Johnson named OVC's Indoor Female Field Athlete of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
W-06 MW/bk 2/22/89
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Austin Peay State University track and field standout Sherlonda Johnson has been named the Ohio
Valley Conference Indoor Female Field Athlete of the Year.
"This award is a testament to Sherlonda's work ethic and dedication to the sport of track and field," head coach Doug
Molnar said. "Sherlonda has improved each and every year she has been here at APSU. She started out as basically a 17-foot
long jumper and she just continued to improve each and every season. She is truly a remarkable athlete and a true competitor,
but most of all she is a great person. It is special the other coaches in the conference recognize her efforts, but her efforts
would have been awful difficult to miss."
Difficult indeed. The senior from Fort Hood, Texas, has finished in the top three in the long jump in each of the five meets this
season, placing first in the last three consecutively. Her career best for the indoor long jump came at the Saluki Invitational,
where she recorded a 20-01.50 leap.
Johnson also has finished in the top-five in the triple jump four times, including first-place finishes in her last two outings. Her
career best came at the Saluki Booster, where she finished second but jumped 37-07.75 feet. In the 55-meter dash, Johnson
has placed in the top three four times. Her career best came at the TSU Invitational with a third-place finish and a time of 7.13
seconds.
Other events Johnson has competed in this season are the 60-meter dash (with a career best and seventh-place finish of
7.68) and the 200-meter dash (with a career best and fifth-place finish of 25.81 seconds).
"Sherlonda is second in the conference in the triple jump, but it was her long jump that really made the OVC take notice,"
Molnar said. "She leads the conference by over a foot with the next closest competitor being her teammate Leeann White. But,
the amazing part of it is that Leeann is almost a foot in front of the next jumper. That is what you call domination."
Johnson has won the APSU Athlete of the Week award 11 times in her career as a Lady Gov, three of them for her
performances this year. At the DePauw Invitational earlier this season, Johnson accounted for 32 of the team's 63 points,
leading the Lady Govs to a fourth-place finish out of 19 teams competing.
"The other thing that makes Sherlonda so special is her ability to come up with the big jump when needed," Molnar said.
She always seems to be able to pull out the victory on her last jump. I can't remember how many times she has done it, but
it is rare to be able to do it and she makes it seem routine. She is truly a great one."