KU’s latest record-setting track star? The Jayhawks found him in Columbia, Missouri

Athlete of the year in 2019 at Columbia, Missouri’s Hickman High School, track sensation Chandler Gibbens admits he was surprised when contacted by University of Kansas distance/middle distance coach Michael Whittlesey during the recruiting process.

KU, it goes without saying, is not so popular in the city where its Border War rival is located.

“The first phone call I got (from KU), I took it and thought, ‘Ah well, I probably won’t end up there, but I’ll talk,’’’ Gibbens, then a fan of the hometown Missouri Tigers, said in advance of his winning effort in the 2023 Kansas Relays 1,500 held Saturday at Rock Chalk Park.

Now a junior, Gibbens was timed in 3:51.66 Saturday, well ahead of KU teammates Tanner Talley (3:55.12) and TJ Robinson (3:56.07).

“Then coach ‘Whit’ offered me a visit. I said, ‘Well, I’ll take it because it’s a cool opportunity. I’m not going to end up there.’ I came on the visit and just loved it immediately. I loved the team, coach ‘Whit,’ coach (Stanley) Redwine. That was that,” Gibbens added.

So Gibbens committed to run track and cross country at Mizzou’s rival, KU, to the surprise of not only some classmates at Columbia Hickman, where he holds four school records, but also some family members.

“It was a little tough at first. I have a little bit of a Mizzou legacy in my family, so especially for my dad (Kevin) it was a bit of a hard pill to swallow at first,” Gibbens said. “But, I mean, he knows I love it here.

“He likes coming here, getting to see the campus and he always wears his KU track shirt. He’s been a lifelong Mizzou fan. He grew up in Columbia. He came on the (recruiting) visit with me. He said afterward, ‘This is the right place to be.’”

Gibbens — he was named to the All-Big 12 cross country team as a freshman — recently had his finest moment to date as a Jayhawk. In his first outdoor meet of the season, he broke the KU men’s 5K school record (previously held by Jim Ryun) with a personal best time of 13:28.71 at the Stanford Invitational.

Gibbens — he placed second in a strong field — set a personal best in that race by 31 seconds. Ryun ran a personal-best and KU record 13:47.80 in 1967.

“I mean it was very special, not only because it’s Jim Ryun but also the length of how long the record stood. That meant a lot to me,” Gibbens said. “There’s a lot of really good runners who have come through here and just because it was Jim Ryun’s, no one else was able to get that record until now. That was just as special to me that these great runners until me have tried and not gotten it. Being able to take one away from Jim Ryun is really exciting.”

How did he run such a perfect race in shattering Ryun’s mark?

“A long time of consistent training, working out, having my teammates push me in practice every day, having the right opportunity at the end of the day,” Gibbens said. “It was great weather, great competition.

“I would say a lot of people every once in a while will have a breakout day, a breakout race and that can be really big and give you a lot of confidence. ... I thought this had been building for a bit. Finally the opportunity presented itself. Definitely I was hopeful I’d have a big breakthrough day and be able to put myself kind of on the map a little bit.”

He has the utmost respect for KU great Ryun.

“It’s a very big inspiration to have his name behind KU track,” Gibbens said. “With all the things he was able to accomplish you are always chasing him, chasing his legacy along with all the other great names, but his kind of stands out among the rest. He’s been a big inspiration, always someone to go get for everyone. Until recently he had every KU distance record. Everyone can look up to him and be inspired by him.”

Redwine, KU track coach, has been impressed with Gibbens’ performances, especially of late.

“He’s been doing a great job. I think he’s done amazing things,” Redwine said. “I think coach ‘Whit’ has definitely helped him in getting things done they needed to get done in order to be a champion. Chandler has always responded to those type of things. To have a PR by 31 seconds, to break Jim Ryun’s record is simply amazing.”

Redwine grinned and said, “No,” when asked if it was difficult to land Gibbens during the recruiting process in 2019.

“He is just a great athlete. He knows the difference between wanting to get better and the things I think Kansas offered him as opposed to not only Missouri but anywhere else that was recruiting him,” Redwine added. “I think he saw himself being able to get it done here. Thank God he’s been able to achieve it.”

Middle school sensation wins college 200

Aria Pearce, a middle school sensation from Rock Creek Middle School in St. George, Kansas, won the 200 dash in 24.16 and placed second in the 100 in 11.66 Saturday in the women’s collegiate division of the Relays.

Competing against college athletes as an unattached competitor, she was edged in the 100 by Shenese Walker, a freshman from Lincoln (Missouri) University who ran 11.59. In the 200, Pearce defeated Indian Hills CC runner Zaniya King, who finished in 25.93.

“Very cold day, but it was an amazing meet. Can’t wait for next year!” Pearce wrote on Twitter.

Pole vault domination

KU placed one through six in the pole vault. Clayton Simms was winner in 18-6 1/2, followed by Jake Freidel 17-1 1/2, Ashton Barkdull 17-1 1/2, Anthony Meacham 17-1 1/2, Andrew Saloga 16-7 1/2 and Brady Koolen 16-7 1/2.

KU’s Pavlidis sets KU discus record

Dimitrios Pavlidis , a sophomore from Greece, won the discus on Friday in a personal best 212-11. The mark is a KU school record, and also the new Greek national record, previously set by Mitchell Cooper in 2017.

Saturday’s KU, WSU winners

Other Saturday winners from KU: Avryl Johnson, 1500 (4:25.41); Gabrielle Gibson, 100 hurdles (13.39); Tayton Klein, long jump (24-9 3/4); Michael Joseph, 400 (46.15); Patrick Larrison, shot put (60-11 1/4); Alexandra Emilianov, discus (196-0); Aaliyah Moore, 800 (2:08.45); Bryce Hoppel (now with Adidas), 800 (1:50.74); Cameron Wilmington, 400 hurdles (52.17).

Saturday’s Wichita State winners: Destiny Masters, long jump (18-7); Brady Palen, high jump (7-2 1/4).