Alyson Johnson thought soccer was going to be her game.
Then she discovered the thrill of the track.
“I really enjoy how you can keep improving if you keep pushing yourself and working hard, and how you get rewarded with better times,” she said.
At the finish line of a record-shattering first year of high school, Johnson is the Times-Union’s All-First Coast athlete of the year for high school girls track and field in 2023.
During a freshman year that wowed track observers across the Sunshine State, she won the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A championship in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs within a two-hour span at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium.
Only two years ago, Johnson wasn’t even running competitively at all. Now, she’s a double state champion, and the proud holder of a Florida freshman record.
“She’s a good endurance runner and she’s got a lot of foot speed, and that’s a nice combination,” Creekside coach Mandy Yates said.
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FANTASTIC FIRST COAST DEBUT
The oldest in a trio of athletic siblings, Johnson didn’t originally envision her athletic career leading to the track. From second grade until her last year of middle school in Texas, before her family’s move to Northeast Florida last year, she focused on soccer, not running.
“I had done 5K road races in seventh grade, just kind of randomly,” she said. “But then in eighth grade, I made the move to running full-time, because I thought I’d have a better future in the sport.”
Once she began, she didn’t slow down. By the time she arrived at Creekside for preseason in 2022, she was ready to make an instant impression.
“From the very first practice [in summer],” Creekside coach Mandy Yates said, “I knew she was going to be a really awesome runner.”
Johnson got off to a strong start in cross country in the fall, earning a berth on the All-First Coast squad and finishing sixth in the Class 4A meet. During the spring, she really took off: She not only won the district, regional and state championships, but also earned first-place honors at the Bob Hayes Invitational in the 1,600 and the Florida Relays in the 3,200.
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She joined Claire Openshaw as five-minute mile runners in the 15-year history of the Knights’ distance program, perennially among the best in St. Johns County.
Johnson saved her best for last. Racing at the Running Lane Championships one week after the season’s end in Huntsville, Ala., she ran 10:23.73 for the fastest freshman 3,200 in Florida history, and crossed in 4:52.66 for the state’s second-fastest freshman mile.
“It was a really fun race,” she said. “I loved running at night, and the racing environment just made you want to run fast.”
LEARNING FROM THE COMPETITION
Pure speed is just one part of her game.
“She researches and knows the competitors, pays attention to other races and other classes,” Yates said. “She tries out different strategies and she’s a really fun athlete to coach.”
Johnson said she pays close attention to college athletes in distance competition, particularly noting Florida’s Parker Valby, the Division I champion in the 5,000, and N.C. State’s Katelyn Tuohy. Despite less running experience than many of the state’s other top runners, she’s developed the tactical instinct to win.
The state final for the 1,600 at UNF was a typical example: She waited patiently around the front and then broke away inside the final 300 meters, launching an acceleration that the rest of the field couldn’t match.
Meanwhile, Yates said that Johnson’s attitude and work ethic have helped bring new enthusiasm to Creekside’s distance program.
“When you see someone work toward a goal and then meet that goal, it’s contagious,” Yates said. “So it’s really cool to see how she’s motivated the team.”
Johnson isn’t finished taking aim at goals. And with three more years still to come in high school, she has plenty of time to chase down even quicker times.
“This season, I’m hoping to win cross country at state, and our team has a chance this time to win the team title, too,” she said.
Alyson Johnson
Freshman, Creekside
Age: 15
Resume: Won Class 4A championships in the girls 1,600 (4:54.37) and 3,200 (10:43.70), running the area’s fastest time in the former event. … Also set a Florida freshman 3,200 record (10:23.73) while racing in Alabama after the season. … Ranked No. 1 among high school 3,200 runners of all ages in Florida. … Also finished sixth in state cross country in the fall.