University of Minnesota Athletics
Know the Gophers: Jonathan Webb
5/9/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Story by Jackson Riebel
MINNEAPOLIS – In brief career so far with Gopher Track & Field, redshirt sophomore Jonathan Webb has already written his name all over the Minnesota record books. The Woodbury, Minn. native holds program top-ten marks in seven different events, including three indoor (60-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 4x400-meter relay) and four outdoor (100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 4x100-meter relay, and 4x400-meter relay). Earlier this season Webb added Second Team All-America honors to his resume as a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that finished 12th at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
As the program gears up for the final leg of the 2018 outdoor season, Gophersports.com sat down with Webb to discuss his recent success and his goals for this weekend’s Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
You’re a local product, growing up in Woodbury and attending Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. How did you originally get involved in track & field?
I started back in fifth grade, so I’ve been doing it for a long time. We had a coach who actually went to the University of Minnesota, Keita Cline, and he was coaching the Woodbury track & field association. My dad was a big track runner back in the day, so he thought I’d try it out and I’ve kind of been doing it ever since.
What went into your decision to become a Gopher?
I just think this was the best fit. It was either here or going down to Texas [to run for Baylor], and I just thought I’d be most comfortable here and that this was a place where I could succeed and have the best opportunities. I saw the potential that this program had, so I thought it would be a great place to come. It’s also nice to be close to home. I’m only thirty minutes away, so I can see my parents whenever I want, which is really nice. My mom is also a professor for a graduate course here, so I see her through that as well.
Your name is on the Gopher top-10 list in seven different events, and you helped set the school record in the outdoor 4x100-meter relay last season. What allows you to have success in so many different events?
Just being able to do multiple events in the first place. I think in my senior year of high school I was able to do the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the 400-meter dash, so having a good range and having experience doing multiple events has really helped. I think the biggest thing for me was watching the seniors last year. Mitch Hechsel, Nate Roese, and Derek Wiebke, those were the three biggest performances that I watched last year at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. It made me think, “Wow, I want to make an impact like those three do.” It changed my mindset, and coming into this year it really pushed me to have more confidence and motivated me to be the best I can be.
This spring you picked up your first All-America honor at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. What did that accomplishment mean to you and the other members [Matthew Baker, Ben Psicihulis, and Jackson Wellingstein] of the relay?
We got lucky with the [Second Team] All-American honor, but I’ll take it. I think all of us wanted to get the First Team honor, for sure. That was probably my worst race of the year, actually. But I think for outdoor we’re set on getting First Team All-American. I think getting Second Team in indoor kind of motivated us to be better in outdoor, and I think that meet at Indoor Nationals showed us how small of an error can take your chances away.
This weekend you head to the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Bloomington, Indiana. What are your goals for the weekend?
I’d like to medal in at least one event, and I think our 4x400-meter relay even has a chance to win. I think we’re that talented. Other than that, just winning as a team, supporting each other, and carrying that attitude throughout the event. We’re really young, so it’s about getting guys experience and being in these tough situations. I hope to make the finals in at least one individual event and medal in at least one of the relays.
Last year you spent the summer interning for U.S. Bank as an Engagement Strategies Intern. What did you learn from that experience?
I would say I learned a lot more about the business setting than I have in all my schooling. That was my first internship experience, so being thrown in to a corporate setting was crazy. But I learned a lot, and it gave me great experience to carry on and continue to get internships elsewhere. I learned leadership in a business setting, how to work with teams and be organized.
Do you have any plans for the upcoming summer?
This summer I’m interning with UnitedHealth Group out in Minnetonka, and then I hope to travel at least a little bit throughout the summer depending how busy I am with that job. Hopefully by the end of the summer I’ll find some time.
When you’re not training or studying at school, how do you spend your free time?
I try to travel as much as I can. I also enjoy hanging out with friends, especially going to see high school friends who went to school somewhere else. It’s always good to go visit them. Going on family trips – Los Angeles is my favorite city, so I go there often. I hope to go back there this summer.
What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?
That’s hard. Probably continuing on in my current career path. My end goal is to be a director of marketing for a professional sports team, something in that area. I think working for a professional organization such as the Los Angeles Rams or the Minnesota Vikings would be great. Hopefully in 10 years I’ll be in a position that could set me up for success there.
Quick Hits:
Who Plays You in a Movie: Chadwick Boseman
Funniest Teammate: Eric Walker
Smartest Teammate: Alex Kelner
Favorite Movie: Interstellar
Go-to Restaurant: Qdoba
Pre-meet Song: either “The Difference” - Meek Mill or “Nice for What” - Drake
