Probably the biggest twist of the D1 indoor track and field championships of 2025 was a former swimmer claiming ultimate glory on track.  This Arkansas Razorbacks star loved track and field so much she gave up swimming in pursuit of greatness on the track. The 23-year-old is used to winning in life. Her performance at the Olympic trials in 2024 was a message loud enough for everyone to take her seriously. During the trials in Oregon last year, this track sensation finished sixth in the 400m event, earning a ticket to Paris. Although that run was impressive, nothing compares to her most recent record!

Isabella Whittaker created history when she ran the 400m in a record time of 49.24 seconds, breaking a record earlier held by former Razorback, Britton Wilson, who ran 49.48 seconds at the 2023 NCAA Championships. After the race, the track sensation was visibly overwhelmed and shared her thoughts with the world “I knew it was fast because I could feel the energy of the people in the stands,” Whittaker said. “When I came through the 200-meter, I was like ‘This is going to be a good one,’” The 23-year-old could realize the race would yield great results much before she touched the finish line. But there is still one record to break, because impressive as Whittaker may have been, she still isn’t number one. Not yet.

Runner Space took to Twitter to announce the historic feat achieved by American track and field athlete in the national indoor championships, and also said, “Arkansas Champion Runs 49.24, Second Only To Femke Bol’s WR, And Then Closes The Meet By Anchoring Winning 4×400.”  Second only because the fastest record for 400m is still very much held by global superstar Femke Bol of The Netherlands, who ran 49.17 at the World Indoor Championships in Scotland last year. She later raced the relay as well and made sure of another record; this time a team one.

An hour after winning the gold in the 400 meters, the athlete was the anchor for the Razorbacks in the 4×400-meter relay. She received the baton one second ahead of University of Georgia’s anchor leg, Butler; the relay championship was on line, the former swimmer had to run fast and she did, recording a 49.71-second split. The Razorbacks won in a time of 3:35.20, setting a season’s best and facility record.

“I just want to hold on to this feeling forever,” said the 2025 DI 400M indoor track and field champion after the race, and why wouldn’t she? It takes a lot of guts to give up on something to do something you love, and even more when you were good at that something you gave up; good enough to be awarded an Olympic grant.

Isabella Whittaker: from water to track

When Isabella was young, her parents wanted her and her sister Juliette to take the track but didn’t want them to start too young and burn out, so swimming it was instead. The hard work and discipline you see in the sister today, alongside the impressive aerobic base, a go-to cross-training method, is because of their seven years of playing in the water. What’s more, the track sensation even had an academic grant for swimming! But when faced with the dilemma to choose between the track and the pool, the former took precedence.

Isabella would beat most of the boys in their small private school league, and “Then Juliette came onto the team, and she beat me,(Isabella).” But why did the sister eventually give up on swimming? Most of it came from the lack of rest they got, Juliette tells, “Now, after every workout, we have a recovery day where we just have to run a few miles easy. We never got that in swimming.”  And with track also taking its time, “By swimming, I couldn’t give track 100 percent. I made the switch over and never looked back,” as per Bella. Well, whatever happens, happens for the good. If they had swam we might have never known just how good Isabella the track athlete is.

While at the University of Pennsylvania, she set multiple program records in events such as the 200 m, 400 m, and in various relays, and collected several All-America honors, and now she just broke the national record. What is next for the Laurel native? That’s for us to watch!