When Whittni Morgan crossed the finish line fifth at the Olympic trials in Oregon, the world knew she wasn’t going to the Olympics. The media knew it, the crowd knew it, and her hometown knew it. Her time was great! There were just others who were faster. But Whittni never gave up on her chance.
From the time she was a small child, Whittni was a goal-setter, and that made it into every sport she played. Basketball was fun, and she was good at it. She was quick, and she built that skill as Panguitch’s point guard, helping her team take state three years in a row.
Running was not fun and it was hard, but she wanted to succeed at that, too. And she did, said her mom, Beth Brewster.
“She used to win all the time,” Beth said, “but she put in the time too. She’s always worked hard in every sport,” be it basketball, volleyball or track.
Panguitch has a very successful track program. In the 1600 and 3200 races, though, it has never seen an athlete quite like Whittni, who continually brought in wins and broke multiple records her senior year.
When Whittni made it onto Brigham Young University’s track team, she learned to love running. The track program there challenged her, but it also created so many great friendships that have continued into her career. In 2021 she broke BYU’s record for fastest 5,000 meter at 15:12.
She also learned to chase things that are hard.
“I chose the 5K as my event because I loved that it is hard,” she told Chris Chavez in an interview for Citius Magazine Podcast after making it into the Olympics, “and I want to be someone that is known to choose hard things and endure through hard things.”
That resolve was tested in November 2023 when an injury set the runner back. “Not everybody knows about all the setbacks,” said Beth. “I’m proud of her picking herself up … because she’s had a lot of injuries.”
After a successful couple of years running for adidas, Whittni decided she needed to have surgery on her knee to fix an injury. Between December and February, she didn’t touch the track, but she did a lot of cross training, waiting and praying. Miraculously, so many little things fell into place. Her next goal? The Olympics.
At the Olympic trials six months after surgery, Whittni placed fifth in the 5,000 meter with a time of 15:05. The third placer would be on the Olympic team, and unless the other two dropped out, Whittni would not be running in Paris this August.
For the next week, Whittni Morgan trained with her BYU teammate who had made it into the Olympics. They were good friends, and she went out of her way to congratulate her and show how happy she was for her.
As for herself, Whittni kept trusting in whatever would happen next.
When asked what Whittni’s trust in God had to do with her career, Beth said “it had everything to do with it.” It was difficult for Beth to explain her daughter’s perspective in any other way.
Whittni doesn’t just trust God, “she makes time for him because she knows he makes time for her,” Beth said. And Whittni always gave God credit for her successes.
Then on Saturday, July 6, another miracle happened. Whittni got a call from her coach saying she was going to the Olympics! The third- and fourth-place runners had chosen to drop the 5,000 meter to focus on other Olympic events.
Whittni Morgan will be competing in the Paris Olympics on August 3 and 6, between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. You can watch her on any channel that shows the Olympics.
Whittni has 13 family members going to Paris to watch her, including all of her husband’s family (from Circleville), her mother (from Panguitch), and all but two of her siblings.
– by Abbie Call
Feature image caption: Whittni Morgan. Courtesy of Brooklynn Jarvis/BYU.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].