Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame
The list of accomplishments achieved by Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Joni Claypool is as impressive as it is long.
An accomplished thrower for the Linfield track and field program from 2003 until 2006, the three-time All-American and three-time NCAA championship-meet competitor left an indelible mark during her four seasons in a Linfield singlet.
She capped a record-setting career off with a third-place showing in the shot put at the 2006 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She also finished fourth in the same event at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Perhaps Claypool’s finest single-day performance came at storied Hayward Field, where she topped a field of 21 competitors to break her own school record in the shot put. Her heave of 46 feet, 4¾ inches, which came at one of the first meets of the outdoor season, easily exceeded the Division III provisional qualifying mark.
Digging deeper into the record book, Claypool continues to rank fourth on the all-time list in the discus with a mark of 137-6 and stands seventh in Linfield history in the hammer with a personal best of 140-1.
Claypool captured Northwest Conference shot put championships in 2005 and 2006 after placing as the league runner-up in both 2003 and 2004. Combined, she earned a remarkable seven all-conference citations: three in the shot put, twice in the discus and two more times while competing in the hammer throw.
It came as no surprise when Claypool was chosen by NWC coaches and by her teammates as the outstanding female field events competitor during each of her final two seasons. In 2006, she was the West Region Field Athlete of Year.
Fellow thrower and 2006 graduate Chris Miles called Claypool “a ferociously quiet competitor. Joni was one of the most competitive people you could meet but you would never know it. She never let her emotions get out of hand, was always smiling and spreading inspiration, yet when she stepped into a ring to throw an object it was “Game On!”
Says Dani Miles, who competed side-by-side with Claypool in the throws: “Joni was an amazing athlete, teammate and I'm proud to say, friend. She was always willing to put in extra training time at the gym, or hours in the ring to push herself and her teammates to be the best they could be.
“She had a great attitude on and off the field,” Miles says. “Humble, yet hungry in her pursuit of excellence, she was well respected by her teammates, coaches, and fellow competitors. She is a true champion of the sport and as a human.”
Claypool grew up near Scio, Oregon, and arrived at Linfield as a superb all-around athlete from Stayton High School, where she was a seven-time letterwinner in track, volleyball and dance. As a high school senior, she claimed the Oregon Class 3A shot put state title.
For the past 13 years, she has been a mainstay with the Linfield track and field coaching staff. Claypool has also served the university as a member of the residence life staff, as community service and engagement director, and today is in her third year as Linfield’s director of constituent engagement.
