By: Jason Pugh, Associate Athletic Director for External Relations

NATCHITOCHES – As a track and field coach, Leon Johnson left an indelible imprint upon Northwestern State.
 
The impact he made upon those who competed for him – regardless of when or where – is of matching depth and importance.
 
Johnson, a legendary figure in Northwestern and the Southland Conference’s track and field history, died Tuesday at the age of 86. There will be a celebration of life for Johnson held at Magale Recital Hall on the NSU campus at 3 p.m. Sunday. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Saturday at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home, located at 848 Keyser Avenue in Natchitoches.

“I am saddened today to learn of the passing of my dear friend, coach and mentor, Leon Johnson,” said former Northwestern State President Dr. Chris Maggio, who ran for and coached under Johnson before ascending the ranks of university administration. “My life has been greatly blessed and enriched because this gentleman reached out to me 43 years ago and said, ‘My name is Leon Johnson, and I am the new track and field coach at Northwestern State University, and I want you to become my first recruit at NSU.’ Thankfully, I said yes to his invitation and words cannot adequately express the magnitude of life lessons that I learned from him.  

 

“He will be remembered as a Hall of Fame coach who mentored 50-plus All-Americans and won several conference championships. I, too, will remember him for his coaching accolades, but I will also remember him as a Christian man, a great role model and for the hours and hours he spent working with young men and women on the track no matter their athletic abilities. It didn’t matter if you were an All-American or a beginner, Coach would be there for you teaching and coaching you to be better in your event and better in your life. Thank you, Coach Johnson changing the lives of thousands of young people.”

 

The individual and team accolades Northwestern compiled under Johnson were many. Three Southland Conference team championships and top-20 finishes in the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Fifty-seven All-Americans and nearly 100 NCAA championship qualifiers. Two Olympic triple jumpers.

 

There was the 1986 birth of the Lady Demon track and field program that also occurred on Johnson’s watch.

 

In other words, Northwestern could build a trophy case simply for Leon Johnson and his student-athletes’ accomplishments. What transpired in the past 48 hours could fill a virtual one as well.

 

“I first stepped foot on the Northwestern State campus 40 years ago this August,” former Director of Athletics Greg Burke said. “Even then, as an intern, I recognized what kind of man, what kind of mentor and what kind of coach Leon Johnson was. I had the good fortune to come back as athletic director and have him sitting at our head coaches’ table. The perspective he offered, the respect he had among coaches and staff within the department was really remarkable.

 

“One needs to look no further than social media in the past 48 hours and read the number of posts – and not just the number – but the heartfelt messages from so many track alumni,” Burke said. “Oftentimes, the true measure of a coach’s impact — and how lasting that impact is — will be reflected in the sentiments expressed by the student-athletes who practiced and competed under that coach.”

 

Johnson began his career as a high school basketball coach in Colorado before coaching state champion high school track and field track and field teams in Louisiana at Opelousas and DeRidder, ultimately taking over at Northwestern where his name became synonymous with the school.

 

Northwestern track and field athletes compete in the Leon Johnson Invitational each spring after entering the Walter P. Ledet Track and Field Complex via Leon Johnson Lane.

 

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s state cross country championships also conclude in that area, thanks largely to Johnson’s push to bring the event to Natchitoches where it has become a staple of the city’s athletic calendar, with Johnson and staff doing yeoman’s work each November to make it happen.

 

What Johnson built at Northwestern was done so on the foundation of a family feel – one that serves as a living testament to Johnson’s approach.

 

“He helped shape so many men’s and women’s lives,” said current Northwestern track and field coach Mike Heimerman, who competed under Johnson before coaching with him and, ultimately, succeeding him as the program’s leader. “Hundreds of athletes – probably closer to thousands – came through Northwestern under coach Johnson, and he helped shape and mold them into young men and women, good mothers and fathers, good husbands and wives.

 

“He made Natchitoches and Northwestern State a home for so many young men and women, including myself. That was an attraction to NSU and to Natchitoches. That’s something we’ve tried to instill in the program now. It’s something I learned from him, and we tried to take it up a notch. The other thing I learned most from him is making sure the student-athletes get a degree and that you care for them. When you care for them, they do more for you. That’s been very evident in the past here with the men’s and women’s programs and the success we’ve had.”

 

Johnson’s legacy was made working with Northwestern’s track and field athletes, but his influence permeated the athletic department as a whole.

 

Late in his career, former Demon men’s basketball coach Mike McConathy utilized Johnson’s ability to provide insight on flexibility and conditioning for McConathy’s team. It proved to be a learning experience for both the Demon players and their longtime coach.

 

“His impact was invaluable in the fact he taught me as well as the kids so much,” McConathy said. “It was the respect my players had for him. The way he taught and instructed them was amazing. He used the technique of lower volume. He had something they were interested in. They all locked in with no distractions. That taught me something, taught my staff something.

 

“The attention he gave them showed me they had a tremendous amount of respect for his ability. It was just incredible to witness. I don’t know that you can paint a word picture to describe what we actually saw.”

 

 

 

Vancouver city councillors have voted to approve the park board’s request for an additional $22.5 million in funding to renovate the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, bringing the price tag for the controversial project to $175 million.

The decision came Wednesday night after several speakers, including multiple children, shared their opposition to replacing the existing 50-metre, Olympic-sized pool with a new 25-metre one, citing impacts to competitive swim training.

After considering the potential impacts of a delay and the building’s seismic safety, councillors voted 10-2 in favour of approving the funding. Coun. Peter Meiszner was absent, and Coun. Peter Fry abstained from voting due to a conflict of interest.

