HU Names XC Coach

Huntington University Athletic Director Lori Culler has announced the hiring of Lauren Davenport Johnson as the head coach of the HU cross country program. Davenport Johnson is the first female coach to head up the Forester program.  

Davenport Johnson is a proven commodity in the coaching community with more than ten years of experience guiding and training athletes at all levels of the sport. Most recently, she has served as an assistant for the HU cross country and track and field programs.  

“We are pleased and proud to have Lauren, another Forester alumnus, join our coaching staff in this new capacity,” said Culler. “She has played a major role in getting the cross country programs to where they are today and has the experience and connections to continue to maintain that level of success.  

In this new role, Davenport Johnson will also serve as an assistant for the Huntington track and field program.  

“I am very excited to be selected to lead the men’s and women’s distance programs going forward,” said Davenport Johnson. “I’m looking forward to continuing to grow and develop the program and to continue investing in these student-athletes, the University and this community.”  

An alum of Huntington University, Davenport Johnson is one of the most decorated athletes to ever sport green and white. She is the only Forester athlete in school history to earn NAIA All-American honors in three different sports – cross country, basketball and track – and for her efforts received a spot in the HU Hall of Fame in the fall of 2015.  

After spending four years playing basketball and running track, Davenport Johnson extended her athletic career by a semester to run cross country in the fall of 2009 where she dominated her peers by placing first in four of the six regular season meets. She went on to finish second at the conference meet to punch her ticket to the NAIA National Championships where she finished 16th out of 330 runners to claim her third and final All-American badge.  

Davenport Johnson left HU as the school record holder in both the 400 meter hurdles (1:03.03) and the 800 meters (2:07.38), and ranked 2nd and 6th in the 400 meters (57.05) and 1500 meters (4:48.70) respectively. She made five appearances at the NAIA Outdoor National Track and Field Championships which included a fourth place finish in the 800 meters as a senior which earned her All-America status.  

Upon graduation, Davenport Johnson moved to Portland, Oregon where she began her professional running career. She wasted little time establishing herself as an elite runner by making multiple National Championship appearances including a 4th place showing at the 2012 Indoor National Championships in the 1500 meters. Davenport Johnson also qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials in both the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase but was unable to compete due to injury.  

Davenport Johnson spent three years running for the Nike-sponsored Oregon Track Club Elite highlighted by a 4th place finish at the 2015 Outdoor National Championships in the 1500m. This qualified Davenport Johnson to compete for Team USA at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, where she ran to a 13th place finish.  

Following the 2015 season, Davenport Johnson’s success continued by recording three more top 10 national performances which included an 8th place showing at the 2016 Olympic trials in the 1500m and a 2nd place finish at the 2017 Indoor National Championships in the 1000m.  

Davenport Johnson, who also ran for Adidas and the Boston Athletic Association high performance team, currently represents Team USA. Twice she has achieved top five marks in the world in the indoor 1K (2017) and outdoor mile (2016). She most recently finished 4th at the 2017 Outdoor National Championships.  

Davenport Johnson is a USATF level 1 certified coach and holds a USATF Level 2 certification in sprints/hurdles. She graduated from HU with a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science in 2009.