Following transfer from Wisconsin, Okoronkwo has potential to become first female athlete to qualify for Division 1 Indoor Championships in pole vault and triple jump in the same year

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The interior design major needed a change of scenery.

The architecture minor was determined to not only rebuild her career, but put together a blueprint for success that has her in position to make NCAA Division 1 history.

Following two frustrating years at Wisconsin, Chinne Okoronkwo transferred during the offseason to Texas Tech and has made a big impact in a short span of time for the Red Raiders, who are attempting to become the first program since Texas in 2015 to sweep the Big 12 Conference men’s and women’s indoor titles in the same year.

In addition to elevating to the No. 2 indoor performer in program history in both the women’s pole vault and triple jump, Okoronkwo also ranks among the top 16 athletes in Division 1 in each event entering the conference meet Friday and Saturday at Texas Tech’s Sports Performance Center.

Should she remain among the top 16 in the country following all of this weekend’s conference finals, Okoronkwo would become the first Division 1 female athlete to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in both events in the same year.

“It’s definitely been a huge difference. I just enjoy it so much more and it’s fun again. I had two years where I really wasn’t enjoying track that much, which shouldn’t be the case,” Okoronkwo said. “It’s honestly been so good, just the change of environment and getting to be on a team that really functions like a team and is like a little small family. It’s been amazing just to have this second chance to come to another school. I’ve been very happy, which can make a world of difference.”

Okoronkwo’s renewed passion for the sport has helped her ascend to No. 5 in the country in the triple jump Feb. 8 with a personal-best 43 feet, 10 inches (13.36m) at the Texas Tech Shootout.

She also produced a PR in the pole vault Jan. 24 with a 14-2 clearance (4.32m) at the Texas Tech Classic, which has Okoronkwo equal to the No. 13 performer in the country.

“I was doing great in practice and then I went out and competed the way everyone had told me I would be able to. I was sort of expecting it to happen with the way things had been going and I’m still expecting more,” said Okoronkwo, who trails only the 43-11.25 (13.39m) indoor triple jump by Viershanie Latham when she placed fifth for Texas Tech at the 2017 Division 1 finals.

“I honestly just go out there and have fun and jump and see what I can do on that day. I always try to pick something we’ve been working on in practice to improve upon and I’m always just jumping and competing against myself.”

With such a demanding academic schedule, including several long and detail-oriented design and architecture classes, Okoronkwo wasn’t always able to practice with her teammates during her time in Wisconsin, often resulting in training alone.

Okoronkwo still faces similar challenges balancing her classes and workouts at Texas Tech, but has received extra attention and assistance whenever needed in order to complete training sessions and achieve her weekly goals.

“The academics are pretty similar (at Texas Tech), but the way I’m able to work around it is a lot different,” Okoronkwo said. “Coaches are able to work around my schedule, and still carve out time to train with me. Our jumps group is so big that there is always someone else there to practice at that time with me, which is extremely helpful because I trained alone a lot in Wisconsin, which I didn’t necessarily always prefer because I like having someone there with me going through the workouts.”

Following a record-setting career at Mountlake Terrace High in Washington, Okoronkwo arrived at Wisconsin expected to be an immediate contributor in the triple jump and pole vault, having produced marks of 42-11.75 (13.10m) and 13-8 (4.16m) as a prep athlete.

Okoronkwo didn’t improve on either performance during her two years in Madison, in addition to not winning a Big 10 individual title or advancing to an NCAA indoor or outdoor championship event.

It prompted Okoronkwo to take a closer look at what she desired from the remainder of her collegiate experience and evaluate how important track and field was to her future.

“I reflected a lot on what I actually wanted out of a team. I wanted people who were family and who would do anything for track and field, who lived the lifestyle of a professional athlete and had the same goals that I did of wanting to go past just collegiate track and field,” Okoronkwo said. “I had to realize what my priorities were and what were the things that I wanted, and I just needed a place where I was more capable of handling both school and track and field, as well as having the facilities and all the things I came to Texas Tech for.

“When I went to a school that was more academics versus track, where not all of my teammates were die hard for track, that was really different for me because all of my teammates in the past being on USA teams, I was always surrounded by people who really loved track. I didn’t always get that feeling when I was at Wisconsin.”

Although she wasn’t able to achieve the level of track and field success she had hoped for at Wisconsin, Okoronkwo experienced growth in other areas, which made her even more motivated to succeed once she arrived in Lubbock, Texas.

“I learned a lot of things. A lot of it was learning how to deal when some things don’t go your way because I never really expected to come out of high school and have so much trouble with track and field,” Okoronkwo said. “I was definitely more academic focused coming straight out of high school and I didn’t understand how big of a deal track and field was in my life.”

