Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Senior W. Soccer Spotlight: Dani Johnson
7/28/2015 12:46:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — As the 2015 Davidson women's soccer season approaches, davidsonwildcats.com took some time to get to know each of the six seniors who will lead the Wildcats this year.
The 10-question Q&A session with Dani Johnson, Sarah Tuggle, Maddie Fisher, Madison See, Vicky Bruce and Jenni Isaac was designed to help fans get to know the seniors a little more as they play their final season together. Davidson's season opener is Aug. 21 when it hosts Albany at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Stadium.
The first spotlight features defender and senior captain Dani Johnson. A native of Norfolk, Va., Johnson has been outstanding on the backline for the 'Cats since her freshman year. She has started 52 of her 60 games played, including the last 49 straight, and tallied six goals. Four of those goals came in 2013 when she started all 21 games and finished second on the team in goals and points (8). Entering her senior campaign, Johnson has recorded three game-winning goals and gone a perfect 4-for-4 on penalty kicks.
Today's spotlight highlights defender Dani Johnson...
Q: What attracted you to Davidson as opposed to other schools in your recruitment?
A: "I was attracted to the small size and the small teacher-to-student ratio. Plus, I liked the location being in the south and close to a big city."
Q: How was the transition from being a high school athlete to a collegiate one? How did Davidson's staff help you?
A: "In high school I played against teams that had players that picked up the sport just to play for their school. In collegiate athletics, I'm playing against women that have played competitively from a young age. Also, collegiate athletics is much more time consuming, which instills a different sense of discipline."
"The coaches helped me by giving me a summer packet to prepare myself to come into pre-season in the best shape that I could, in order to effectively contribute to my team and allow me to be competitive."
Q: What advice would you have for current high school athletes who are going through the transition to becoming a college athlete? What would you tell students who are considering coming to Davidson?
A: "I would tell them to come in and continue with their unique style of play. A coach recruited you because there was something about your game that stood out to them. If you change that 'something' when you come in, then you are only hurting yourself."
"I would advise students coming to Davidson that academics are hard, but with proper time management, you can be successful. Also, relationships are the most important thing you can build in your college career. Strong relationships can lead to help and connections down the road, so start them early with faculty & staff, other students, and people within the community."
Q: What's the hardest part about being a Division I athlete? What do you like the most about it?
A: "The hardest thing is the time commitment, especially being a student-athlete at Davidson. Davidson is known to be rigorous academically, and Division I sports are seen in the same light. Nevertheless, this is also what I like most about it. I like knowing that I have been successful in keeping this strenuous balance.
Q: What do you like the most/least about your sport?
A: "I love the competition aspect about my sport. There is never a day where you can go out and just expect a starting position. It is a constant fight and I love the unpredictability of that. The thing I like the least about my sport is losing teammates to injuries. I have seen many people have to walk away due to bad injuries, and those are some of the most heart breaking moments I have come by."
Q: How do you feel your experience as a student and as an athlete at Davidson college will help you in your future?
A: "I have become both more open-minded and willing to try new things. Hard work, discipline, passion, and persistence are a few of the traits that I have learned while playing. Handling adversity, being confident and composed, and having a positive mindset are all things you have to create for yourself. Also, as a student-athlete, I have learned a lot about time. It is imperative to implement time-management in order to balance soccer, academics, and other activities.
During practices, I have learned that if we want to be successful, our time is valuable and needs to be taken seriously. Taking a moment off could be the difference between me starting a game, and only playing a few minutes. Soccer has prepared me for life after college because I have learned what it means to push myself, and what it takes to create an effective team dynamic."
Q: How do you manage school, practice/games, and your social life?
A: "I don't really try to manage it. It just happens. School comes first in my mind, so I know that if I don't perform well in school, then I can't play soccer. If I can't play soccer, then I can't be practicing and playing with my closest friends."
Q: When you graduate, how do you want people to remember you as an athlete, as a student, and as a person?
A: "I want people to remember me as a successful leader, and a willing follower. I also want them to know me as one that took the time to get to know my teammates beyond the field. I try to let my teammates know that they can always come to me in confidence about anything, and that they can trust me with anything that they share. As a student, I want people to know me as the one that never gave up no matter how much adversity I faced in the classroom.
Q: What/who is your motivation as an athlete? What drives you?
A: "My competitive nature, and my family motivate me as an athlete. I know that my family has enjoyed watching me play over the years, and that is not something that I take for granted. Knowing that this is my last season of competitive soccer is scary, because soccer has always been a huge part of my life. This gives me more incentive to go out into my senior season with a bang!"
Q: Is there anything else you would want people to know about your time here at Davidson, your sport, your team, or your personal life so people can know you better?
A: "I cannot think of a moment where I ever felt alone. I always had my teammates and coaches to help me every step of the way. They are a constant support system that I can count on and I own many of my successes in college to them."
