| Julie Johnson will remain as
Ripon's athletic director, and hire her
replacement. Ripon athletics photo |
After 23 seasons as Ripon's head women's basketball coach, Julie Johnson will step down from her role to become full-time athletic director.
Johnson is Ripon's all-time winningest coach with an overall record of 303-237 (.561). This past season, she became just the fourth Midwest Conference coach to reach the 300 win plateau, while also becoming the fourth coach in MWC history to win 200 conference games.
Under Johnson's leadership, Ripon has qualified for the
conference tournament 11 times during the last 18 seasons and
has made it to the NCAA Tournament on four occasions, while winning
the MWC Championship four times. During her tenure, Johnson
has coached four All-Americans, five All-Region performers, three
Midwest Conference Players of the Year and 41 all-conference
selections. Johnson has been named MWC Coach of the Year four times
(1995, 2004, 2005 and 2009), while also being named NCAA women's
basketball Central Region Coach of the Year once.
Johnson was named to the Ripon College Hall of Fame in 2005 for
her commitment to the education of students through the classroom
and athletics competition. In addition to her basketball coaching
duties, Johnson was named athletic director in May of 2010 and will
remain in that role moving forward.
Johnson came to Ripon in 1990 from South Dakota State where she
received her master's degree in exercise physiology while serving
as an assistant women's basketball coach. Johnson earned her
bachelor of science degree in health, physical education and
recreation at Dakota State in 1988. While with the Trojans, Johnson
was a four-year starter, three-time all-conference selection and
the Dakota Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player in 1987 as well
as the NAIA District XII Player of the Year. In 2000, Johnson was
inducted into the Dakota State University Hall of Fame and was
named Dakota State University Alumni Coach of the Year in 1996.
The search for the next head coach of women's basketball at Ripon will begin in the coming weeks.