PELLA—Recent Central College graduates Megan Johnson and
Noah Jorgenson have been nominated for the American Rivers Conference's Johana Olson and Duane Schroeder Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards.
There are five females and six males under consideration for the honors. The finalists will be announced on December 17 with the winner revealed on January 8. The award winners will be selected by a group of nine faculty athletics representatives.
Johnson graduated with a 3.94 cumulative grade point average as a kinesiology major. She is now using her final year of athletic eligibility while attending graduate school at the University of Oklahoma.
A distance runner at Central, Johnson tallied six All-American performances including an individual national title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She also was an All-American in cross country and indoor track and field. She was the Most Valuable Performer in the American Rivers Conference during the 2024 outdoor track and field season.
Johnson was a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American. She was a member of the American Rivers Academic All-Conference five times across track and field and cross country.
Jorgenson graduated with a 3.98 cumulative grade point average as a business management major and is now working in Bloomington, Indiana.
As a part of the Dutch men's distance crew, Jorgenson had five All-American performances in his career. He finished 24th at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. He also had All-American performances in outdoor and indoor track and field, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the mile at the 2024 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Jorgenson was a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American. He was a member of the American Rivers Academic All-Conference six times across track and field and cross country.
The league awards were established in 2000-01. Central student-athletes have received the men's award five times and the women's award three times. Central's most recent winner was NCAA Today's Top 10 Award and Gagliardi Trophy winner Blaine Hawkins in 2021-22.
