Ex-Bruins’ Track Star Irene Johnson a Finalist for OSA Small College Athlete of the Year

NEWBERG, Ore. – Irene Johnson of George Fox University, the 2011 NCAA Division III national champion in the women’s 100 meter hurdles, has been named as a finalist for the 2011 Ad Rutschman Small College Women’s Athlete of the Year Award which will be announced at the Oregon Sports Awards ceremonies on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012.

The 2011 Oregon Sports Awards show will take place at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike World Campus in Beaverton, Ore., from 7:00-9:00 p.m., and will be televised live. A reception with light refreshments will begin at 5:00 p.m., with coffee and desserts served after the show.  Tickets to the program may be purchased for $50 by contacting Chelsea Corrado at SportsOne, phone 503-721-7477, ext. 24, or e-mailing her at ccorrado@goSportsOne.com.

Johnson, a native of Portland, Ore., and a graduate of David Douglas High School, capped her outstanding four-year career at George Fox by running a 14.51 to win the 100 hurdles at the 2011 Track and Field National Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, on May 28, 2011.  Her winning time was actually half a second slower than the day before, when she had qualified for the finals with a school-record time of 14.21 that was the fourth-best mark in the preliminaries.  Everyone ran a slower time on Saturday due to strong headwinds measured at -3.5 at the time of the race.  Johnson earned All-America status and 10 points for the Bruins, all the points George Fox earned in the nationals to finish in a tie for 19th in the team standings.  She became the third Bruin to win an NCAA individual championship, joining Matt Gassaway (2004) and Joel Krebs (2007), who each won men’s javelin crowns.

During the regular season, Johnson won the 100 hurdles in six different meets, the 100 meter dash twice (one second and one third), the 400 meter dash twice, the 4x100 meter relays four times (one second and two thirds), and the 4x400 meter relays three times.  She earned four All-Northwest Conference honors by winning the NWC Championships in the 100 hurdles, 100, 4x100, and 4x400, helping the Bruins win the conference title by a record 75 points.

During her career, Johnson earned All-NWC honors 12 times (three times each in the 100 hurdles, 100, 4x100, and 4x400), winning NWC titles in the 100 hurdles three times, the 100 twice, and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays once each.  She was the NWC Co-Athlete of the Meet at the NWC Championships in 2010.  She is the George Fox record holder in the 100 hurdles (14.21 in 2011) and the 4x100 (47.76 in 2011), and ranks fourth in the 100 (12.36 in 2010) and the 400 (57.68 in 2011), fifth in the 4x400 (3:55.26 in 2011), 12th in the 400 meter hurdles (1:07.55 in 2008), and 19th in the 200 meter dash (26.80 in 2010).

The Ad Rutschman Award is one of many that will be presented on Feb. 12 by the OSA in honor of Oregon’s top professional and amateur athletes, coaches, and teams for the 2011 year.  A statewide media panel votes on the various awards.  Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Ahmad Rashad will be the master of ceremonies, and numerous sports celebrities will present the awards.  Hosts for the awards are Nike, State partners JELD-WEN, the Portland Timbers, and the Portland Trail Blazers, and Champion partners Delta Air Lines, the Portland Winterhawks, and SportsOne.