With a fresh outlook and new perspective, Okoronkwo has benefited from the guidance of Texas Tech jumps coach James Thomas and veteran pole vault assistant Tom Slagle, but she gives the most credit to her fellow jumpers and vaulters for making the transition to a new program such a smooth one.

“The jumps groups already had such a good environment and they all have really good relationships. It’s a very large group and we just lift each other up and help each other out,” Okoronkwo said. “Coach Thomas is our jumps coach, but we’re also all each other’s coaches. We offer advice all the time and we’re constantly talking about our jumps and talking about training.

“I think it’s that kind of environment that has really helped me transition really well because I’m around a lot of jumpers and people who understand what I’m talking about. Being in an environment like that has really helped me.”

Okoronkwo, who also considered attending LSU during the summer before deciding on Texas Tech, has thrived with a different approach to training, which has also resulted in her producing an indoor personal-best 19-11.75 (6.09m) in the long jump, a mark that ranks in the top 45 in the country.

“The biggest thing so far has been the type of training we do. I’ve gotten so much faster and so much stronger under this program and that’s really been the biggest change. It’s what I needed,” Okoronkwo said. “I’ve always been pretty solid on technique and I understand a lot of things about the triple jump especially, so getting me faster and stronger was what needed to be done and that’s what happened and the results that I thought would come from that are happening right now.

“It took all of my teammates encouraging me and helping me out because I’m not the fastest and most strong willed when it comes to running, so it was really nice to have them around to help me through those hard workouts that I had never done before.”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Okoronkwo’s success this season has been her improvement in the pole vault, where she relies on an unconventional style of sliding the pole on the ground throughout her approach instead of carrying it in the air during her run like the majority of her peers.

Okoronkwo hadn’t competed in the pole vault since the 2017 outdoor season at the NCAA West Regionals in Austin, Texas, clearing 12-11.50 (3.95m) to finish tied for 26th place out of 47 competitors.

“It’s been really fun getting back into it. I talked with the coaches about what the approach would be for pole vault since I wouldn’t have as much time to train as other vaulters and we just decided that I should continue to slide my pole like I did in high school,” Okoronkwo said. “That way I just have to worry about the top end and working on the things that could really help me improve. I’ve just been having fun with it and I think when I have fun, I do good and that’s been the biggest difference with it.”

Okoronkwo opened her first competition Jan. 12 at the Corky Classic with a 14-foot (4.27m) clearance and improved to 14-2 (4.32m) two weeks later. She ranks second in Texas Tech indoor history behind Shade Weygandt, who cleared 14-5.25 (4.40m) in 2011.

“I didn’t really practice that much in high school. Vaulting at the meets is where the majority of my practice would be done, and I would rely on my speed and being athletic and my gymnastics background to help get through the vault. I always thought when I go to college that I would really learn how to do it and now it’s actually happening,” Okoronkwo said. “I’m not really technical when it comes to pole vault. I understand the technique, but a lot of it is just doing it over and over again and improving a little bit each time that I do it.

“I’m working on staying aligned with my pole and going up instead of sliding off the pole. Those are the bigger aspects that I’ve been working on and keeping pressure on the pole through the vault. I’m looking forward to getting another chance to vault and getting even higher up there.”

In NCAA Division 1 indoor history, there have been 58 female athletes who have cleared at least 14-2 in the pole vault and 81 women who have triple jumped 43-10 or better.

Okoronkwo is the only individual who appears on both lists.

“That’s amazing. That’s a true athlete right there,” said San Diego State fifth-year senior Bonnie Draxler, one of three collegiate vaulters this season to clear at least 14-10 (4.52m), along with Arkansas’ Lexi Jacobus and Washington’s Olivia Gruver.

“I think it’s awesome that she can do both. It’s great for the sport.”

Whether Okoronkwo will get the chance to compete in both events March 8-9 at the Division 1 Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala., won’t be determined until after the conference finals.

But her performances on the runway and in the air Friday and Saturday in all three events could go a long way toward Texas Tech capturing its first Big 12 women’s indoor team title in program history.

“It’s been very relaxed thus far, rotating events each weekend, but I’ll bring the intensity when it’s needed,” Okoronkwo said. “I’ll be ready for conference and then NCAAs.”

After missing out on postseason success the past two years, Okoronkwo is looking forward to a return to the spotlight in the coming weeks, just like during her memorable career as a prep standout in Washington when she competed at New Balance Nationals and represented the U.S. at several international meets.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Okoronkwo said. “It was definitely a learning experience and I’m glad I made the switch that I did because it was definitely what I needed. I just feel so thankful for this opportunity.”