Two-time Olympian, Idaho alumni and Idaho assistant coach Angela Whyte volunteers her time to coach UI track and field athletes as she continues her career as a professional athlete.
Whyte said she has been racing for as long as she can remember.
“I really enjoyed racing people when I was younger,” she said. “Like just in the field — you want to race — and I’d beat the boys.”
Whyte continued to run through junior high and high school. She also played volleyball and basketball, but chose to take her passion for running to the next level.
Whyte, who is from Edmonton, Alberta, chose to attend the University of New Mexico on a track scholarship.
After a coaching change midway through her college career, Whyte transferred to UI. Jackie Richards, a close friend of Whyte’s, came to Idaho for her master’s degree. After seeing the Idaho track team compete, Whyte asked her friend about the team and decided to transfer.
“I’d always see the University of Idaho at track meets — I liked the way the team dynamic was,” Whyte said.
Since then, Whyte said she has never regretted her decision. With the help of Director of Track and Field Wayne Phipps and other coaches, Whyte placed in the NCAA Championship and set 13 Idaho school records. Whyte competed primarily as a hurdler for Idaho and continues to compete as a professional athlete.
“As soon as I stepped foot on this campus, coach Phipps just took me to a new level,” Whyte said. “The sky was the limit.”
Phipps said Whyte’s accomplishments make her one of the most decorated athletes in school history.
“From combining both what (others) did as a collegiate and post-collegiate, it would be hard to compare it to what (Whyte) has done,” Phipps said. “The number of records, the number of NCAA All-Americans, the number of team titles, individual titles at the conference level, and then to go on to compete in four world championships, two Olympic Games, be a Olympic Game finalist, be ranked No. 1 in the world at one point in the 55-meter hurdles indoors — I mean there’s nothing really she hasn’t done.”
After all this, Whyte is still seeking to accomplish more. As she continues to coach Vandal sprinters and hurdlers, Whyte is also training for her third Olympic Games in which she will represent Canada as a hurdler.
Whyte relates well to the Idaho athletes she coaches because of her status as a professional. Her athletes are also grateful to be coached by person of her caliber.
“Last year when I found out (Whyte) was an Olympian, I was a little excited about that,” Idaho sophomore Cait Rowland said. “She is definitely great at coaching, especially when it comes to me because we are both hurdlers. Sometimes I get the opportunity to actually practice with her at the same time.”
Whyte said she enjoys volunteering to coach Idaho athletes after everything the university and coaches have done for her. She said she enjoys sharing her knowledge of the sport with younger athletes. Her personality and caliber as an athlete bring a unique dynamic to the team.
“I can be very, very fun,” Whyte said. “But at the same time, when it’s business — it’s on. That’s the way I approach my own career and that’s just kind of the way it carries over into coaching.”