Who is Isabella Whittaker? All about the Arkansas athlete who broke the American Indoor record at the NCAA Championships

Isabella Whittaker is an Arkansas athlete who put in a record-breaking performance at the 2025 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, which were held from Friday, March 14, to Saturday, March 15, 2025, at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach. She clocked a time of 49.24 seconds to establish a new American and collegiate record in the 400m.

Whittaker bettered the previous college record of 49.48 seconds, which was posted by Britton Wilson during the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Her time of 49.24 seconds places her in second place behind Dutch star Femke Bol in the list of best performances. Bol had registered a world record of 49.17 seconds last year.

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Isabella Whittaker's collegiate career so far

Isabella Whittaker started her collegiate career at the University of Pennsylvania after completing high school at Mount DeSales Academy, where she earned All-America status thrice. She was ranked No. 4 nationally in the 300m, No. 5 in the 500m, and No. 6 in the 200m during her high school.

At the University of Pennsylvania, she broke the indoor and outdoor 400m Ivy League all-meet record which had stood since 1990 by clocking 51.69s and 50.17 seconds, respectively. The 23-year-old graduate student also competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing in sixth place in women's 400 with a time of 50.68 seconds.

For her final year of eligibility, Whittaker switched to the Arkansas Razorbacks' track and field team.

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"I knew I had it in me" - Isabella Whittaker expresses confidence in her skills following her victory at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships

In a post-race interview following her career breakthrough, Isabella Whittaker expressed her excitement and confidence in securing the victory. She said she felt a strong sense of accomplishment after executing a perfect start. Reflecting on her performance, Whittaker said (as quoted by Flotrack):

"I was just so excited when I crossed the line, and honestly, at first, I just wanted to hold on to this feeling forever," Whittaker said.

"I had a really good feeling about this one. I kind of knew I was gonna have to take it from the gun. I sometimes struggle with that, so I was glad I was able to come in. Then I came to the 200. When I came in to the 200 I was like, I actually had a feeling like it was gonna be good. So I was shocked, but I knew I had it in me."

Isabella Whittaker also garnered praise from Paris Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhall, who dubbed her performance as "unreal."