Penn sprinter Bella Whittaker announced her graduate transfer to Arkansas on Apr. 22.
Credit: Weining DingOn the eve of the Penn Relays, it has been announced that Penn track and field’s senior sprinter Isabella Whittaker will transfer to Arkansas for her last year of collegiate eligibility.
Whittaker was commanding in her appearances this season for the Red and Blue, setting Ivy League records for the 400-meter and 500-meter races. Additionally, Whittaker’s first-place 400m performance at the Ivy Heptagonal Championships assisted in Penn women’s track and field taking home first at the competition.
Whittaker qualified for the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 400m and the 4x400m relay. However, she was unable to participate in the Championships due to injury. The injury bug is not new to Whittaker, who has battled physical ailments throughout her collegiate career.
“My time at Penn has been great. Honestly, I had a bit of a rough patch in the middle with an injury that kind of took me out for a bit,” Whittaker said. “In terms of the people who really stuck by my side during that time got me to where I am, I would definitely refer to my athletic trainer Moe.”
Similar to departing Penn men’s basketball star Clark Slajchert, Whittaker has an additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Ivy League has long barred graduate students from participating in athletics, and this NCAA ruling did not change this regulation. In order to take advantage of extended eligibility, Whittaker and other athletes in the Ancient Eight must transfer to a non-Ivy institute.
Whittaker is joining an Arkansas track and field program that has been a longtime staple in the sport. In order to maximize her talent, joining an established program with a surplus of talent was the next logical step for Whittaker.
“My end goal is to go pro. [Competing at Arkansas] just felt like the perfect next step. It’s going to be pretty intense, but I’m really excited for that,” Whittaker said. “I think just switching it up and just trying to see how far I can take this track thing.”
During the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, the Razorbacks won their 50th National Track and Field Championship in program history as the women’s track and field team finished in first. This victory marked the eighth championship for the women’s team and the first championship for Arkansas women’s track and field coach Chris Johnson, whom Whittaker voiced enthusiasm about running for.
Needless to say, Whittaker is entering a winning situation. With this transfer, she joins a long list of impressive sprinters at Arkansas, including Joanne Reid and Kaylyn Brown. Recently, Brown won the outdoor 400m race at Florida’s Tom Jones Memorial Invitational with a world-leading time of 49.95 seconds, earning herself SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Whittaker pointed to the dominance of the Arkansas 400m sprinters as a primary reason for her transfer.
“The most straightforward answer is because for my event, the 400 [meter race], they have the best 400 squad in the country,” Whittaker explained. “I was excited to be surrounded by a lot of girls who are extremely competitive in the 400. [Arkansas] really has a pretty deep training group.”
At the end of June, Whittaker will be traveling to Eugene, Ore., for the 2024 United States Olympic Team Trials in track and field. She is ecstatic about the opportunity to “try and make a run for the team.”
During her time at Penn, Whittaker has been outspoken about the mental aspect of competing at the collegiate level.
“To be able to compete at your utmost potential, it is a lot of mental exertion,” Whittaker said. “But if you can give yourself tools in your toolkit, I like to say, you can do that. I think that’s been really beneficial for myself, and I didn’t really realize that until I got injured and had to take a step away.”
On the topic of fortifying her mental health, Whittaker has previously credited the benefits of writing and journaling. For herself, jotting down her thoughts has allowed her to succeed on and off the track. At Arkansas, Isabella Whittaker will be picking up the pen once again to author her next chapter.
Sports Photo Editor Weining Ding contributed to the reporting of this article.
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