BRIDGEPORT, Pa — Princeton University alumna/United States National Team/two-time Olympic Gold Medalist goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson will be inducted into the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, in DeNunzio Pool prior to her alma mater’s alumni game during the institution’s Reunion Weekend.
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), the Hall of Fame honor follows Johnson’s selection 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.
“Ashleigh Johnson came to Riptides at the age of 10 with all of her four siblings,” noted former Florida International University collegiate club coach/Riptide head coach Carroll Vaughn who coached Johnson as a child.
“We were originally a small community swim club that started water polo on Fridays if we had a good practice week. Soon water polo became the main love and focus for the team and it took off from there. We traveled to numerous SPEEDO cups, Junior Olympics and even hosted the Junior Pan Am games.”
“With Ashleigh in the goal, we loved to run an M Gap defense. We dared them to shoot from the outside so she could get the block and make a full court pass mostly to her sister Chelsea on the counter attack.”
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.
“Coaching Ashleigh Johnson was an absolute privilege,” noted fellow Hall of Fame member Nicoalo who coached Johnson during her tenure at Princeton.
“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime player, and I was the lucky one who got to watch her greatness unfold every day.”
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.
“Ashleigh is an amazing physical athlete, who would have excelled in any area, we are very fortunate she chose water polo,” adds Vaughan. “The only thing more impressive than her athleticism is who she is as a person.”
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 on the the international level:
- 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.
