She was recruited out of high school to be a high jumper. But Amber Welty wanted more, and that’s why she ended up at Idaho State.
Welty competed in track and field from 1987 to 1990. She won five Big Sky high jump championships, and captured the 1988 NCAA outdoor high jump title. The Twin Falls, Idaho, native ranks seventh on the Big Sky Conference’s list of “25 Greatest Female Athletes.’’
“Wow,” said Welty. “That is pretty exciting. If I told my kids that today, they would be like, ‘OK mom.’ That is pretty neat. I don’t think you realize sometimes where you are at.”
“Amber is one of the best competitors I've ever coached,” said Idaho State’s long-time head coach Dave Nilsson. “Not only was she a great competitor and athlete, she was a wonderful teammate and leader. The world needs more Ambers.”
Welty came to Idaho State in 1987 because the Bengals offered her the opportunity to compete in hurdles and the heptathlon.
“When recruited out of high school that was one of the biggest things that was a positive for Dave at ISU,” said Welty. “The other schools that were recruiting me were only going to have me just high jump. They really didn’t think I was good enough in the hurdles or long jump.”
“Then in the heptathlon he (Dave) thought I would just do phenomenally in that,” added Welty. “I never knew what that meant when he recruited me, but I knew that I enjoyed other events than just one. I was state champ in the hurdles, and I placed in the long jump. But the other coaches said, ‘You aren’t really that fast, and you’re just not that really good in those events.’ That was one of the main things that lead me to ISU, other than Dave being the coach and I had heard about his successes.”
During Welty’s freshman year she broke her foot. But that wasn’t going to stop her. She continued pushing herself and it paid off. Welty captured Big Sky indoor high jump championships in 1988 and 1989, and won outdoor high jump titles in 1987, 1988 and 1990.
“I think I was so successful because of everything around me, and everyone that was involved,” said Welty.
No doubt the high jump was her marquee event, but she was also successful in the hurdles and heptathlon. She scored points for a team at Big Sky Championships in the high jump, hurdles and in 1990 won the heptathlon.
Welty competed at her first NCAA Championship in 1987. She finished third with a leap of 6-feet, 1 1/4 inches.
“It was always a goal, and something I wanted to do was qualify for the NCAA,” said Welty. “And when I did it, it was like it wasn’t that hard, and what could I do if I really tried?”
She qualified again in 1988 at the NCAA indoor meet. She placed fourth, and carried the momentum to the outdoor season.
“I remember running around the track in Eugene, Ore., and I was in grey sweats,” Welty said. “And there were all these other people with fancy outfits. I had someone that came up to me and said, ‘If you would have gone to UCLA or the University of Texas, we could use those points.’ And I thought, well so can ISU.”
Welty scored 10 points for ISU as she won the high jump, becoming the first Idaho State women’s athlete to win an NCAA Championship. She won with a jump of 6-3 1/2, while second place was 6-1 1/4.
“I never thought I could win this meet,” said Welty after winning in Eugene. “I thought coming in that I would have a chance of getting second or third. I wanted 6-4 3/4 bad, but 6-3 1/2 is a PR (personal best), so I am excited. Today, when I was warming up, I felt great and I knew I was going to go at least 6-2 1/4. I was surprised no one else was up there. I thought Camille (Jampolsky) would pull it off.”
Jampolsky from Oregon placed sixth.
Welty competed at two more NCAA Championships. She was eighth in 1989 in the indoors, and second in 1990 at the outdoors.
Welty still holds three Big Sky Conference records. Her jump of 6-2 in 1988 remains the indoor all-time record. Her leap of 6-1 1/4 in the 1988 outdoor championship still holds up as a championship record. Her 1990 jump of 6-3 1/2 remains the all-time mark.
Welty represented the United States in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. After finishing second at the U.S. National Championships, she finished 27th in the Olympics.
Welty married a dairy man. She and her husband sold the farm in Idaho Falls and moved to Herbert, Texas. They have a 7,000-head dairy farm with her husband’s brother. They also have a trucking company that hauls cattle feed, as well as a cow-washing business for the dairy farm.
Within the last six month they have moved near the Dallas area to help her children’s tennis careers. She has a 17-year-old, and a 16-year-old. They still maintain a silent partnership with the dairy farm.