Princeton Alumni Weekly’s The 25 Greatest Athletes in Princeton History (December 12, 2024)
BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Princeton University goalkeeper and three-time Olympian (2016, 2020, 2024) Ashleigh Johnson ’17 continues to make a mark at her alma mater as the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (2016, 2020) ranks third on the Princeton Alumni Weekly’s “The 25 Greatest Athletes in Princeton History”.
The highest ranking female athlete and one of five Princeton athletes to ever win multiple Olympic Gold Medals., Johnson is 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 consisting of current Princeton Director of Athletics John Mack ’00, former athletics directors Mollie Marcoux Samaan ’91 and Gary Walters ’67, longtime sports information director Jerry Price, and ESPN investigative reporter Tisha Thompson ’99.
“If you ask people about the greatest water polo players of all time, they will say, ‘the Princeton goalie,’ even if they don’t know her name,” said Thompson. “She was a ceiling breaker. She’s done things for the sport that are sometimes intangible.”
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, 2017), 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).
The recipient of the C. Otto von Kienbusch and Cutino Awards during her senior season in 2017, she was 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. She was a 19-time CWPA Defensive Player of the Week award winner, a four-time first-team all-conference player and the CWPA Player of the Year.
Beyond Princeton, Johnson has excelled on the international and professional levels:
- 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.