“We’re kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place right now,” said Coun. Rebecca Bligh after the vote.

The aging Vancouver Aquatic Centre made headlines in March 2022 after a large piece of the building’s facade fell off.

The centre has served as a premier sporting venue in Vancouver’s densely populated West End since it opened in 1974, drawing swimmers, synchronized swimming teams, water polo players and divers for training and competitions.

Recently, however, the pool has been described as being at “the end of its functional lifespan.”

A majority of voters in the 2022 municipal election supported the aquatic centre’s renewal, but the first mention of a smaller 25-metre pool didn’t come until February of this year — revealed in the design proposal brought forward by city staff — sparking outcry from the swimming community.

Park board staff said it wasn’t feasible to deliver a 50-metre pool within the existing building footprint while also meeting industry standards for maintenance and accessibility.

The Vancouver Park Board approved the design the following month, subject to city council agreeing to an additional $22.5 million for the project — a request swimming advocates asked city council to reject, earlier this week.

During the Wednesday meeting, one speaker said the park board has “lost the trust and confidence of the people of Vancouver and especially the swimming community.”

“No one voted for a lazy river and a 1,300-square-foot hot tub,” said resident Scott Lear.

“Vancouver just needs a 50-metre pool, it doesn’t need a fancy designed building. It needs something functional first, and form second,” he said.

WATCH | Dozens speak out against aquatic centre proposal:

One 10-year-old, Georgia Neill, who trains with the Canadian Dolphin Swim Club at the aquatic centre, appealed to councillors to “please think of other ways to keep our 50-metre pool, not for me or my teammates, but for all the people who signed the petition to say this is not what we want in Vancouver.”

Another young swimmer, Geoffrey Mu, said relocating the club and training to the Hillcrest Aquatic Centre, as park board staff have recommended, would make it difficult to attend practice, or force other members to consider joining another swim club.

“If you support VAC’s plan to change our 50-metre pool, you’ll be taking away the future of many young swimmers including me,” said the 12-year-old.

WATCH | 50-metre pool not feasible, staff report says:

Addressing the speakers after the vote, Bligh said she’s not in favour of doing away with a 50-metre pool, but that she understands the need to upgrade the aquatic centre.

She thanked speakers for their advocacy and acknowledged their concerns.

“This is an impossible decision for me on the topic…. We have to get to a better solution here,” Bligh said.

“I’m not sure we’re going to find it today, but I’m absolutely in your corner for what you shared and what you brought to the conversation today.”

The Vancouver Aquatic Centre is scheduled to close for the renovations in 2026 and reopen sometime in 2029.

Six Lake County High School senior athletes will be taking their sport to the next level and competing in college during the 2025-2026 school year. A signing day was held on Wednesday, June 4 to celebrate these athletes, their accomplishment, and the transition.

In the last 20 years, very few Lake County athletes continued their sports in college. Two years ago, two athletes moved on to collegiate Nordic skiing and cross country running. Last year, LCHS had three athletes sign with colleges in three different sports – volleyball, Nordic skiing and cross country track & field. Within this current class, the seniors will be participating in four different sports and an activity.

Isaiah Martinez, who led LCHS’ basketball team in many categories including scoring, is headed to Ottawa University in Kansas to join the Braves’ men’s basketball team. 

Amara Olsen, who earned a state pole vault medal this spring, will be attending Colorado College on a pole vault scholarship. 

Her twin, Indigo Olsen has been part of the state champion and state runner-up LCHS women’s cross-country teams through her four years of high school. She was also a member of the school record 4×800-meter relay team. Indigo will continue her running on the cross country and track and field teams at Smith College, a private liberal arts women’s college in Massachusetts.

Susie Bullock helped the LCHS Nordic team win the first CHSAA women’s team championship this winter. She was also Lake County’s lone representative at All-State choir in January. In August, Susie is off to Western Colorado University, where she will join the Nordic ski team and pursue instrumental and vocal music. 

Completing the other twin pair, Ella Bullock has committed to Williams College in Massachusetts for Nordic skiing. Ella was a two-time CHSAA state champion her sophomore year in high school. She’s been a member of Colorado’s junior national Nordic ski team throughout high school. 

Matthew Wilson, Lake County’s two-time state silver medalist and current pole vault school record holder, will continue his vaulting career at the Division III level at Asbury University in Kentucky.

“Each of these athletes has been a significant member of our programs at Lake County High School. They will be greatly missed, but we’re so proud of them and are eager to hear about what they will accomplish at the collegiate level,” said athletic/activities director Amy Peters.

CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M’s Luke Holcombe and Antonella Periotti Omisolo earned Lone Star Conference accolades on Thursday morning as they pair were named recipients of the league’s annual Scholar-Athlete Award.
 
Holcombe, the LSC Academic Outdoor Athlete of the Year, earned multiple LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll awards. Competing in throwing events – shot put, discus and hammer throw – Holcombe is a three-time USTFCCCA All-Region honoree. He placed second in the hammer throw and third in shot put at the 2025 LSC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and qualified for his second Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in shot put with a 17.89 meters toss.
 
Periotti Omisolo claimed the NCAA Women’s Elite 90 Award at the DII Women’s Golf Championships in Henderson, Nevada. The Elite 90 award honors the exceptional achievements of student-athletes. The prestigious accolade is given to those who have not only excelled at a national championship level in their sport but have also achieved the highest academic standards among their peers. The Elite 90 is proudly awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships.