PRINCETON, N.J. — Ashleigh Johnson (Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades), one of the greatest athletes in Princeton University history, is the 2017 winner of the C. Otto von Kienbusch Award as the top senior female athlete at the institution.
Johnson, who has twice been named the top women’s water polo player in the world, is one of two Princeton athletes ever to win an Olympic gold medal and then return to compete as a Tiger, along with Bill Bradley ’65. Johnson was the goalie on the United States team that won gold at last summer’s Rio Olympics.
As Princeton’s goalie, Johnson finished her career with a 100-17 record, along with a school-record 1,362 saves and a .693 save percentage. She is a 19-time Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Defensive Player of the Week award winner, a four-time first-team all-conference player and the 2015 CWPA Player of the Year.
Internationally, she allowed just 28 goals, made 51 saves and was named the tournament’s top goalkeeper in Rio. Johnson was also the first-ever African-American to make the U.S. national team.
A finalist for the 2017 AAU Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete, Johnson was also named an espnW IMPACT25 honoree for the Woman of the Year and the Swimming World Magazine’s Female Water Polo Player of the Year for the second straight season. She became the first water polo player to ever win the Women’s Sports Foundation SportsWoman of the Year award.
Johnson is a psychology major from Miami, Florida.
The other finalists for the von Kiensbusch Award were field hockey player Cat Caro, lacrosse player Ellie DeGarmo, fencer Katharine Holmes, lacrosse player Olivia Hompe, hockey player Kelsey Koelzer, soccer player Tyler Lussi, volleyball player Cara Mattaliano, track and field athlete Julia Ratcliffe and fencer Anna Van Brummen.
Release courtesy Princeton University Athletics Communications