The 10-question Q&A session with Dani Johnson, Sarah Tuggle, Maddie Fisher, Madison See, Vicky Bruce and Jenni Isaac was designed to help fans get to know the seniors a little more as they play their final season together. Davidson's season opener is Aug. 21 when it hosts Albany at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Stadium.
The first spotlight features defender and senior captain Dani Johnson. A native of Norfolk, Va., Johnson has been outstanding on the backline for the 'Cats since her freshman year. She has started 52 of her 60 games played, including the last 49 straight, and tallied six goals. Four of those goals came in 2013 when she started all 21 games and finished second on the team in goals and points (8). Entering her senior campaign, Johnson has recorded three game-winning goals and gone a perfect 4-for-4 on penalty kicks.
Today's spotlight highlights defender Dani Johnson...
Q: What attracted you to Davidson as opposed to other schools in your recruitment?
A: "I was attracted to the small size and the small teacher-to-student ratio. Plus, I liked the location being in the south and close to a big city."
Q: How was the transition from being a high school athlete to a collegiate one? How did Davidson's staff help you?
A: "In high school I played against teams that had players that picked up the sport just to play for their school. In collegiate athletics, I'm playing against women that have played competitively from a young age. Also, collegiate athletics is much more time consuming, which instills a different sense of discipline."
"The coaches helped me by giving me a summer packet to prepare myself to come into pre-season in the best shape that I could, in order to effectively contribute to my team and allow me to be competitive."
Q: What advice would you have for current high school athletes who are going through the transition to becoming a college athlete? What would you tell students who are considering coming to Davidson?
A: "I would tell them to come in and continue with their unique style of play. A coach recruited you because there was something about your game that stood out to them. If you change that 'something' when you come in, then you are only hurting yourself."
"I would advise students coming to Davidson that academics are hard, but with proper time management, you can be successful. Also, relationships are the most important thing you can build in your college career. Strong relationships can lead to help and connections down the road, so start them early with faculty & staff, other students, and people within the community."
Q: What's the hardest part about being a Division I athlete? What do you like the most about it?
A: "The hardest thing is the time commitment, especially being a student-athlete at Davidson. Davidson is known to be rigorous academically, and Division I sports are seen in the same light. Nevertheless, this is also what I like most about it. I like knowing that I have been successful in keeping this strenuous balance.
Q: What do you like the most/least about your sport?
A: "I love the competition aspect about my sport. There is never a day where you can go out and just expect a starting position. It is a constant fight and I love the unpredictability of that. The thing I like the least about my sport is losing teammates to injuries. I have seen many people have to walk away due to bad injuries, and those are some of the most heart breaking moments I have come by."
Q: How do you feel your experience as a student and as an athlete at Davidson college will help you in your future?
A: "I have become both more open-minded and willing to try new things. Hard work, discipline, passion, and persistence are a few of the traits that I have learned while playing. Handling adversity, being confident and composed, and having a positive mindset are all things you have to create for yourself. Also, as a student-athlete, I have learned a lot about time. It is imperative to implement time-management in order to balance soccer, academics, and other activities.
During practices, I have learned that if we want to be successful, our time is valuable and needs to be taken seriously. Taking a moment off could be the difference between me starting a game, and only playing a few minutes. Soccer has prepared me for life after college because I have learned what it means to push myself, and what it takes to create an effective team dynamic."
Q: How do you manage school, practice/games, and your social life?
A: "I don't really try to manage it. It just happens. School comes first in my mind, so I know that if I don't perform well in school, then I can't play soccer. If I can't play soccer, then I can't be practicing and playing with my closest friends."
Q: When you graduate, how do you want people to remember you as an athlete, as a student, and as a person?
A: "I want people to remember me as a successful leader, and a willing follower. I also want them to know me as one that took the time to get to know my teammates beyond the field. I try to let my teammates know that they can always come to me in confidence about anything, and that they can trust me with anything that they share. As a student, I want people to know me as the one that never gave up no matter how much adversity I faced in the classroom.
Q: What/who is your motivation as an athlete? What drives you?
A: "My competitive nature, and my family motivate me as an athlete. I know that my family has enjoyed watching me play over the years, and that is not something that I take for granted. Knowing that this is my last season of competitive soccer is scary, because soccer has always been a huge part of my life. This gives me more incentive to go out into my senior season with a bang!"
Q: Is there anything else you would want people to know about your time here at Davidson, your sport, your team, or your personal life so people can know you better?
A: "I cannot think of a moment where I ever felt alone. I always had my teammates and coaches to help me every step of the way. They are a constant support system that I can count on and I own many of my successes in college to them."
Players Mentioned
MF
/ Women's Soccer
D/MF
/ Women's Soccer
MF/F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F/D
/ Women's Soccer
F
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