BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame member and former Princeton University goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson is listed at No. 2 on the list of the Top American Women’s Water Polo Players of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Era compiled by Jeff Moulton and published on SwimmingWorldMagazine.com.
Johnson joins fellow CWPA Hall of Fame member/former University of Michigan goalkeeper Betsey Armstrong as the only two athletes who competed outside California high school water polo and/or attended institution’s on the collegiate level outside California. Overall, 10 of of the 25 played for Stanford University, seven played for the University of California-Los Angeles, four played for the University of Southern California and two played for the University of California, while Johnson (Princeton) and Armstrong (Michigan) comprise the remainder of the list.
Moulton’s list is based on the following criteria:
- To be eligible for the list, an individual must have played at least one year of college water polo from 2001 to the present.
- A consideration of how an individual’s teams performed. 18 of the 25 individuals on the list won at least one NCAA championship; nine won two or more NCAA championships. 18 won at least one Olympic gold medal. Twenty-three won at least one World Aquatics (FINA) World Championship.
- A consideration of whether (and at what level) an individual received All-America honors from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) and whether an individual won the ACWPC’s Player-of-the-Year Award or the Cutino Award. Every individual on the list was an ACWPC All-America selection at least twice; 23 were First Team All-America picks at least once. Further, 17 won the ACWPC Player of the Year Award or the Cutino Award at least once.
- A consideration of how an individual performed for the United States in international competition, including the Olympics and World Championships. Every individual on the list was a member of at least one Olympic team and one World Championships team. Twenty were members of at least two Olympic teams.
- Where applicable, a consideration was made of how an individual performed in her professional career.
- A consideration of the extent to which opposing teams had to account for an individual in their game plans.
- The opinions of players, coaches, and other knowledgeable observers, including members of the Water Polo Hall of Fame, were weighed.
A two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Johnson was inducted to the CWPA Hall of Fame during the summer of 2025 in recognition of an impact that stretches to each corner of the globe.
The fifth Princeton athlete and sixth athlete/former coach from the institution in the CWPA Hall of Fame joining Adele McCarthy-Beauvais (2013), Goga Vukimirovic (2015), Elyse Colgan (2019), Peter Sabbatini (2024) and former coach Luis Nicolao (2020), Johnson was recognized as the third best athlete in the history of Princeton athletics in the Princeton Alumni Weekly’s The 25 Greatest Athletes in Princeton History released in December 2024. The highest ranking female athlete and one of five Princeton athletes to ever win multiple Olympic Gold Medals., Johnson was topped by only former New York Knicks all-star/United States Senator Bill Bradley ’65 and college football and hockey Hall of Fame member Hobey Baker ’14 on the list of the best athletes to compete at Princeton in the opinion of a selection committee.
A native of Miami, Fla., she excelled prior to joining the Tigers by leading the Ransom Everglades High School Raiders to three consecutive Florida state championships. The Florida state champion in the 50 freestyle as a sophomore, she helped Ransom Everglades capture the state swimming championship the same year.
An All-America selection every season she competed at Princeton (2013, 2014, 2015 – Honorable Mention; 2017 – First Team), Johnson is among only two Tigers’ athletes ever to win an Olympic gold medal (in 2016) and then come back to compete at Princeton (Bradley was the other).
A four-time CWPA All-Conference and All-CWPA Championship First Team selection, the 2013 CWPA Rookie of the Year and 2015 CWPA Championship Most Valuable Player was the recipient of the C. Otto von Kienbusch and Cutino Awards during her senior season in 2017.
A finalist for the 2017 American Athletic Union (AAU) Sullivan Award – bestowed upon the most outstanding collegiate, Olympic or similar level athlete in the United States – she rates as the first player in Princeton women’s water polo history to be named first team All-America and third ever to be selected All-America in each of her four seasons. Johnson finished her Princeton career with a 100-17 record, along with a school-record 1,362 saves and a .693 save percentage, while leading the Tigers to CWPA Championships and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship berths in 2013 (Rookie of the Tournament) and 2015 (Tournament Most Valuable Player) to accompany runner-up marks in 2014 and 2017.
A 19-time CWPA Defensive Player of the Week award winner, the three-time United States Olympian (2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Gold Medal; 2020/2021 in Tokyo, Japan – Gold Medal; 2024 in Paris, Francis- Fourth Place) has continued to excel on the international and professional levels following her time at Princeton:
- INTERNATIONAL/CLUB
Tallied 80 saves and one goal at 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in helping the United States to a fourth place finish …Named Best Goalkeeper while recording 53 saves at 2024 World Aquatics World Championships in Doha…Racked up 40 saves at 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago…Totaled 50 saves at 2023 World Aquatics World Championships in Fukuoka…Notched more than 38 saves and scored 1 goal at 2023 World Aquatics World Cup…Recorded 31 saves at 2022 FINA World League Super Final in Santa Cruz de Tenerife…Named Top Goalkeeper while notching 38 saves at 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest…Named to media All-Star team at 2022 FINA World Championships…Named Top Goalkeeper with 80 saves at 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo…Named Top Goalkeeper while recording 37 saves at 2021 FINA World League Super Final…Led Team USA with 42 saves and contributed 3 goals at 2019 Pan American Games…Named MVP while recording 43 saves to lead Team USA to the gold medal at 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju…Racked up 28 saves in three games at 2019 FINA World League Super Final…Recorded 42 saves at 2018 FINA World Cup…Racked up 32 saves at 2018 FINA World League Super Final…Logged 51 saves in 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil…Dropped 45 saves in 2016 FINA World League Super Final…Posted 54 saves allowing Team USA to qualify for 2016 Olympic Games…Recorded 62 saves contributing to Gold-medal win at 2016 FINA Intercontinental Tournament…2015 FINA World Championship Top Goalkeeper and Gold Medal Match MVP…Tallied 66 saves in Team USA’s pursuit of Gold at 2015 FINA World Championship…Recorded 17 saves as Team USA’s won 2015 Pan American Games…Split time in net, recording 27 saves en route to Gold at 2014 FINA World Cup…Named Top Goalkeeper at 2014 FINA World Cup…Won Gold at 2013 FINA Junior World Championship where she was named top goalkeeper of tournament. - PROFESSIONAL
Competed for Ethnikos in Greece…Competed for NC Vouliagmeni 2018-19 in Greece…Finished third in Final Four of European League Championships…Finished second in Greek league…Competed for Ekipe Orizzonte in Sicily 2017-18…Finished third in Final Four of European League…Finished second in Italian League.
SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Top American Women’s Water Polo Players of the NCAA Era
