Penn’s Isabella Whittaker joins former Quakers star Nia Akins as Olympic track qualifiers

Whittaker finished sixth in the 400 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials. On Sunday, she officially was added to the team's 4x400-meter relay pool.

Isabella Whittaker finished sixth in the 400-meter final at the U.S. Olympic trials on June 23.Read moreMichael Nance / Penn Athletics

by Isabella DiAmore

Published July 1, 2024, 2:49 p.m. ET

Penn graduate Isabella Whittaker is heading to her first Olympic Games in Paris after qualifying for the 4x400-meter relay pool at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore.

Whittaker placed sixth in the 400-meter final in 50.68 seconds on June 23. Usually, athletes in the top six of the 400 meters make the Olympic relay pool. She found out officially on Sunday that her dream of becoming an Olympian is coming true.

Her sister, Juliette Whittaker, 20, who competes at Stanford, also qualified for her first Olympics by finishing third in the 800 meters. The two are the first siblings to make a U.S. Olympic track and field team since 2000, when sisters Joetta Clark Diggs and Hazel Clark made the Olympic roster in the 800 meters.

Another Penn graduate, Nia Akins, finished first in the 800 meters to earn her spot on the team.

Isabella Whittaker, a first-team All-American at Penn, broke the program’s indoor record in the 400 this season in 51.69 seconds. In the NCAA track and field championships, Whittaker placed fifth in the 400, clocking in at 50.17, which marked a personal best for the 22-year-old.