Joshua Johnson is a quick study.
Johnson did not start running competitively until five years ago, but has shown steady progress and become one of the key members of the Roberts Wesleyan College distance running program.
Johnson, a senior from Fredonia, finished fifth in the East Coast Conference Cross Country Championships on October 23 to earn first-team All-ECC honors as the Redhawks captured their seventh consecutive ECC title.
Johnson, who also competes in track and field for Roberts, carries a 3.84 GPA in biochemistry, and is the Roberts Wesleyan College Male Scholar Athlete of the Month for October. He is also in the process of applying to doctor of pharmacy programs and hopes to have a career as a pharmacist.
Johnson took a few moments recently to discuss his athletic career, academic interests and his time at Roberts. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
How did you get started in running?
“I don’t have the traditional trajectory that most runners have. I played football up until my junior year of high school and then I got injured. At the end of the season, my head coach convinced me to run indoor track. I started indoor track thinking that I would be a sprinter, but I have no foot speed so that did not work out. I started trying out longer distance events. … I tried out the mile and I ran like five minutes flat the first time, and I progressively started getting better throughout the season. During the outdoor meet, I placed really well at our Super 8 meet and from there I just started to develop a love for the sport because everything that you put into this sport, you get back. … Then my senior year I faced the decision of playing football or running cross country and I chose cross country.”
You got off to a bit of a late start in the sport, how did you end up running in college?
“Originally, I was just looking at schools that interested me, but since I was just starting to take off in running and found out that I loved the sport, I decided to see if I could continue in college and run at a competitive level. I emailed the coaches and filled out recruiting forms – at Roberts I filled out the prospective athlete questionnaire – and it just went from there.”
What is it like to be part of a college program with such tradition and history?
“I think it is just the team culture. Everyone on our team builds off of each other. It’s running, so you have bad days all of the time, and when we have bad days our teammates just lift us up. … Our culture is all about recovering for the next run. … It all kind of works together to make sure that we are all staying on task.”
What is your favorite course that you are taking right now?
“My favorite course right now is immunology. I really enjoy the chemistry courses – biochem, organic – and immunology is all of the chemistry behind your immune system and I just think that it’s fascinating. There is so much that goes into it and I think that it really proves that God exists.”
What has been the best part of your experience at Roberts?
“The Christian atmosphere and how welcoming everyone is. When I first came here, I was nervous that since I wasn’t from a Christian background that people would be judgmental and that I wouldn’t fit in. Actually, it’s the complete opposite. Everyone is really open and they’re welcoming and you can relate to just about anyone on campus.”
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