BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Princeton University alumna/two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Ashleigh Johnson appears via archival footage during the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Public Service Announcement, “Olympians Made Here”.
Released by the NCAA and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) celebrating the critical connection between college sports and the U.S. Olympic team, the 30-second spot is set to run during March Madness and future NCAA championship broadcasts in the run-up to the 2024 Paris Games.
An All-America selection every season she competed at Princeton, Johnson led the United States to the gold medal in women’s water polo at the 2016 Rio and 2020/2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, becoming just the fifth Princeton athlete to win multiple gold medals.
Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Sports category and a 2017 Princeton graduate, Johnson is among only two Tigers’ athletes ever to win an Olympic gold medal (in 2016) and then come back to compete at Princeton (former United States Senator/men’s basketball player Bill 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.
NCAA programs for decades served as America’s Olympic training ground for many sports. At the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics alone, 75% of the U.S. Olympic team competed collegiately, with 82% of U.S. Olympic medalists having competed collegiately.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the NCAA promoting the important connection between Team USA and college sports,” said Rocky Harris, USOPC chief of sport and athlete services. “Team USA will feature more than 850 athletes representing over 50 sports in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer, and the majority of these athletes will also be proudly representing their colleges back home. March Madness and the upcoming NCAA championship season provide the perfect stage to honor Team USA’s collegiate ties, which are essential to growing and keeping sport strong in our country.”
This summer will mark the sixth year of the cooperation agreement between the NCAA and USOPC, celebrating the tremendous pipeline of current and former student-athletes who make up Team USA.
In collaboration with schools, conferences, the NCAA and national governing bodies, the USOPC develops and executes strategies to promote broad-based sport programs across NCAA member schools.
The partnership is a first-of-its-kind agreement with the NCAA to provide a mechanism for both organizations to pioneer initiatives to support Team USA student-athletes and strengthen the collegiate athletics ecosystem for generations to come.
“The partnership between the NCAA and USOPC is vital for the future of college sports,” said Stan Wilcox, NCAA executive vice president of regulatory affairs. “The campaign reminds us about the important connection, especially during a time when all eyes are on March Madness and during the run up to Paris 2024. We’re excited to cheer on Olympians from college campuses later this summer.”
Besides championship broadcasts, the Olympians Made Here spot will run in venues at NCAA championships and on social platforms
