Jack Bryan Whitt (born April 12, 1990) is an American

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

er. His personal best jump indoors is , achieved in June 2012 in

Tulsa, OK Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. His best outdoor jump of came in May 2013 in

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, Oklahoma. He represented the United States at the

2013 World Championships in Athletics The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013) () was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Initially, Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 200 ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

High school career

Whitt went to high school at

Norman North High School Norman North High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Norman, Oklahoma. It was established on August 21, 1997, on the grounds of what had been Longfellow Middle School since 1972. Longfellow Has now been relocated to the build ...

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma C ...

. He was coached by Tim McMichael of McMichael Athletics of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

. In 2007, he cleared and was a runner up at the 2007 AAU nationals in Knoxville Tennessee vaulting . In 2008, he cleared and also won the 2008 Junior Olympics in Omaha, Nebraska with a jump of . While a senior in high school, he cleared . Whitt won the 2009 USATF Junior National championships in pole vault with a jump of , qualifying him for the

2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The 2009 Pan American Junior Championships were held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on July 31 to August 2, 2009. A report on the results was given. Participation (unofficial) Detailed result lists can b ...

held in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. He won the gold medal with a vault of at the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. At the age of 18, Whitt vaulted 18 feet, making him the sixth high schooler to ever do so. Whitt attended

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, evangelist Oral Roberts. Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 70 undergraduate degree programs ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

and was coached by

Joe Dial Joe Dial (born October 26, 1962, in Marlow, Oklahoma) is a retired American pole vaulter, best known for winning the bronze medal at the 1989 World Indoor Championships in Budapest. His personal best was 5.96 metres, achieved in June 1987 ...

, the No. 1 U.S. vaulter in 1985 and nationally ranked for 10 years. He is a three-time Oklahoma state champion and holds the record at the Golden South Meet of 17 ft 10 in, the Texas Relay's 18 ft in, and the New Balance outdoor (Nike) 17 ft 8.

College career

* 2010 Indoor

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n as a freshman at Oral Roberts University. Finished sixth at the championships vaulting . * 2010 Jack also was selected to Team USA for the NACAC games in Miami. * 2010 Jack qualified for the US National Championships. He finished fifth at the age of 20. * 2011 Jack won the elite division of the Reno Pole Vault Summit jumping becoming the youngest to do so at age 20 * 2011 Jack placed third at the NCAA Indoor National meet with a vault of becoming an Indoor All-American * 2011 Jack won the Texas Relays with a jump of . It was Jack's third Texas Relays win. He won two in high school. * 2011 Jack placed second at the NCAA National outdoor meet with a jump of to become an All-American. * 2011 Jack placed 6th at the US nationals jumping * 2011 Jack finished with a number 7 US ranking and a number 27 ranking in the world at 21 years of age. * 2012 Jack finished 3rd at the NCAA indoor championships with a vault of * 2012 Jack wins his 2nd Texas Relay Championship his 4th overall with a vault of * 2012 Jack finished 1st at the 2012 outdoor NCAA National Championships with a vault of * 2012 Jack made the final at the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon and finished as the alternate for the games. * 2012 Jack finishes with a number 6 ranking in the US * 2013 Jack won the Southland Conference indoor championship vaulting setting the meet record. * 2013 Jack finished 2nd at the NCAA Indoor Nationals vaulting . * 2013 Jack finished 1st at the Southland Conference outdoor championship vaulting setting the meet record * 2013 Jack finished 2nd at the Outdoor National Championships vaulting * Jack was a seven-time All-American while at Oral Roberts University.

Pro career

*2013 Jack turned pro and signed with Jeff Hartwig as his agent and with Nike, UCS Spirit, Dial Athletic's, C.B Athletic's and P.W. Enterprises as his major sponsors. *2013 Jack vaulted and made the 2013 World Team going to Moscow where he finished 3rd. * 2013 Jack won his first pro meet in Belgium vaulting to set a new meet and stadium record. * 2013 Jack finished with a #3 ranking in the US and 25th in the world.

Personal

Whitt was born in Norman, Oklahoma in 1990, the son of Kevin and Ki Whitt. At his father's urging, Whitt started pole vaulting in the seventh grade. "My dad talked me into vaulting in the seventh grade. I was tall for my age and he thought a non-team sport would be better for me," said Whitt. "I did play football, basketball and baseball until the tenth grade. I was actually a pretty good pitcher." Whitt married Reagan Russell in July 2012.

References

External links

* *Oral Roberts University profile fo
Jack Whitt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitt, Jack 1990 births Living people American male pole vaulters Sportspeople from Norman, Oklahoma Oral Roberts Golden Eagles men's track and field athletes NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners