University of Connecticut Athletics
Jen Johnson Joins Women's Lacrosse Staff
9/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
STORRS, CT (September 17) — Jen Johnson, a former three-time All-American at Penn State, has been hired as the new assistant coach for the University Connecticut women’s lacrosse coaching staff.
She leaves a two-year position at Cornell where she had been instrumental in the Big Red advancing to the NCAA national semifinals in 2002. The second-year assistant helped Cornell to a school-record 16 wins this year and their second straight NCAA tournament appearance and was very active in the development of Cornell’s seven All-Ivy players, five All-Americans and conference player of the year and national player of the year finalist, Jaimee Reynolds. She also was part of the 2001 squad, which earned the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance, finishing the year with an 11-4 record and a third-place finish in the Ivy League.
Johnson played four years of lacrosse at Penn State and led the Nittany Lions in overall scoring her senior (70 points) and junior (73 points) years. She also had a team-high 49 goals in 1998 and led again in 1999 with 47 goals. Johnson finished her career ranked among the top 10 all-time at Penn State in goals scored (136), assists (64) and overall points (200). The team’s captain as a senior, she received first-team All-America honors after leading the squad to a 15-5 overall record and a trip to the NCAA tournament, advancing to the semifinals. She received second-team honors in 1998 and third-team honors in 1997, and she was a first-team regional All-America pick for three seasons with the Nittany Lions. In her four years at Penn State, Johnson played in every lacrosse game, and she completed her collegiate career with a trip to the North/South All-Star game in May 1999. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology in May 2000.
A native of Brooklin, Ontario, Johnson was the captain of the Canadian Under-19 National Team that placed fourth at the 1995 World Cup Championships. While playing for Anderson High School, she led her team to three consecutive regional titles, serving as the team’s captain as both a junior and a senior. She has played for the elite Ontario Provincial Team for the past eight years. Johnson was also selected to participate in the Women’s Pro League All-Star game this past July in Boston, MA, marking the first women’s professional outdoor lacrosse contest. Johnson is currently a member of the Canadian National Team and served as co-captain for the World Cup squad that finished fourth this past summer in High Wycombe, England.
