Johnson Earns All-American Honors in 1500
May 23, 2009
Alyssa Johnson raced to fifth place in the 1500 meter run at the NAIA National Championships to earn All-American honors on Saturday.
Johnson set a new school record in the process with a time of 4:35.20, which marked the third time she has lowered the mark.
A junior from Portland, Indiana, Johnson ran with the pack in the early stages of the race, then moved to take over the second position after 700 meters.
Battling the near 90 degree heat, she held her spot until the final 300 meters of the race when she was overtaken by three competitors, but finished strong to record TU's first ever All-American in the 1500.
Johnson was elated following the race, "It was just an honor to be here and there was no way I was going to leave anything out on the track. I kept waiting for the pack to go by, but it never did. It was a blast!"
Head Coach Ted Bowers expressed his excitement, "AJ has been focused on improving her racing strategies this year, and it really came into play today. The pack fell off the pace but she knew she could handle it and never wavered. Seeing her compete at this level is incredible."
Johnson became the first Lady Trojan to earn All-American honors since 2003 when Christel Deal placed fourth in the 400 meter hurdles.