This past weekend, for the first time in the 2021 outdoor track and field season, the reigning NCAA Division II champion in the 200m dash took to the track for an individual event.
And Hillsdale senior Kajsa Johansson didn't disappoint.
The North Oaks, Minnesota native's performance drew attention from around the region, and has been recognized by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference with women's track athlete of the week honors, the league office announced on Thursday.
Competing in the 100m and 200m dash at the 54th annual GINA Relays hosted by Hillsdale College, Johansson ran two of the fastest times in Division II this year in both races.
In the 100m dash, Johansson's time of 11.47 made her one of just three automatic qualifiers in the event to date at the Division II level, and is the second-fastest time in DII to date, just 0.01 behind Lyric Holman of Fort Hays State.
Johansson was almost as fast in the 200m dash, finishing in 23.60, a provisional qualifying time in the event and just 0.05 off of the automatic qualifying mark. Her time is just 0.02 seconds behind the current fastest time in Division II, held by Jami Wright of Southern Wesleyan.
Johansson is currently part of three provisional qualifying marks that look likely to make the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Meet hosted by Grand Valley State beginning on May 29. In addition to her two individual marks, she also ran a leg on Hillsdale's 4x400 relay team along with teammates Dakota Stamm, Zalonya Eby and Shura Ermakov that currently holds the ninth best time in the country.
After earning two All-American honors in the winter indoor season, Johansson will be looking to add to that total at the end of May. First, she and the Chargers compete in the Hillsdale Outdoor Tune-Up tomorrow, with the G-MAC Outdoor Championships looming next week.
Photo by Anthony Lupi