Bloomington Central Catholic’s Whitaker wins 2026 Clutch Sports Media Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year

Bloomington Central Catholic’s Isaiah Whitaker is used to raising the bar, literally. 

The Saints pole vaulter has broken record after record during an illustrious career that has seen him win four IHSA state titles and Clutch Sports Media’s 2026 Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year. 

Whitaker capped his senior year by winning the Class 2A state championship in the pole vault, which came after winning three consecutive Class 1A titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025. At the state finals, he cleared 17 feet, 8.5 inches (5.40 meters) which set a new IHSA State meet record for all classes and was the second-best mark by any high school in the country this season. 

Whitaker also set the Class 1A State Finals record with a mark of 17 feet, 6.5 inches in 2025. He is just the second boys track and field athlete in IHSA history to win a state championship in all four years of his high school career; Lisle’s Chris Jones won the 400 meters each year from 1993-1996. Whitaker also owns two Illinois Top Times Championships from the indoor season.

Whitaker won all but one event he competed in during the spring and won Illini Prairie Conference and sectional championships in all four years as well. Additionally, he ran on several BCC relays including the Saints’ 4x400 that placed 13th at state and their 4x200 that was the runner-up at the Class 2A Pontiac Sectional. His season-best mark of 17 feet, 11.25 inches came at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on April 3 and he was a member of CSM’s 2026 Boys Track and Field All-Area Team. 

The future Kentucky Wildcat has already made his mark on the national stage and recently cleared 18 feet to win the Nike Outdoor Nationals and USA Track and Field U20 Championships in Oregon on June 20. In 2025, he won championships at the New Balance Indoor Nationals and AAU Northern Indoor Nationals and qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics. In 2024, he won the AAU Junior Olympics Games. His all-time best mark is 18 feet, 1 inch. 

Hear more about Whitaker’s season and his career in our interview with him below. Some answers have been minimally edited for clarity.

What have you been able to reflect and look back on since the season has ended? 

“It's been a great four years and I can't be more proud of how I overcame challenges I've had, and everything that's went on throughout high school and still been able to compete at the same level every single time,” Whitaker said. “It's been a blast. Looking back, I'm going to miss it but it's on to better things. It's going to be fun looking back and knowing that I was able to perform the same way every single time.”

You mentioned challenges, what were they?

“I tore my labrum playing football, I found that out in July and got the surgery in August,” Whitaker said. “I honestly thought I wasn't going to be able to jump [at] any indoor [meets] and I didn't know how I was going to feel or if I was going to be able to even pole vault the same actually. It was a hard time thinking that I may never be able to pole vault good again, like who knows how good I'm going to be. It was hard mentally thinking about that.”

What’s your experience been like getting to travel and compete all around the country?

“I've went to Oregon, Texas, New York, Boston, Iowa, Indiana, Nevada,” Whitaker said. “Just all these competitions, you go out there, and you're obviously a little nervous, like ‘This is far away, if I do bad, it's going to be scary.’ That's also what builds knowing you can compete at a high level every time. You're going out there, you got the nerves and still being able to do good and prove to yourself you can compete against kids you don't see every year who are at your same skill level.”

What’s a motto or mindset you take when you’re competing?

“I always think if you're not first, you’re last, that's always been my motto because I expect to win,” Whitaker said. “It’s just always been like I really want to but if I just don't do how I wanted, I'm going to be upset about myself. But I'm still going to try to push myself to be better the next time and not lose.”

Aside from winning, what was your favorite memory from this past season? 

“It just happened, I was able to qualify for the Team USA world team,” Whitaker said. “I went out to Oregon for the USA Track and Field U-20 [Championships] and first and second [place] got a bid to the team. Some of the people you're competing against are older than you and there was a kid who placed top 10 at [the NCAA National Championship]. I was a bit nervous because I was like, ‘Wow, there's a few kids better than me in here. I'm going to have to step up and really jump well if I want to make the team.’”

What are your goals at Kentucky?

“Win a national championship,” Whitaker said. “I would love to be a national champ, even like, ending out this year for worlds in August when I go back out to Oregon, I would love to win. I mean, there's no better honor than representing your country against everyone else and pulling out a win for the whole country.”