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Zach McWhorter

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Zach McWhorter
McWhorter at the 2023 World Athletics Championships
Personal information
Nationality United States
Born7 January 1999 (25 years, 342 days old)[1]
Danville, Pennsylvania[citation needed]
Home townSpringdale, Arkansas[2]
Education
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Weight73 kg (161 lb)[1]
Sport
SportAthletics
EventPole vault
Coached byStephani Perkins[3]
Rick McWhorter[4]
Achievements and titles
National finals
Personal bestPole vault:
5.86 m (2023)

Zach McWhorter (born 7 January 1999) is an American pole vaulter.[5] At the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships he placed second behind Olympic silver medalist Chris Nilsen, with a clearance of 5.86 m. This earned him a spot on the United States team at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, where he would go on to place 8th overall.[6]

McWhorter has set the record for the top left-handed pole vault clearance, surpassing the previous mark of 5.80m set by Australian Olympic pole vaulter Simon Arkell.[7]

Career

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As a prep at Har-Ber High School, McWhorter was a four-time Arkansas Activities Association state champion in the pole vault, and placed second at the New Balance Nationals Indoor championship meet.[2] In 2016, he won the USATF under-18 championships in the pole vault.[2]

McWhorter signed with the BYU Cougars track and field team, and started competing in late 2019 after his Mormon misson.[8] In September 2019, he was impaled by his pole and required 18 stitches to his groin. The incident was captured on video and posted to TikTok, where it went viral.[3]

He returned for the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, finishing 2nd with a 5.80 m clearance which also qualified him for the 2021 United States Olympic trials.[3][9] At the trials, McWhorter cleared 5.40 m on his second attempt but could not clear 5.50 m, placing 19th and ultimately failing to make the 2021 U.S. Olympic team.[1][10]

McWhorter won his first senior national medal at the 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, placing 3rd behind Chris Nilsen and KC Lightfoot – although as it was an indoor championship, only the top two were selected to represent the U.S. at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships.[11] He went on to finish runner-up again at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships with a 5.70 m clearance.[12]

McWhorter's greatest achievement the following year came at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. After clearing 5.76 m and 5.81 m each on his second attempt, he attempted 5.86 m, a new personal best, and managed to clear the bar on his third and final attempt. This earned him runner-up status behind Chris Nilsen and a spot on his first national team at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.[13] At the world championships, he finished 6th in qualification and 8th in the finals.[14]

Personal life

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McWhorter grew up in Springdale, Arkansas and attended Har-Ber High School.[13] After his high school graduation in 2017, he took a hiatus from pole vaulting to embark on a two-year volunteer mission in Indonesia. He resumed his athletic journey in 2019 when he enrolled at Brigham Young University. During his tenure there, he distinguished himself as a two-time silver medalist at the NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships.[15][16] In January 2023, McWhorter commenced a master's program at Duke University and intended to compete for their track and field team. However, after just two weeks, he opted to leave the program to dedicate himself fully to pole vaulting.[17]

McWhorter is coached by his father Rick McWhorter, who was also a top-10 pole vaulter for the BYU Cougars.[4][2]

Statistics

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Personal best progression

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Pole Vault progression
# Mark Pl. Competition Venue Date Ref.
1 4.75 m 2nd place, silver medalist(s) USATF Youth Championships Lisle, IL 29 Jun 2015 [18]
2 4.87 m =3rd place, bronze medalist(s) UCS Spirit Pole Vault Summit Reno, NV 15 Jan 2016 [19]
3 4.98 m 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Arkansas Activities Association Indoor State Championships Fayetteville, AR 5 Feb 2016 [20]
4 5.11 m 2nd place, silver medalist(s) New Balance Nationals Indoor New York, NY 11 Mar 2016 [21]
5 5.20 m 1st place, gold medalist(s) USATF Youth Indoor Championships Staten Island, NY 12 Mar 2016 [22]
6 5.76 m 1st place, gold medalist(s) BYU Cougar Indoor Meeting #2 Provo, UT 5 Feb 2021 [23]
7 5.80 m 2nd place, silver medalist(s) NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships Fayetteville, AR 12 Mar 2021 [24]
8 5.82 m 1st place, gold medalist(s) BYU December Invite Provo, UT 9 Dec 2021 [25]
9 5.85 m 1st place, gold medalist(s) Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge New York, NY 3 Feb 2022 [26]
10 5.86 m 2nd place, silver medalist(s) USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, OR 7 Jul 2023 [27]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Zach McWhorter at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Zach McWhorter - Men's Track & Field 2022". BYU Athletics - Official Athletics Website - BYU Cougars. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  3. ^ a b c "It's been a rough two years at BYU, but pole vaulter Zach McWhorter has qualified for NCAAs and U.S. Olympic trials". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  4. ^ a b "For BYU pole vaulter extraordinaire, it's a family affair". Deseret News. 2021-03-10. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  5. ^ "Zach MCWHORTER | Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  6. ^ "FINAL | Pole Vault | Results | Budapest 23 | World Athletics Championships". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  7. ^ "Do YOU Love to Pole Vault?". www.bubbapv.com. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  8. ^ "2017 All-NWADG Track and Field honorees | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  9. ^ "McWhorter finishes as national runner-up in pole vault, breaks school record". BYU Cougars. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  10. ^ "Five Cougars come up short of advancing to finals at U.S. Olympic Trials". BYU Athletics - Official Athletics Website - BYU Cougars. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  11. ^ Casacky, Tom. "USATF Men's Vault — Summit Yields Nilsen 3-Peat". Track & Field News. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  12. ^ "McWhorter, Witsken shine at Indoor National Championships". BYU Athletics - Official Athletics Website - BYU Cougars. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  13. ^ a b "Vaulter at his best, heads to Budapest". Arkansas Online. 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  14. ^ "BYU alum Zach McWhorter claims 8th place at world championships". Deseret News. 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  15. ^ "TFRRS | NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships - Men's Pole Vault". www.tfrrs.org. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  16. ^ "NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships - Men's Pole Vault 2022". TFRRS. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  17. ^ "For Zach McWhorter, path to world championships was a path less traveled". Deseret News. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  18. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #12862241". Tilastopaja.
  19. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #12867265". Tilastopaja.
  20. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #12869723". Tilastopaja.
  21. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #12870909". Tilastopaja.
  22. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #12871077". Tilastopaja.
  23. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #12976008". Tilastopaja.
  24. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #12977407". Tilastopaja.
  25. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #12999128". Tilastopaja.
  26. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #13001864". Tilastopaja.
  27. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #13044572". Tilastopaja.
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