ELON, N.C – In a meet where all she needed was her first collegiate mark, freshman thrower
Isabella Johnson went above and beyond.
On Nov. 14, Johnson competed at the Get Your Marks Field Meet, a meet designed for athletes who do not have a verified mark in field events. Johnson not only secured her necessary marks but also claimed
first place in both the shot put and weight throw – all in her first time donning the maroon and gold.
"It was really fun to wear the Elon jersey for the first time," Johnson said. "That was a really cool feeling to go to your first college meet. It's been something that I've been thinking about and excited about and a huge goal of mine all throughout my high school career."
"It was also very nerve-wracking, because in order to compete in later events or later meets, you need to get a mark, a collegiate mark," Johnson added. "I just knew that I had to get a mark. It doesn't matter how far it was, as long as I got one good throw, then I could go to more meets."
Johnson credited her early success to her technique. Though field events require strength, she said precision and technique are what set her apart.
"A lot of people think that throwers, you have to be super strong. You're the really big, muscular people, but I'm actually kind of the opposite," Johnson said. "I'm not the strongest, but I like to think that I have pretty good technique that overcomes my lack of strength."
Johnson's passion for the sport extends beyond the competition circle. In her time away from the field, she continues to give back to the sport with @we_throw_like_girls, an Instagram account designed to lift up other female throwers.
"I also really just love the sport. I'm very passionate about it. I love it so much that I started an Instagram account called @we_throw_like_girls and it's encouraging and empowering girl throwers," Johnson said.
Before she arrived at Elon, Johnson capped her high school career as the 1A-3A shot put record holder in her home state of Alabama.
"I had thrown over the state record but the special thing about it is you have to do it at the state championships in order to break the record," Johnson said. "So I was a little nervous about that going in because I knew that was the only chance I had to break the state record."
"I would actually say that was my most calm 'me' because I knew what I had to do," Johnson said. "It was a very surreal moment because they first measured the throw with like a regular tape measure, but when they realized it was over the state record, they got out the steel tape, which is a really big deal in the throwing world, because that means you've broken a record. It was a really cool moment."
In addition to her team, Johnson has found a second family on campus with the Leadership Fellows program, a four-year cohort experience that brings together students from across the country to continue developing as leaders during their time at Elon.
"The Leadership Fellows Program really just caught my eye, and so I applied for it," Johnson said.
"I knew that if I got into Leadership Fellows that it would kind of seal the deal for me coming here, because it was a program that just sounded really, really cool, and I really wanted to be a part of it," Johnson added.
The program has played a significant role in Johnson's transition to the fast-paced world of college athletics.
"I definitely wanted to develop my leadership skills a little bit more, so I knew that Leadership Fellows would definitely be a good place to start," Johnson said. "Then the community, it's been amazing. I have found a lot of my best friends here are in Leadership Fellows."
With her marks recorded, Johnson will be eligible to compete in future meets as a member of Elon's track & field team. She has set her sights on self-improvement and continuing to build her repertoire as a thrower.
"I'm hoping to definitely keep improving on my technique and weight and shot for the indoor season. I'm also working really hard for discus, hammer throw and javelin, for outdoor," Johnson added.
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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