Hi there!
My name is Natalia Price. I am a track and field coach at Willamette Striders Track Club.
I was born in Siberia in an athletic family, so I've been competing in sports as long as I remember myself. I was an acrobat and a gymnast, then I switched to track and field doing heptathlon, hurdles and long jump. I picked up a pole when I was 17 and it became my favorite event. I competed for the Russian Junior National Team for several years before I moved to the US on an athletic scholarship. When I was in Junior College at Vincennes University I became a five-time NJCAA National Champion, NJCAA Indoor and Outdoor Record Holder, NJCAA Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year, and NJCAA Hall of Fame. Then I transferred to the University of Kansas and set Indoor and Outdoor School Records, became NCAA DI Indoor National Champion and Outdoor Runner-up, three-time All American, Newcomer of the Year, and got inducted to the University of Kansas Hall of Fame.
I still enjoy pole vaulting once in a while. And I really enjoy teaching young athletes track and field events. So if you're wanting to learn a new event, improve your physical qualities, and/or improve your technique, you are in the right place!
NCAA DI National Champion in pole vault, 3x All-American, KU & NJCAA Halls of Fame , 5x NJCAA National Champion, NJCAA National Record Holder
Meet Assistant Coach
Sarah Hopkins
Sarah Hopkins is an athlete and coach specializing in pole vault, long jump, triple jump, and the decathlon. She competed as a triple jumper at the University of Colorado, placing 5th on their indoor all-time list.
She took up pole vault halfway through her collegiate career in 2018, achieving a personal best of 3.76m (12’ 4.5”) during the 2021 season. She achieved her triple jump personal best during this season as well, jumping 12.69m (41’7”).
Hopkins began her coaching career in 2017 at the club level, coaching with RISE Athletics in Boulder, CO as the jumps and sprints coach.
After moving to Portland in 2021, Hopkins began coaching at Lewis & Clark College as the jumps coach. She coached the two-time Northwest Conference Women’s Triple champion while at L&C, and helped numerous athletes achieve personal bests.
She currently coaches at Ida B. Wells High School in Portland, OR, most recently coaching two 2023 state qualifiers and helping nearly all of her athletes achieve personal bests over the 2023 season.
