Arizona track and field coach Fred Harvey’s emotional state, understandably, when watching Tucson native and UA senior sprinter Trayvion White-Austin break a school record held for more than three decades: pure excitement.
Harvey, who started coaching White-Austin on the youth track when the latter was just 9 years old, hugged and congratulated his longtime runner after his 10.14-second run in the 100 meters at the UA-hosted Willie Williams Classic last month.
Harvey has seen White-Austin emerge over the years in Tucson into a star in the making, but as impressive as the feat was, it isn’t the end-all, be-all for White-Austin.
Already holding the school records for the indoor 60 meters and the indoor 200 meters, owning the outdoor mark in the 100 is just another record shattered off White-Austin’s checklist. The Pac-12 Track and Field Athlete of the Week for the week of March 26 and Harvey are pushing for larger goals, notably under brighter lights, in White-Austin’s last go-around as a collegian.
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“I’d much prefer the record to happen at the Pac-12 Championships or the NCAA championships because that’s where it matters at,” Harvey said. “You’re not getting an All-American certificate being the Willie Williams champion.
“You can have the school record if you like, but you are not gonna be an All-American unless you get it done there.”
The potential for White-Austin was always there in his coach’s eyes; White-Austin has been a part of the local track and field scene since long before his arrival at the UA, with him excelling on Harvey’s Tucson Elite Athletic Club from 2010-2020.
Sahuaro high school's Trayvion White-Austin makes an attempt in the boy's Division II Long Jump during the Arizona high school track and field state championships at Mesa Community College on May 5, 2018.
In his senior year at Sahuaro High School, White-Austin won the Junior Olympic National Championship in 400-meter relay, with former Tucson High and now USC track star Johnnie Blockburger as a teammate.
When Harvey identified White-Austin’s talent at an early age, his goal was to instill confidence in the prodigy that he can compete at the highest level.
“A lot of people have the ability, but they don’t get it done,” Harvey said.
A large component in White-Austin’s strides throughout his career has been that confidence, which has stemmed from seeing his results and building off of it.
“You got to have results,” Harvey said. “You can’t keep talking about greatness and how good you want to be if you don’t have results. As we’re going through and he’s getting the results that he’s achieving, it’s at this point now that we’re continuing to build the confidence off of the results.”
These results have not come alone, however. White-Austin, who has worked most of his training throughout his career with UA associate head coach Francesca Green, attributed a lot of progress throughout his career to Green’s belief in him.
“She coaches hard,” White-Austin said.
White-Austin inherited this ideology of “show don’t tell” from his coach and when asked about what message he would give to younger Tucsonans who want to be like him one day, he reiterated that ideology: “Don’t talk about breaking records, just do it.
“Talking about records isn’t going to do anything,” he added.
White-Austin and the previous record-holder, former Olympian and NFL five-time NFL Pro Bowl section Michael Bates, both hail from Tucson. That makes Harvey even more proud.
“That’s a lot of pride I take in our city,” Harvey said.
And though White-Austin and Bates have different body compositions and don’t have a previous relationship, Harvey said there are elements of how White-Austin carries himself that reminds him Bates. Notably, Harvey said the star athletes are both reserved individuals.
When Bates set the previous 100 meter school record of 10.17 seconds, it took place at the World Student Games in Sheffield, England — a major event.
Harvey believes that the records White-Austin broke are significant, but the significance of when and where they take place make all the difference.
“If he never even got close to breaking that record, my personal number one goal for [Tray] is to be top-3 in the 100 meters at the Pac-12 Championships, be at the finals in the NCAA Championships, and make the Olympic Trials. Times are great but credentials are more important,” Harvey said.
The ample amount of motivation from coaches and marks throughout the years has aided White-Austin’s career, but deep inside, ever since he hit the track, he has always had the natural will to push himself further to push boundaries.
“He really wants to be successful,” Harvey said. “He’s willing to do the work that it takes to be successful.”
