Leaping past the competition: Johnson jumping over expectations as standout in powerful SEC
Shawn Johnson finished third at the 2015 SEC Championships in the triple jump, recording a PR at 53-0 ¾.
Auburn University senior Shawn Johnson, a Canonsburg native, will compete in the high jump and triple jump at the NCAA qualifiers in Jacksonville, Fla., May 26-28.
Funny how the future unfolds.
Shawn Johnson was coming off a strong track season in his senior year at Canon-McMillan High School, and was trying to determine his future.
He wanted to go on to college, but it wasn’t necessarily to continue his track and field career.
Fast forward four years and Johnson is preparing to graduate from Auburn University, where he will leave as one of the most successful jumpers in the program’s history.
“That was my mindset because I didn’t really have plans to pursue an education,” Johnson said. “My friends talked me into it. I didn’t have the grades to go where I wanted to go. I thought about Penn State and Pitt. The Pittsburgh coaches pointed me to a junior college.”
That was South Plains Junior College in Levelland, Texas. He finished second in the high jump with a career PR of 7-1 3/4 and was third in the triple jump with a 51-9 at the NJCAA Division I National Championships. That caught people’s attention and got him to Auburn.
“I ended up with a good coach and I got better,” Johnson said. “I was lucky I had a good coach because I didn’t know how track and field worked. I didn’t know what conferences were stronger than other conferences. I got recruited by some ginormous schools. I thought it would be cool to go to an SEC school.”
Adrian Ghioroaie, the jumping coach at Auburn, was instrumental in convincing Johnson to come to the Southeastern Conference school.
“I could tell he knew a lot about jumping,” said Johnson. “I did some research and found that a lot of good jumpers had foreign coaches. I wanted to be like them.
“And the campus here is beautiful. There are all these trees and I was impressed with how green it was. That caught my attention and sold me.”
Johnson competed in the SEC Championships in Tuscaloosa, Ala., over the weekend. He finished in what had to be a disappointing eighth place in the triple jump (51-6¼) and ninth in the high jump (6-8 ¾), although he was pulling double duty. The triple jump and high jump were contested simultaneously, which meant Johnson had to switch between events.
His next big stop will be at the NCAA qualifiers in Jacksonville, Fla., May 26-28. The finals will be held again in Eugene, Ore., June 8-11.
Johnson’s roots in track were similar to others. He came into the sport to be with his friends and wasn’t quite sure what events he wanted to try.
“A lot of my friends were doing it when I was in eighth grade,” said Johnson. “I was into basketball. My friends tried to get me to come out so I gave it a try. I tried the 100 hurdles and I was terrible. Then I saw some of my friends at the high jump mat one day and they seemed like they were having fun, so I decided to give it a try. I was heading in the right direction, getting better and better.”
Johnson got into the triple jump because the coaches believed he had the right body shape for it. His long, powerful legs and explosiveness seemed to make him a natural for the event.
“One of my coaches said, ‘You have long legs. Why don’t we put you in triple jump?'” Johnson said. “I tried it and it didn’t go that badly. The progression went pretty good. My first jump was like 39-3 and that was with my hand reaching back.”
As a senior at Canon-McMillan, Johnson won the three jumping events at the WPIAL Class AAA Championships and finished third in the high jump and triple jump at the PIAA Championships. In the latter event, Johnson was in a spectacular competition with Wellington Zaza of Strath Haven and Imani Brown of Reading. Zaza won the triple jump with a 50-0 effort, 3 1/2 inches off the state record set in 1993 by Chris Aikens of Muhlenberg, and Brown was second at 48-8. Johnson hit a PR of 46-9.
“I remember the first time he came out,” said Canon-McMillan head coach Mike Koot. “He was a skinny little freshman. Look how he turned out. If you would have told me then that he would end up winning three jumps at the WPIAL championships, I would have said you were nuts. He is so cool and calm, and that’s what helped make him so good. He never panics over anything.”
At Auburn, Johnson’s career blossomed. He improved every season and last year became the first Tiger since 2004 to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the triple jump and placed 14th. He tied for eighth in the high jump that year, All-America status. Johnson tied for second at the SEC Championships in the high jump, clearing 6-9, and was third in the triple jump with a personal-best distance of 53-0 3/4.
This came after a season in which he placed fourth in the high jump with a season-best 7-0 1/2 and ninth in the triple jump with a mark of 50-11 at the SEC Indoor Championships.
Johnson, a public administration major, is not sure what the future holds for him. He thinks about trying to qualifying for the Olympics but realizes the demands that come with it.
“I want to get a job, but I’m looking for an internship (after college),” he said. “I don’t know what I’ll do with my major because it’s so broad. If I can stay healthy, I think I have a shot. If not, it won’t be the end of the world for me. … I’m not set on going pro. There isn’t a lot of money in it and I want to do the regular things in life: raise a family and get a job. That’s what is important to me.”