by David J. Chavez
Daily Lobo
A family of athletes and a lifetime of competitive sports helped lead Whitney Johnson to UNM to become the best pole vaulter in school history.
At the Don Kirby Memorial Invitational in Albuquerque on April 29, Johnson soared over the bar at 13-00 1/4 to break the UNM women's pole vault record.
UNM track and field head coach Matt Henry said it is impressive Johnson is breaking records as a sophomore, and he expects a lot from her in the next few years.
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"Since the moment she joined our team, we knew we had something special for years to come," Henry said. "Every time she steps on the track, she's trying to break a record, and with her competitive drive and work ethic, she's only going to make big improvements."
Johnson was born in Mission Viejo, Calif., where she was introduced to sports by her parents, Donn and Patty, who were accomplished athletes themselves. Her father played baseball for Fresno State and the San Francisco Giants farm club. Her mother was a competitive dancer and a softball player for many years, and her sister is a volleyball coach and is training for the AVP pro volleyball tour, she said.
Johnson said a career in sports started at the age of five with softball and dance. Gymnastics, volleyball and track followed and continued throughout high school, she said.
"I've always been real competitive in everything I do, and sports provided me with another outlet to compete in something," Johnson said. "Track and field quickly became my favorite sport to compete in after I was introduced to pole vaulting by a friend."
In addition to family influence, Johnson said watching the Olympics while growing up also influenced her career. Stacy Dragila's pole vault performance in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Atlanta was instrumental in motivating Johnson to continue her career in track and field, she said.
Johnson said since her days in high school, she knew she wanted to pole vault in college, but she didn't know which university would be best for her.
"After I graduated, I still didn't know where I wanted to go for my college career," Johnson said. "I had a few offers for some visits when the pole vault coach from UNM (Scott Steffan) asked me to take a visit to UNM. When he first said New Mexico, I thought he was crazy thinking I would go there, but after the visit I really enjoyed everything about the city, school and team."
Steffan, assistant coach of the UNM track and field team, said a friend alerted him to Johnson's talents.
"A buddy of mine who lives out in southern California told me about Whitney, so I made a trip out there to watch her compete," Steffan said. "When I was telling her about UNM, she had this look of disgust on her face, but after I told her about everything we had to offer during her visit, she was sold on the idea."
Johnson said she knew in her heart UNM would be the best place for her and immediately canceled every other visit.
Johnson has qualified for nationals, is ranked No. 27 in the nation, and is looking to break 13-00 1/2 at the Mountain West Conference Championships on May 10.
"If everything goes well in the next couple of weeks, I have a great chance to improve my rankings," she said. "My goal is to become No. 1 in the women's pole vault and hopefully continue my career professionally."
