onyemelukwe, known as Coach O, was born in West Africa, and grew up in East St. Louis. Her track career started in the 1975-76 school year at Lincoln HS with the legendary Coach Nino Fennoy. Coach Onyemelukwe also played volleyball in high school. Coah Onyemelukwe received a track & field scholarship from Mississippi Valley State University. She qualified and placed in national competitions in college and after graduation in 1980, she returned to East St. Louis Lincoln high school and began her coaching career as an Assistant girls hurdle coach, where the team won 7 straight IHSA State Championships while numerous hurdlers contributed to those championships. In the 1988-89 school year, Coach Onyemelukwe was hired to teach Health and Physical education in the Normandy School District and later moved to the Head girls coaching position and began teaching at Normandy High School. Coach Onyemelukwe was the head coach from 1990-2009 and after a few bumps in the tough suburban north conference, they won several conference and district individual champions. In the MSHSAA state competition, Normandy  placed 2nd in 2000, 3rd in 2001 and 4th in 2002 with numerous State qualifiers, individual champions and all state honors. In 2010, Coach O was offered a hurdle coaching position at Kirkwood High School and has remained the hurdle coach. Coach Onyemelukwe is a recipient of the Distinguished Coach Award from the Missouri Track Cross Country Coaches Association (MTCCCA). Currently, she is  a member of the senior softball circuit and she most recently was awarded  MVP and made the all-tournament team.

Caleb Harris (Girl's & Boy's High Jump) caleb.harris@kirkwoodschools.org

Coach Harris is a native of Springfield, Illinois and a graduate of Southeast High School. Coach Harris attended Illinois College in Springfield, Illinois , where he was a member of the men’s track and field team. He served as an assistant coach with primary focus in the jumps from 2017 to 2020 at Southeast High School in Springfield, Illinois. Coach Harris volunteered with the Springfield Striders Track Club in 2018 and 2019, where he helped coach the jumpers. He believes the most rewarding experience is seeing athletes progress in their respective events and apply the values they’ve learned through their track and field experiences in their everyday lives. Coach Harris' hobbies include writing, drawing, gardening, and playing disc golf.  Of course, and also  love running and following track and field!

Oscar Dixon/Volunteer Assistant

Coach Oscar Dixon, has been a volunteer assistant coach for Kirkwood High School for 2 years. Coach Dixon grew up in Kirkwood and is a graduate of Kirkwood High School. Coach Dixon's two sons were also graduates of Kirkwood High School and played football and were All-State finalists in sprints for the track and field team. He has been a coach for the AAU Junior Olympics for 32 years for the Missouri Elite Track & Field Club (formerly  Kirkwood Track Club).   Coach Dixon is the grandfather of senior and MSHSAA 2022 100m hurdle State Champion Genesis Dixon. Coach Dixon enjoys coaching young children preparing for high school track and field.