by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
A couple of years ago, Jeremy Johnson was told he probably wouldn't be able to race again.
However, Johnson has managed to compile one heck of a career as a UNM cross country and track and field athlete - and there's a chance he isn't done yet.
Johnson earned All-America cross country honors Nov. 1 and will petition the NCAA for an extra outdoor track season in 2008.
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In order for Johnson to gain an extra season on the track, he has to turn in paperwork from Arizona showing he was injured in his time there and couldn't compete.
Regardless of that decision, the Albuquerque native put together a fine season in 2007, capped by his 20th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Johnson said he was shooting for a higher placing at the national championships but is happy with achieving one of his goals.
"This has been a dream of mine since the very first day I started college running," he said. "It's finally happened, so I can take that off
my list."
Johnson certainly didn't have the easiest path on his way to becoming an All-American in his final
season.
Johnson had a standout career at Manzano High School in Albuquerque, despite running only in his junior and senior years.
He signed with UNM in 2002 and opened his college career with three straight top-20 finishes before injuries took a toll on him.
Johnson transferred to Arizona in 2004 but didn't have any more luck there. He suffered a broken leg while at Arizona, and doctors told him his running career was probably over.
Johnson talked to Matt Henry, who was the UNM head coach at the time, and was welcomed back to the team. He had to sit out a semester due to NCAA transfer rules, but he worked his way back into solid running shape.
Johnson said he will always be grateful to the UNM coaches who gave him another chance.
"Coach Henry gave me a great opportunity where other people almost gave up on me," he said. "Coming back to UNM, they gave me a great opportunity, and they had hope in me still. That means a lot."
By the time he returned to the Lobos full time in 2006, Johnson was once again one of the top runners on the team. He recorded three top-five finishes in cross country but fell short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships after coming down with the flu the day before the NCAA Mountain Regional
Championships.
Johnson rebounded to have a stellar campaign on the track. He finished runner-up in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter run at the Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships before going on to earn All-America honors during the outdoor season with his seventh-place finish in the 10,000.
UNM head coach Joe Franklin - who is in his first season at UNM after Henry retired earlier this year - said all the adversity Johnson faced makes his accomplishments that much more impressive.
He said Johnson was able to overcome those hurdles because he is one of the most focused and dedicated runners on the Lobo squad.
"Jeremy does all the little things right," Franklin said. "I know when he's done, he will be able to look himself in the mirror and say, 'I've done absolutely everything I could to be great.'"
Johnson said he plans on continuing to race and is preparing for the cross country world championships in February.
Looking back at his UNM career so far, Johnson said he's happy with where it has landed him, despite all the troubles.
"It's been a long, rocky road," he said. "Life takes crazy turns sometimes, but that's part of the ride."
