Hall-of-Fame worthy: Uniontown grad Johnson had record-breaking swimming career
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Uniontown graduate Kaitlyn Johnson was a 28-time All-American while swimming for Clarion University.
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Kaitlyn Johnson won eight WPIAL medals and two PIAA medals during her swimming career at Uniontown.
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Uniontown graduate Kaitlyn Johnson is shown during the 2016 Olympic Trials.
Kaitlyn Johnson, the former Uniontown High School and Clarion University swimming star, was thrilled with the news that she will be part of the 2022 class of the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame.
鈥淭hat蘑菇视频 exciting news,鈥� Johnson stated.
She was thrilled to be the first swimmer inducted as an individual, the Connellsville High School swim teams from the late 1930s were inducted as a group. They captured seven consecutive WPIAL team swimming titles.
鈥淏eing the first swimmer inducted is really cool,鈥� Johnson said.
Johnson began swimming at an early age.
鈥淢y mom tells me that I could swim before I could walk,鈥� Johnson offered. 鈥淢y older brother was on the swim team at the YMCA and I obviously wanted to be just like my older brother, so I started in swim classes and I advanced and was on the swim team when I was four years old.鈥�
Johnson dabbled in some other sports when she was younger.
鈥淎s a kid you kind of do all the sports,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 was doing swimming and also gymnastics at the YMCA and I played basketball, but that got dropped pretty quickly. It came to a point where it was either one or the other. I ended up sticking with swimming. Later on as I got a little older in junior high and high school I started horseback riding for a little bit and that got dropped as well. In high school I ran some track. I did cross country in junior high and in high school I ran the 800 and the 400 in track and then did the high jump.
鈥淚 only did track my freshman and sophomore years in high school and then I started swimming in Morgantown, West Virginia. Right after school I was driving down to Morgantown for swim practice.鈥�
In high school swimming circles Johnson made a big splash for Uniontown.
Johnson was a four-year WPIAL qualifier and won eight medals. She was a four-year PIAA qualifier and won two medals.
鈥淢y prime events in high school were the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭he 50 free was the last event before the break and the 100 butterfly was the first event after. In the bigger events like WPIAL and PIAA it was back to back so it wasn鈥檛 ideal.鈥�
Johnson talked about the coaching she received along the way.
鈥淚n high school my coach was Rian Davis and he was also the swim coach at the YMCA when I started swimming,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 started swim club down in Morgantown and was exposed to some other coaches and that was a turning point my junior and senior year. It was good training in Morgantown and good training with other people. I needed to push myself and it helped me develop.鈥�
Johnson still holds several Uniontown High School records in the 200 freestyle, 200 IM and 50 freestyle. She also still holds the record in the 100 butterfly and the 100 freestyle.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of what I accomplished at Uniontown,鈥� Johnson stated. 鈥淟ooking back, that蘑菇视频 cool.鈥�
When Johnson graduated from Uniontown in 2007 she sifted through several college scholarship offers.
鈥淭here were several schools,鈥� Johnson explained. 鈥淚 knew at the time that I didn鈥檛 want to go to a huge school. I think I committed to Clarion in the fall and the West Virginia coach called and tried to recruit me, but I had already committed to Clarion. I didn鈥檛 want to go to a real big school. I had a recruit trip planned to Pitt, but I canceled because I knew I didn鈥檛 want to go somewhere big like that. Looking back I鈥檓 glad I did what I did.鈥�
Johnson flourished at Clarion.
鈥淚t was still a work in progress,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淓ven at the 2016 Olympic Trials I feel like I was just hitting my peak.鈥�
At Clarion, Johnson was a dominant force.
Johnson, who swam under the tutelage of head coach Mark VanDyke from 2008 to 2011, was a 28-time NCAA Division II All-American, a 13-time PSAC Individual Champion and held nine Clarion team records, including the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle, 100 butterfly and all five relays.
Her signature season came in 2011. She led the Eagles to a second-place team finish when she won all seven events at the PSAC蘑菇视频, including the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, 100 fly and four relay events. She was named the PSAC 鈥淪wimmer of the Meet.鈥� She went on to the NCAA蘑菇视频 and was a seven-time All-American, placing second in the 100 freestyle, third in the 100 butterfly and fifth in the 50 free, along with four relay top-eight finishes. Clarion finished a strong fourth at nationals.
鈥淐larion had a really great swimming history and a great program,鈥� Johnson offered. 鈥淚 am still to this day very good friends with the assistant coach who recruited me, Christina Tillotson, there. I was a 28-time All-American. In swimming it蘑菇视频 for each event, so the maximum number of events you can qualify for at nationals is seven. So I qualified for nationals in seven events four years in a row and was All-American 28 times. My assistant coach Tillotson is the only other woman in Clarion swimming history who has been a 28-time All-American. We share that accolade together.鈥�
Johnson was inducted into the Clarion Hall of Fame in 2020.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 fun to look back,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淯ntil I was inducted into my college Hall of Fame it really hadn鈥檛 hit me. Now it seems like a different lifetime which is kind of cool because when I was in it I never wanted to talk about it and seem conceited. Now I can look back on it and I can appreciate it more and talk about it and feel proud.鈥�
Johnson continued her swimming after graduation and qualified for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials in the 50 and 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly events. Her performance at the Trials was outstanding.
鈥淭hat was super cool,鈥� Johnson gushed. 鈥淚 had tried to qualify for the 50 freestyle in 2012 and just missed. To comeback four years later and qualify in three events was just great it was really worth it. In the individual events they take the top two. In the 50 I finished 27th. In the 100 fly and 100 free I didn鈥檛 finish with the best times, but it was a fantastic experience. I gave up swimming after that, my goal was to reach the Olympic Trials. It seemed like the time to step away. I kind of regret it, but I stepped away.鈥�
Johnson is single and is currently employed by McDonald Land Services while residing in Morgantown. She is looking forward to being inducted into the 2022 class of the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame at a golf outing and luncheon on June 17 at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Connellsville.
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.