Zach McWhorter
Pole Vault
Ht
5'
10"
Class
Sophomore
Hometown
Springdale, 
Arkansas
Last School
Har-Ber High School
Roster Years
2020-2022


Personal

  • Parents are Rick McWhorter and Kimberlee Guin
  • Father, Rick pole vaulted at BYU and holds the 10th-best all-time mark for the Cougars
  • Siblings are Jayk, Madeleine and Charlotte
  • Major: Entrepreneurial Management 
  • Mission: Jakarta, Indonesia (2017-19)
  • Also recruited by Air Force, Baylor, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Stanford, Texas Tech and Washington
  • Fun Fact: McWhorter is actually right-handed, while he pole vaults left-handed
  • Enjoys reading Russian literature and challenging his own ideas as well as those of others
  • Donald C. Sloan Speech Showcase Finalist (2020)
  • Twitter: @McWhorterZach | Instagram: zacmcwhorter | LinkedIn: Zach McWhorter

Before BYU

  • 2016 17-18-year-old USATF National Champion
  • Four-time Arkansas state champion in the pole vault
  • Arkansas 7A state record holder
  • 2017 Democrat Gazette Arkansas Track & Field Athlete of the Year
  • Second-place at the 2016 New Balance Indoor National Championship

Stats

Indoor Personal Bests

Mark

Event

Meet

5.85m/19-2.25 (No. 1 all-time at BYU)

PV

2022 Columbia Challenge

 

Outdoor Personal Bests

Mark

Event

Meet

5.76m/18-10.75 (No. 1 all-time at BYU)

PV

2022 BYU Cougar Invitational

Career Stats

BYU Hall of Fame

Freshman Year 2020

Indoor (2020)

  • Named a USTFCCCA All-American in the pole vault
  • Earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors
  • Landed the No. 2 all-time pole vault mark at BYU in his first season with a mark of 5.61m/18' 4.75" at the 2020 Dr. Sander Invite
  • Finished the season with the seventh-best pole vault mark in the nation
  • Placed third at the 2020 MPSF Indoor Championships in the pole vault
  • 2020 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships 12th-place finisher
  • Competed in six meets during the 2020 indoor season
Sophmore Year 2022

Indoor Season

  • First Team All-American, finishing national runner-up.
  • Cleared a school record 5.85m/19-2.25. 
  • Finished the season leading the nation in men's pole vault clearance. 
  • Named to MPSF All-Academic Team.
  • MPSF Men's Pole Vault Champion.
  • Twice named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week (Dec. 13 and Feb. 7). 
  • Competed in six meets with four first-place finishes. 

Outdoor Season

  • First Team All-American, finishing sixth at nationals. 
  • No. 1 all-time at BYU with clearance of 5.76m/18-10.75 set at the BYU Cougar Invitational on May 14. 
  • Finished the season ranked No. 2 nationally at 5.76m/18-10.75. 
  • Competed in six meets with two first-place finishes.  
Junior Year

Senior Year

Graduate Year

Redshirt Year

Medical Redshirt Year

2021

Indoor (2021)

  • Finished as national runner-up in the men’s pole vault with a school record-breaking clearance of 5.80m/19-0.25, garnering All-America First Team honors. With that clearance, McWhorter also set a new indoor personal best.

Outdoor (2021)

  • Shattered the BYU record for outdoor men’s pole vault with a personal-best clearance of 5.70m/18-8.25 at the 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. 

Overall

  • ReceivedUSTFCCCA All-Academic honors 
  • Finished tied for 19thin the men’s PV Qualifying Round at the U.S. Olympic Trials 
  • Zach and Rick McWhorter - 2021 NCAA Regionals

    Zach and Rick McWhorter - 2021 NCAA Regionals

  • Zach McWhorter competes at 2021 BYU Indoor Invite III

    Zach McWhorter competes at 2021 BYU Indoor Invite III

  • Zach McWhorter competes at 2021 NCAA West Preliminary

    21TRK West Prelims 0950.jpg

  • Zach McWhorter with Coach McWhorter at 2021 NCAA West Preliminary

    21TRK West Prelims 0783.jpg

  • Zach McWhorter breaks own school record at 2022 BYU Cougar Invitational

    McWhorterSchool Record.png