Wynn Johnson Explains Iona College Decision


What made you decide to sign with Iona?
After all the visits and conversations with coaches it seemed like the best fit athletically and academically. God definitely orchestrated some things the last few months that added to the feeling that Iona was where He was leading me to go.

How did you make the final decision and who was involved?
Definitely a lot of prayer and many discussions with my parents and coaches on the pros and cons of the schools I was considering.


What did you experience on each visit?
I was surrounded by some excellent runners and coaches that showcased their respective programs, and ran with most of the teams I did officials with. I got a feel for what everyday life was a college athlete at each school.

What were your top five choices?
I took official visits at Northern Arizona, Furman, and Iona and took unofficial visits at Lipscomb and Liberty.

How did you get involved in the sport and why?
I first started running the summer of seventh grade to try to get into shape to try out for JV lacrosse the next spring but ended up loving running and really enjoying the tight knit team at Dorman.

What has been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenges have been the stress fracture in my femur last cross country season and the knee injury I sustained at track state qualifiers my freshman year.

What did you learn from the experience?
I learned to do all the little things that lead to improvement and to trust less in myself and more in God's plan for me.

How is training now that the season is over?
My training since my break from cross country has been great, definitely feeling strong and excited for the upcoming season.

Any top events already preparing for the upcoming seasons?
3200, 1600, and 4x800

How do you look at your time at Dorman?
It's been incredible, I've had amazing coaches there including: Coach Buys through all 6 years of cross country, and Coach Urban the last three years of my track, and Coach Johns the head coach of track the last five years of track who all have contributed a lot to my success. I couldn't have asked for better teammates while at Dorman, and have only received encouragement from the administrators and AD.

What will you miss the most?
I'll definitely miss being close to my friends and family.

How do you rate this season?
In terms of the team, I couldn't have asked for a better season. In terms of individually I was very blessed to win 5A state but was incredibly disappointed with how the post season concluded, it's been a big motivator to give my best every day on my runs this winter.

What would you say is the biggest memory you have?
By far the biggest was winning state as a team last year in track and this year in cross country, I would trade all the individual accomplishments if it meant sharing those moments with my teammates.

What do you hope to study and otherwise achieve in college?
I hope to study business (not dead set on a major at the moment) and meet people in the professional world that can help me pursue a job after college.

How does it feel to have the decision made prior to the season?
It feels great to not have the weight on me and to be able to focus on my training. It would be difficult to race my best without my entire focus being on the race.

How did the
Iona coaches react when informed?
They were very excited when I called them and I also received several messages from some of my future teammates that I'd kept in touch with this fall.