Washington State University Athletics

Brad Walker, a nine-time USA Track & Field pole vault champion, joined the Washington State University track and field staff as an assistant coach for pole vault and high jump in October 2015.
 
In his first year at WSU, Walker mentored Thane Pierson to a Pac-12 Championship high jump title while Peyton Fredrickson finished tied for seventh and Austin Sodorff placed sixth in the pole vault. Cougar women high jumpers Liz Harper and Lateah Holmes scored with fourth and sixth-place finishes respectively. In school record performances, Pierson cleared the sixth-best height in WSU history of 7-3 (2.21m) while Sodorff vaulted 17-0 3/4 (5.20m) which it tied for 10th-best all-time. Harper high jumped 5-11 1/4 (1.81m) in 2016 which is tied for ninth-highest all-time.
 
At the 2017 Pac-12 Championships, Holmes tied for third and Davis finished seventh in the women's high jump and Fredrickson tied for sixth on the men's side. During the 2017 competitive seasons, Cougars high jumpers and pole vaulters reached PRs 30 times, including Molly Scharmann whose 12-6 1/4 (3.82m) vault was 10th-best in WSU all-time records.
 
Walker set the American men’s pole vault record of 19-feet, 9 3/4 inches (6.04m) in 2008 and that record still stands as of Fall 2016. That height was also the top World mark of that year. He is a five-time USATF Outdoor Champion in the pole vault, taking titles in 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2013 and competed in the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympic Trials. He also has accumulated four USATF Indoor Championships, taking titles in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2012.
 
His international acclaim includes gold medals at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships and the 2006 World Indoor Championships, silver medals at the 2008 World Indoor and 2005 World Outdoor Championships, and a bronze medal at the 2012 World Indoor Championships. Walker was also a member of Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2012 London Olympic Games.
 
Walker was a prep standout at University High School in Spokane Valley, Wash., and went on to an illustrious career at the University of Washington. He was a two-time Pac-10 Champion (2002, 2003) and a four-time All-American with two NCAA Indoor Championships pole vault titles (2003, 2004). He captured the 2003 NCAA title with a vault of 19-0 1/4, nearly nine inches beyond his nearest competitor. He was named MONDO West Region Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2003.
 
While an undergraduate, Walker was also honored for his work in the classroom, being named to the 2003 CoSIDA/Verizon Academic All-America team. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2004. Walker was the male recipient of the Pac-10 Medal for overall athletic and academic excellence.