Whittni Orton - BYU Track & Field
I didn’t start out as a track star. My High School Coach was intense and insistent on always giving every workout 110%. I became mentally tough as I pushed my hardest each day. High School taught me that I wanted to be the toughest, most competitive racer and trainer out there. I wanted to be the best.
My freshman season was a building year. Coach Taylor instilled extreme goals and hope. She expressed to me that I was capable of one day becoming a national champion. When she told me this, I was blown away. In no way did I think I, Whittni Orton, would be capable of such an amazing thing. That hope gave me strength and I finished my freshman season by qualifying for the NCAA Track Championships.
Sophomore year, I got a little taste of what it felt like to be nationally ranked by placing 7th in the mile at indoor nationals and getting my first, First Team All-American Honor. That experience fueled me and allowed me to get through the future roller coaster of injuries and self-doubt.
We started Cross country in the Fall. The two previous seasons, I was unable to compete because of injury, so I was hoping this Junior year would be my year. After training incredibly hard and developing confidence, I started to feel some calf pain. An MRI revealed the devastating news that I was injured yet again. This would end my cross-country season for the third year in a row. It was my fourth injury of my collegiate career.
After weeks on crutches and an eventually successful Junior outdoor track season, I was burnt out. I was exhausted from the constant anxiety of not being able to finish a race strong. I needed to redefine my purpose for why I competed. I took that summer to truly refresh, ultimately remembering that I loved running because it brought me closest to God. This was why I ran. That faith helped me feel fulfilled and refreshed.
I started to see the power of faith and perseverance. I finally was healthy for cross country season and earned my first cross country All-American award. My team finished second in the nation. The feeling was surreal, and I couldn’t have been more proud of my teammates and all that we had accomplished.
That success gave me momentum. My senior indoor track season I was able to break a record in every race that I ran. I was ranked in the top 4 in the NCAA in each (#4 – 5k, #2 – Mile, #1 – DMR, #1 – 3k) and qualified for the national meet in all 4. I was truly feeling like this year was MY YEAR and I entered the NCAA Indoor Track Championships on a high.
Just a day before the competition, the 2020 NCAA Indoor National Championships was cancelled. We were warming up on the track when we heard the news and were asked to evacuate immediately. My team, along with many other teams at the track, stayed for a little while, just trying to process what really happened. We huddled in the middle of the arena, other athletes sat in the bleachers crying, while some took their final laps around the track. The overall feeling in the arena was disbelief and loss.
I believe that there is purpose in trials. Track and competing isn’t the most important thing in life. But because of it, I have had time to acknowledge what I am grateful for: I am grateful for an unreal season with no regrets, amazing people I have been blessed to know and opportunities I’ve been able to be a part of. I have faith that all will work out and pray for everyone affected by this pandemic.
