Webber's Caitlyn Johnson earns CoSIDA Academic All-District honors

by Richard Baptist

Babson Park, Fla. (06/10/2020) — Webber International University women's bowling senior Caitlyn Johnson was selected to the Academic All-District 1 Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America in the NAIA At-Large Division.

The 2020 Academic All-District Women's At-Large Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom. To be nominated, a student-athlete must hold a grade point average of at least 3.3 and be a starter or key reserve on their team. This year, a special exception was made to use career stats due to spring sports seasons being incomplete.

Johnson, a native of Beaumont, Texas, who boasts a 3.75 grade point average in the integrated marketing communications program at Webber, graduates as one of the most decorated Warriors all all-time.

She has been named the International Bowling Media Association's (IBMA) Women's Collegiate Bowler of the Year in 2018 and in 2020, and was also the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association's (NCBCA) Most Valuable Women's Player in both 2018 and in 2020.

She is a three-time NCBCA First-Team All-America selection, was the NAIA Player of the Year in 2018 and was the NAIA Rookie of the Year in 2017.

She has made 18 career all-tournament teams and has been named tournament Most Valuable Player four times.

Johnson bowled in the anchor position at Webber all four years and was a team captain for three years. She was the silver medalist as the World Bowling Youth Championships in 2018 and was the runner-up at Junior Gold in 2017.

Webber's Head Women's Bowling Coach Randy Stoughton said, "The kind of person Caitlyn has turned into is just what our program strives to produce for all of our student-athletes. She has taken her natural skills, worked harder than anyone else on fine tuning those skills while pursuing to improve in others. Caitlyn is a driven athlete for sure and wants to do whatever it takes to be a winner. She is also a great student. Her desire to be great is not just about bowling, but in all aspects of life. She was the leader of our teams from her freshman year all the way to her senior season. As team co-captain she was willing to take the heat from her peers when she had to but mostly she showed how to be great by example. She was never late to practice or any team meetings and she was generally in charge of getting her team together for team bonding events on her own accord. She knew she couldn't win a team event by herself and genuinely worked to bring the rest of the team into buying into the 'Webber Way' and continuing the kind of culture that she was introduced to as junior bowler coming to our program. I couldn't be more proud of her and how she has represented the Webber International University women's bowling program."

During her senior season in 2019-20, Johnson averaged more than 210 in nine events, which included six top-five individual finishes and a win at the Glenn Carlson Las Vegas Invitational, a Tier I event on the USBC Collegiate schedule. Johnson led the nation in average differential (38.03) and paced all female competitors in Tier I average (215.9) and average differential (40.34).

In just her freshman year, Johnson helped her team to a runner-up finish in the 2016-2017 ITC National Championship competition. Johnson has averaged over 200 for her entire collegiate career, resulting in her having a top-5 average in three of those seasons as well.

Academic awards for Johnson from her time at Webber include being a four-time Academic All-American (NCBCA Scholar-Athlete Award) and being a two-year member of the Dean's List at Webber (junior and senior year).

Other bowling awards for Johnson include: 2017-2018 NAIA First Team All-American, 2019 IBMA Runner-Up, Patient and Present award (2017), Bill Heath Webber Way award (2018), and Ramon Hilferink Excellence award (2019).

Community service projects Johnson has spearheaded include leading her team to do the Lake Wales Kwana's Pancake Day the past two years, organizing the team's annual Bowl-A-Thom fundraiser for the past three years, and hosting various team bonding activities, including Secret Santa for the last three years.

Next up for Johnson will be a year in the MBA program at Webber International University coinciding with her rookie season in the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA).

Women's At-Large sports include beach volleyball, bowling, crew/rowing, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis and waterpolo. Johnson joins 10 other athletes in the "At Large" sports who make up the NAIA - District 1 CoSIDA All-District Team. She is joined by four golfers, two beach volleyball players, two tennis players and one member of the lacrosse and swimming teams in the district.

Johnson will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot. Academic All-America honorees will be announced from June 16-19.

For more information about CoSIDA's Academic All-District and Academic All-America Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com or the Academic All-America home page on CoSIDA.com.

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