McWhorter named Mountain Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year

NEW ORLEANS – BYU track and field’s Zach McWhorter was awarded 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Mountain Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year, the USTFCCCA announced on Thursday.

McWhorter finished national runner-up for the second straight season at Friday’s indoor pole vault national championships. The sophomore’s clearance of 5.70m/18-8.25 was also good for First Team All-American honors.

Nationals capped off a season of new heights for McWhorter. The Springdale, Arkansas native broke his own school record twice as he led all Division I men’s pole vaulters for much of the 2022 indoor campaign. McWhorter set the current BYU record of 5.85m/19-2.25 at the Columbia Challenge in New York City on Feb. 4. This ranked McWhorter No. 5 all-time in Division I, among former collegiate greats such as KC Lightfoot of Baylor and LSU’s Mondo Duplantis.

McWhorter was no stranger to USTFCCCA awards during the season as he was awarded Men’s National Athlete of the Week on Dec. 13 and Feb. 7.