The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Rhiannon Johns Excels On The Track And In Classroom
6/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
June 9, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- Two weeks ago, UAB distance runner Rhiannon Johns traveled to the NCAA East Preliminary Round meet as a qualifier in both the 10,000 and 5,000-meter runs. How she would finish would determine whether Johns had another meet left in the 2011 collegiate outdoor season.
She went to the Preliminary Round meet in Bloomington, Ind. hoping to perform well in both, but realistically feeling her best shot to advance to the NCAA finals this week at Drake University would come in the 10K.
When she fell in the 10,000 on Thursday, May 26, her misfortune cost her a chance to qualify for the 10K final. She got up and battled back to finish 22nd among 48 competitors, an admirable showing considering her fall but not high enough to advance to the final this week at Des Moines, Iowa.
That left the Sault Ste. Marie, Canada junior with only the 5,000 two nights later to attempt to qualify for the national meet.
"I was so disappointed after the 10K," Johns said earlier this week, "but there was no sense in beating myself up about the 10K. I was more physically sore than anything. I just had to prepare myself to run in the 5K."
There were two 5,000 heats Saturday night and Johns was slotted to run in the first one. The top 12 finishers from the two heats combined would advance to the 5K final this week at Drake. Johns ran a great race and finished seventh in her heat with a time of 16:27.04. She and her coaches would then have to watch the second heat run to see if she would qualify for nationals.
"It was hard to wait for the second race," UAB head coach Kurt Thomas said, "but the way it all played out was neat. Coming into the meet, we thought the 10K was the event she'd qualify in. She ran an outstanding race in the 5K, but then we had to watch and wait."
The second heat played out with five runners advancing, meaning seven -- including Johns -- advanced from the first heat to qualify for the NCAA 5K final. "Rhi is as deserving as anybody to have this opportunity," said Thomas.
Johns called it a "nice redemption" after her hard luck in the 10,000.
Johns will run for the 5,000-meter national championship Friday, one day before her 21st birthday, at Drake Stadium with the race scheduled for 8:10 p.m. CT.
That she has reached this point in her athletic career may be surprising to some.
"My PRs (personal records) were mediocre in high school," Johns said of her time at Sir James Dunn High School. "I started running in the ninth grade, but I didn't even make the ninth grade cross country team. I finished sixth in the race to make the team, but only five made it."
A year later, she finished first at her school and ensured herself a spot on the team.
How did she get to UAB? "I emailed a lot of schools," she said. "Coach (Ray) Stanfield, who was the coach here at the time, recruited me and I came to UAB. It's been great, especially the winters."
Johns knows she will be running among the top 5K competitors in the collegiate ranks on Friday, but she also has the confidence to know she can run with the best.
"Once you get to this point, everybody is about the same," she said. "The training is the same and everyone has the same talent. It comes down to who wants it more and who has a good day. I'm really excited to be here to get that chance."
The 5K race presents a competition with more speed involved than the 10K. But Johns has shown she can perform in a shorter race just fine. Earlier this spring, she set a UAB record in the 1,500 meters, a race she doesn't routinely run.
Does she consider herself more of a 10K runner than 5K? "I've had a bit more success in the 10K and I thought I had a better chance of qualifying in the 10, but I think I'm equally suited for the 5K," she said.
As successful as Johns' track career has been at UAB with a pair of Conference USA titles listed on her impressive resume, it's in the classroom where she has been at her absolute best and won countless awards.
Johns has maintained a 4.0 grade point average in math and been a recipient of the C-USA Academic Medal every year she's been at UAB.
Balancing her time as a college athlete with a hard-driven commitment to academics seems to have come naturally to Johns.
"I think you have to keep them both in check to be successful," Johns said. "You have to be disciplined to do all the little things. I believe making sure I am on top of my studies actually helps me athletically."
Johns will graduate next May as a math major, a minor in economics and with business honors.
Ultimately, her career goals involve becoming an actuary. Her plan is to attend graduate school at UAB and to redshirt next track season. "I hope to complete my eligibility in my fifth year," Johns said. "The plan right now is to run cross country next fall, redshirt track, then train through the fall (2012) when I don't have cross country eligibility left and then run track that season (2013).
"And to be really, really fast," she added.
One would have a difficult time finding an individual who defines the meaning of consummate "student-athlete" more accurately than Rhiannon Johns.
On Friday night as she lines up for the 5,000-meter NCAA final at Drake Stadium, she will be reminded that all her hard work and dedication has helped her achieve yet another goal.
