MONTAGUE — Montague senior Britta Johnson became the latest area athlete to announce her college sports plans last Thursday, signing a letter of intent to run track at Division II Davenport University.
Johnson will join older brother Kade, who plays baseball at Lake Michigan College, as a college athlete. Kade, Britta and younger brother Karter are the kids of Montague superintendent Jeff Johnson and his wife Jamie.
Johnson has excelled at middle distance running throughout her Montague career, including as part of the 2022 800-meter relay state championship quartet with Lauren Smith, Maddie Meacham and Natalie Erickson. She said Davenport is eyeing the possibility of having her run middle distance hurdles, although she hasn’t done it since her freshman year of high school.
“I ran with Grand Rapids Fire this winter and I got my 400 time down a lot,” Johnson said. “They were looking at my time and they said, ‘She could be really good at hurdles.’...I’m really excited.”
Johnson, just a sophomore when she helped win that state championship, is now in the position of elder stateswoman of a young Wildcats’ roster. She credited her former relay teammates, as well as Montague alumnae Claire Meacham, Dreea Atchison and Ally Hall, as being influential in how she approaches that role this spring.
“That’s actually been on my mind a lot,” Johnson said. “I try to bring my experience to help improve our team. Our team’s big this year, but our younger girls, I just try to give them an experience those girls gave to me. I want to help them get better, so they can be where (I am now). How I (got to where I) am today is (because) those girls pushed me harder.”
Johnson said her visit to Davenport made her feel like “family.” She plans to obtain her nursing degree so she can become a flight nurse.
The senior, who moved to Montague in fifth grade when her dad became superintendent, said growing up in the area is a positive experience filled with healthy competition. Her devotion to track shows no sign of abating as she approaches her college career.
“I love the atmosphere in track,” Johnson said. “You all come together as a whole...It’s my favorite thing to do. When I’m stressed out, I like to go for runs. I just love it.”
