Hunter Woodhall decides to pursue professional career

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Life decisions often involve leaving something cherished behind when pursuing goals and dreams. However, for Razorback sprinter Hunter Woodhall, a decision to advance his athletic career to the professional level will still keep him among his Arkansas teammates.

A four-time All-American with the Razorbacks, Hunter will make his pro debut on Sunday in the American Track League 3 meet. His first race at 400m, in a split-section final, includes an elite level of competition. His career best times in college include a 46.22 (400), 1:18.34 (600) and 1:50.68 (800).

“I’m coming into the pro level with a bang, they have some of the top names in the sport racing here this weekend,” said Woodhall of his first professional race occurring in Randal Tyson Track Center. “It’s a great feeling and I couldn’t have had it any other way. I’m super psyched about it, thankful and blessed.”

Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam noted: “He has our full support, and we plan on keeping in our program as a student assistant. He will continue to train with Coach Case so that he can continue to work on his dream of running in the Paralympics.

“I’m conflicted on this because I hate to lose him. For him, he just had to make the decision he had to make. We just wish him the best.”

One element Woodhall wishes would be present during the special occasion on Sunday would be fans in the venue, which hasn’t been possible this year with the coronavirus pandemic.

“If there was some kind of a home crowd, I’d like to thank the people who have supported this program for all these years and supported me,” stated Woodhall. “That would be great to go out there and know I’m running for those people and for everyone who is part of this university and supported me the last three years. That’s who I’ll be on the track for this Sunday.”

When Woodhall was offered an opportunity to compete for the Razorbacks and attend the University of Arkansas, he relished the chance to fulfill a dream of racing on the Division I level. He excelled, earning All-American honors as a key leg on relays while being a member of a championship team.

“It’s been a surreal experience, and I think looking back to when I got here and broke that barrier, with Arkansas taking a chance on me, and they wanted to have me here and helped develop me as an athlete,” recalled Woodhall.

“I think it’s been building up to this moment and it always felt like something was a possibility, but I never thought it would be a reality. Now it’s all culminating.”

The benefit for the Razorbacks of having Woodhall as part of the program is immeasurable due to his positive impact on and off the track.

“Track and field is looked on as an individual sport, but it’s a team sport here at Arkansas and he has been a great team player for us the last three years,” said Bucknam. “I’m happy for him, but maybe for him too, it may be bittersweet because he loves this team.

“We’re thrilled that he was a Razorback as long as he was and wish we had him for another year. Just proud of how he handled himself. He always ran hard and gave his best effort all the time.”

A career highlight with Arkansas for Woodhall involves the 2020 SEC Indoor championship the Razorbacks won last February, particularly for the team aspect of striving for a goal and accomplishing the feat together.

Woodhall was a member of the SEC silver medal 4×400 relay, splitting 46.03 on the anchor leg of a 3:05.62 performance. In the Tyson Invitational a couple of weeks prior, he split 45.46 as the anchor leg on a 3:04.81 runner-up effort.

“Winning an SEC championship was probably the highlight of my college career,” Hunter noted. “Just experiencing it with all of our teammates and understanding all the stories and struggles that everyone on the team fought through to get to that point and win a ring.

“On top of that, since I’ve been at this school there’s been an environment of positivity and support. It’s always about how we can help each other. For an individual sport, it’s very team environment.”

Following the SEC team title, Arkansas was poised to challenge for a team title at the NCAA Indoor meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Scheduled to be part of the Razorback 4×400 as well as the distance medley relay, Hunter and the team were denied the opportunity when the meet was canceled due to concerns with the pandemic.

“One of the best things, before we had the break this past year with the pandemic, the last thing we did as a team was win the SEC Indoor championship,” said Woodhall. “Being able to share that with the team it kind of made this process a little bit easier to have that closure where I got to experience that with my team.

“Then having those months off just gave me some time to reflect and think about what I wanted. For the first time in the last eight to 10 years I had six months where I didn’t have to do anything. I had to figure out what my life is all about and what I wanted to do outside of track. It brought a lot of realizations to the surface and pointed me in a positive direction.”

With his professional debut taking place this weekend, Woodhall’s emotions regarding the decision run the gamut.

“It’s a lot of different emotions all at once,” Woodhall said. “One, it’s a big weight off my shoulder. I can look back and say, man, I made it. Especially in a point in my life when I didn’t know if college was going to become a reality and if I’d be able to run on run on the university level.

“Now, being able to call myself a professional athlete is absolutely insane. Just to have the past four years that I’ve been able to have and have this school tied to my name and what’s going to happen in the next coming years, it makes it all worth it.

“It makes me really proud to show somewhat of a success story of what this university does for athletes and students in how supportive they are of the guys.”

Competing on the professional level will continue Woodhall’s preparations for another goal, upgrading his silver and bronze medals to something with a golden flare at the next Paralympics, scheduled for Tokyo.

“This year is all about just having a successful first year as a pro and making that transition from college,” said Woodhall. “With the Paralympics being postponed last year, now all eyes are on August of this year. My main focus is going to be cycling up to Tokyo and being able to compete at the highest level at that point.

“Moving on past that, it’s about instilling a legacy of what I want and, hopefully, making positive changes in the sport that are going last a longer time. That was the goal with coming to college, making it easier for the next generation, and people that may not have had a spot to be able to compete at a university like they do now. I just want to make a positive difference in the sport.”

In addition to his professional ambition in track and field, Woodhall is equally adept in the business realm.

“He was a great team leader for us and he did it by example,” stated Bucknam. “So, it’s a bittersweet moment for us. He’s a real smart kid and is going to be unbelievably successful in life. That success came early, monetarily, and he’s got to do what he needs to do.”

Woodhall added: “People have an interest in what I’m doing and care about following my life is pretty humbling for me. Moving forward I just want to make sure that whatever I’m doing in life, I’m enjoying it. I want to keep pursuing, starting, and growing businesses. Just keep creating things I want on social media and making a positive difference in people’s lives.

“Being able to continue my track career, run more and enjoy that part of life is an extra blessing on top of it.”