BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Goalie Ashleigh Johnson (Sr., Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades) of No. 10-ranked Princeton University totaled 59 saves, four steals and two assists over the span of four games in going 3-1 at the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunner Invitational to earn laurels as the March 20 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Defensive Player of the Week.
She opened the weekend by turning aside 16 shots against both No. 12 San Diego State University (5-4 W) and No. 6 Arizona State University (7-6 L). Johnson, who added an assist against San Diego State in the victory, saved her best performance of the weekend for the host Roadrunners as she swatted away 18 shots, collected two steals and dished out an assist in a 7-3 defeat of CSU Bakersfield. In the weekend finale against California State University East Bay, she made nine saves with two steals to key the Tigers to a convincing 11-8 win.
A 24-time weekly award recipient from the league office to rate as the most decorated player in terms of league honors in the history of collegiate water polo, the laurel marks her third of the season as she also claimed notice as the February 6 and March 6 CWPA Division I Defensive Player of the Week. Johnson was an eight-time weekly honor recipient in 2015 as she shared the February 16 Defensive Player of the Week laurel with former Tigers’ netminder Helena van Brande, claimed the March 30 and May 4 honors outright in addition to picking up the April 13, April 27 and May 11 Defensive Player and Player of the Week awards. The February 10, February 17, March 3, March 10, March 17 and April 28 Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week and April 28 Player of the Week in 2014, she became the first player in conference history to sweep the weekly awards, earning February 11 Southern Division Player, Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week accolades as a freshman in 2013. Further, she was named the Defensive Player of the Week on February 18, March 18, and April 15, in addition to the April 15 Co-Rookie of the Week for the Southern Division in 2013.
March 20 CWPA Division I Defensive Player of the Week Honor Roll: Cleo Harrington (Harvard University); Kelly Fehr (Saint Francis University); Heidi Ritner (University of Michigan)
