SwimSwam caught up with Ashleigh Johnson at the unveiling of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Water Polo team at LA84 Foundation on Thursday. Johnson, the starting goalkeeper, is the only non-Californian on the 13-woman squad bound for Rio.
Although it is her first Olympic Games, Johnson is no stranger to international competition. She was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the 2015 World Championships after Team USA’s gold-medal performance. A year earlier, she picked up Outstanding Goalkeeper honors at the 2014 FINA World Cup and was named Player of the Tournament at the 2014 Kirishi Cup.
Johnson took a year of absence from Princeton University while preparing for the 2016 Olympics. Before that, she was the 2015 CWPA Player of the Year and first team honoree during her junior year, and will head back to her senior year this fall after representing Team USA in Rio de Janeiro.
