New Faces: MSUB Track and Field Freshman Michaela Johnson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, February 14, 2017 By: Tom Lohmann, MSUB Media Relations Intern New Faces: MSUB Track and Field Freshman Michaela Johnson

Having already broken the MSUB school record in the 60-meter hurdles, MSUB track and field freshman Michaela Johnson is running strong in her first year with the Yellowjackets.

MSUB SPORTS – The first time Montana State University Billings track and field assistant coach Jonathan Woehl saw Michaela Johnson run, he knew she had a chance to have a special career as a Yellowjacket.

By the end of her senior year at Billings West High School, she had run her way to a third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles at the Montana Class AA state championship meet. Woehl knew her intangibles would translate well to the collegiate level, but he couldn’t have predicted that her prominence as a runner would emerge so early in her career.

“When I recruited Michaela, I expected that she would break school records at some point,” Woehl said. “I just didn’t think it would be the third meet in our indoor season.”

On Jan. 21 at the Dave Little Alumni Mile at Black Hills State University, Johnson raced her way to the fastest-ever time in MSUB history in the 60-meter hurdles with a mark of 9.15 seconds. She shaved 0.21 seconds off her preliminary time of 9.36, and topped the previous school best of 9.31 held by Hope Reid in 2015.

“After my first race, my coaches thought that I was going to break it the next time I ran,” Johnson said regarding the high expectations surrounding her abilities as a runner. “I ended up not doing it then, but the meet after that I broke it. It was kind of expected, and I was just hoping for it.”

It was Johnson’s very first meet her senior year of high school when she realized that she would like to run track in college. The three-sport athlete qualified for state in hurdles and developed into one of the elite sprinters in the state during her final season before heading to college.

Before Woehl witnessed Johnson blossom in her senior year of high school, the runner at times questioned her passion for the sport. Considering whether or not she even wanted to pursue track beyond high school, Johnson cited unwavering support from her Bears hurdle crew as revitalizing her passion for running. “My very first meet of senior year, I qualified for state in hurdles, and I realized I might be able to go somewhere with this,” Johnson commented on her newfound energy in her final prep season. “My junior year was really difficult, but my teammates were always there for me. That year pushed me to be a better person.”

Before Johnson grabbed attention by setting a new standard in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, teammate Austin Lindquist produced a similarly impressive mark on the men’s side. Competing at the Montana State University open on Jan. 14, Lindquist broke his own school record with a time of 8.76 to finish in fourth place.

Johnson has relied on the guidance of Lindquist, explaining that the senior’s expertise and attention to detail deserves credit for helping her attain unprecedented times. “Austin has made a huge impact on me,” Johnson said. “He is very particular about running form, he pushes us really hard, and is very supportive and wants to see us succeed. He is helping us out a lot with everything and is a great person to look up to.”

Aside from taking advantage of the senior leadership, Johnson has also fostered strong connections with the talented freshman class of sprinters and hurdlers that surrounds her.

So far, Jewlz Collins has been one of Johnson’s main influences so far at MSUB. “Jewlz is really fast, and is a really good hurdler,” Johnson said. “We have become really close and she has had a huge impact on me since I have been here. She might even break my record here.”

From Woehl’s perspective, the amount of potential already displayed within his first-year athletes has him excited about the future. The next step is upping expectations and raising the standard of competition at every meet. From there, Woehl sees no limit in Johnson and her teammates’ ability to become top athletes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

“I like recruiting Montana athletes because a lot of times they have done three or more sports through their whole high-school careers,” Woehl said. “They have never been able to focus on just track, and you see that their learning curve is a lot steeper. I haven’t been coaching that long so I haven’t really been able to coach anybody all the way through a four-year career. That’s why I am excited to see them progress over four years and get the opportunity to be their coach.”

Johnson (left), and Collins (seated, right) are two of MSUB’s most promising freshman sprinters.

With the school record already in hand, Johnson has set her vision to a sub-9 time in the 60-meter hurdles. The speedy freshman also has the outdoor season to look forward to, during which she will compete in most of the sprints in addition to the hurdle races.

This week, she’ll have her sights set on the 2017 GNAC Indoor Championships, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho. Johnson enters the championship meet with the sixth-fastest time in the GNAC this season, solidifying Woehl’s prediction that she could settle among the elite runners in the league.

“Each year hopefully that bar goes up a little higher because Jewlz and MIchaela definitely have the potential to be great athletes,” Woehl said. “At the same time, we won’t be incredibly disappointed if they don’t have great placings this year, because we have to try to keep expectations reasonable. Ultimately, we have to be happy that they are already at this level, and know that eventually they are going to score a lot of points for us.”

From being uncertain about pursuing track beyond high school to breaking a record just three meets into her collegiate career, Johnson is a great example of how much can change in just two years. The Yellowjacket family is more than excited to see what is to come in the next years for its 60-meter hurdle record holder.

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