Last Wednesday, Johnson finished ninth in her state-qualifying meet at Pekin High School in Packwood with a time of 22 minutes, 45.9 seconds, to qualify as an individual for the Class 1A Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships, which will be held Saturday at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge at 3:30 p.m. She is the first Meskwaki cross country runner to qualify for the state meet in school history.

The result surprised Johnson, who knew she was close before the meet but admitted she wasn’t expecting to qualify with her times. Head coach Tracy Sienknecht said prior to running, they had counted on her coming in around 12th place. So Johnson certainly had a chance, but didn’t have much room for error.

The conditions for state qualifying weren’t as Johnson likes them — Sienknecht said it was hot and humid, while Johnson prefers the cold weather more “because my legs go numb and then I don’t feel as tired” — but a fast start to the race put Johnson in a strong position. She pushed through, thanks in no small part to her mom following her around the course and yelling encouragement in Johnson’s direction.

When she crossed the line, they weren’t 100 percent sure, but Sienknecht and Johnson said they were confident she had qualified.

T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING

When the results were finally put on the board, Johnson was ecstatic.

“I made a bunch of phone calls to tell my family,” Johnson said. “I was really happy.”

The four-sport athlete has had a busy fall. Johnson went back and forth between volleyball practices and cross country, and missed multiple meets this year to participate in volleyball games for the Warriors. After Thursday’s practice, Johnson said she was headed to a basketball open gym ahead of the winter sports season.

“Don’t roll your ankle,” Sienknecht said.

But it’s the willingness to play different sports that has contributed to Johnson’s strong season with the Warriors in cross country. Sprints from volleyball have kept Johnson in shape enough that Sienknecht has been able to manage her fitness and keep Johnson in the best condition for long-distance runs. Johnson has been involved in school activities such as the school play. Sienknecht said Johnson is “an ideal student” who gets good grades.

The preparation for Fort Dodge has focused on areas where Johnson can make time gains while keeping her at her current level, Sienknecht said.

“We’re kind of working on the strategy of where she needs to possibly increase pace and who her competition is,” Sienknecht said. “Mainly we’re trying to maintain where she’s at. She’s at a good spot right now in her training, and we think that’s where she should be right now. So we’re maintaining.”

Johnson’s speed and stamina have brought her into the history books for the 11-year-old Meskwaki cross country program, and with a year left in her high school career, this could be a springboard for Johnson and the program heading into next year.

“It’s super exciting,” Johnson said. “It’s actually really scary though, because I’ve got a lot of eyes on me now and I’m not used to it, yeah it’s exciting.”