University of Minnesota Athletics
White Retires from Pole Vault Coaching Position
7/29/2025 9:44:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
White has coached pole vault at the 'U' for 22 seasons.
MINNEAPOLIS -- University of Minnesota volunteer assistant coach Caroline White has announced her retirement from coaching pole vault. White's name is synonymous with pole vault at Minnesota after 22 seasons with the Maroon and Gold and a total of seven Big Ten Championships.
White has coached Minnesota's women's pole vaulters all 22 years with the program while she has coached the men since the 2018-19 season. Under her tutelage, all 20 of Minnesota's program top 10 between the indoor and outdoor lists have been coached by White. In her coaching career White has helped qualify a pole vaulter to the NCAA Championships 15 different times, 14 of those being with the women's program. Looking back, Alicia Rue (2007-10) went down as White's first All-American, breaking through in 2008. Rue repeated as an All-American in 2009, with an NCAA runner-up finish at the indoor meet and a tie for third outdoors. She won three straight Big Ten indoor titles (2008, 2009, and 2010) and an outdoor title in 2009.
White earned two All-America certificates in the pole vault while competing at the College of St. Benedict. She was St. Ben's Athlete of the Year in 2001 and a two-time Academic All-American. She won Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) pole vault titles in 1998 and 2001 and was inducted into the St. Ben's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. White graduated from St. Benedict in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in biology and earned a master's in education from St. Thomas in 2004.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
White has coached Minnesota's women's pole vaulters all 22 years with the program while she has coached the men since the 2018-19 season. Under her tutelage, all 20 of Minnesota's program top 10 between the indoor and outdoor lists have been coached by White. In her coaching career White has helped qualify a pole vaulter to the NCAA Championships 15 different times, 14 of those being with the women's program. Looking back, Alicia Rue (2007-10) went down as White's first All-American, breaking through in 2008. Rue repeated as an All-American in 2009, with an NCAA runner-up finish at the indoor meet and a tie for third outdoors. She won three straight Big Ten indoor titles (2008, 2009, and 2010) and an outdoor title in 2009.
White earned two All-America certificates in the pole vault while competing at the College of St. Benedict. She was St. Ben's Athlete of the Year in 2001 and a two-time Academic All-American. She won Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) pole vault titles in 1998 and 2001 and was inducted into the St. Ben's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. White graduated from St. Benedict in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in biology and earned a master's in education from St. Thomas in 2004.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
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