From Walk-On to Record Holder: Jayla Johnson is an A-10 Champion

When fourth-year track and field sprint and hurdle athlete Jayla Johnson first decided to attend Loyola, she thought she would only be attending the university as a student.

Johnson said she wasn’t recruited in high school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Johnson only went on one college visit to run track, she said she originally thought she wasn’t good enough to continue her track career collegiately.

Despite this, Johnson said she sent a Hail Mary email to Loyola’s former track coaching staff detailing her high school career as well as her work ethic and desire to continue running track. 

At first, Johnson didn’t hear back. When the response finally came two months later, Johnson set up a call cementing her future as a Loyola student-athlete. 

“She just faxed over a bunch of papers and I signed them at my dad’s work,” Johnson said. “We had to drive there because we didn’t have a printer, so it was very unserious really. But look at me now.”

Johnson said being a walk-on is an important part of her story, adding that it’s nice for people to know sometimes it only takes an email.

Since starting track at 7 years old, Johnson said she has run in almost every event and didn’t even begin hurdling until her junior year of high school. She was originally tabbed by coaches for hurdles because of her height. 

“I actually started out as a distance runner, which would shock everyone if they heard that just now,” Johnson said. “I used to do the 1,600-meter and the 800-meter, and I just slowly moved over to the sprint events.”

Even when she began running at Loyola, Johnson was in a different event — the 400-meter hurdles. Loyola track and field head coach Gavin Kennedy said while the transition was hard for Johnson at first, she took the challenge in stride. 

“If you know Jayla, she’s always up for a challenge,” Kennedy said. “And that’s indicative with wanting to go after the school record and beating it over and over again.”

Johnson is confident with a calming demeanor which her teammates — especially the underclassmen — naturally gravitate towards, according to Kennedy. He added she has great leadership abilities that make the younger athletes look up to her. 

Though Johnson takes her running very seriously, Kennedy said she’s always fun and exciting to be around in practice. 

“I think everybody just enjoys her presence, whether it’s during practice or whether it’s that competition,” Kennedy said.

Johnson’s record-breaking season started at DePaul University’s Blue Demon Holiday Invite Dec 8. At the meet, Johnson posted a time of 8.74 seconds in the 60-meter hurdle event. The time marked a personal best for Johnson and a program record. 

At the next invitational Jan. 20, Johnson broke the 60-meter hurdle record yet again, this time with a time of 8.71. 

Her final record-breaking meet of the season came at the GVSU Big Meet in Allendale, Michigan Feb. 9. Johnson put up a time of 8.65 in the qualifying round of the meet, and before the day was over Johnson broke her record once again lowering her 60-meter time to 8.60 in the finals. 

“The first time I just kind of nodded at the video board and I kept walking,” Johnson said. “I was like, ‘This is crazy.’ And then the second time, I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I feel like externally I was just like, ‘Okay, this is cool.’ Internally I was jumping up and down.”

Johnson said every time she has broken the record this season, she didn’t think she would actually do it. She even said she hit her arm on one of the hurdles in the final record-breaking run, which she initially believed had slowed her down.

Johnson said it was special for her to break the record twice at the GVSU meet as many of the Michigan native’s family members were in attendance at the meet.

“My parents were there,” Johnson said. “My grandparents came and then like one of my aunt and uncles, they surprised me there, which was also really special, especially to do it twice within a couple hours is insane.”

Johnson and her event coach Patrick Murray had been working towards breaking the school record for quite some time, according to Kennedy. 

“I mean, it’s incredible,” Kennedy said. “It was something that Jayla has always wanted to do. She got really close last year and her and her event coach, Coach Murray, have done an incredible job. They’re an amazing partnership. So to watch her break it, finally, and then to do it again, I think was just such a proud moment for me.”

Johnson, who was ranked second heading into the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championship Feb 23-25, returned to Rogers Park as the A-10’s women’s 60-meter hurdle champion with a final time of 8.73.

Featured image courtesy of Chandler Hart | Loyola Athletics