10/16/2020 12:17:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
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Ashley Johnston '06/BS arrived at Seton Hall with the simple intentions of doing well in her pursuit of a degree in education and as an athlete on the women's swimming and diving team; the post-graduate success and record-breaking athletic accomplishments came as results of her hard work.
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In the pool, Johnston set three school records in the butterfly and individual medley races. In addition to winning both the 200 and 400 IM races at the 2005 ECAC Championships, Johnston also finished her senior season with 19 individual wins across all competitions in 2005.
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"I didn't expect to set those records, but it's always something you're striving for," Johnston said. "Looking back, it's a very cool legacy to have and I'm proud of all my accomplishments."
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 Even today, Johnston still ranks in the program's top-10 lists in a number of different events including top-five times in the 200 IM and 200 Fly.
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Following her undergraduate years in South Orange, Johnston taught for nine years in West Orange at the kindergarten, first grade and second grade levels. During her time in the West Orange school system, Johnston began working in the behavioral science field, specifically with children with autism. Johnston now works as a special education behavioral analyst in the Sparta School District with students between Pre-K and fifth grade.
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"I think when you start college, you think of things one way," Johnston said. "But as you start getting into your job's field, you find all these cool little things that you never even knew could become jobs."
Ashley and her husband, Miguel
As a student-athlete at Seton Hall, Johnston always worked to maintain a strict academic and athletic schedule to meet her goals. She credits her advisor, Courtney Rickard, for the support and encouragement she provided in helping both herself and her teammates stay focused on their academic goals.
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"[Rickard] was instrumental in teaching me little thing about being a student-athlete like time management," Johnston said. "I feel like she was just very supportive of everything we did."
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Over the summer, Johnston also added "mother" to her growing list of accomplishments as she and her husband Miguel welcomed their newborn son, Cameron, into the world. Cameron is already starting to show his potential in the water in the bathtub and Johnston hopes he will follow in her footsteps in becoming a competitive swimmer.
Ashley and Miguel with their son, Cameron
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Q: Favorite memory at Seton Hall?
"Within the team, I always loved going on our training trips because it was an opportunity to spend time with your teammates when you weren't bogged down by academics. I also liked the first couple of weeks of every year when things are new, and you got to meet people. Meeting people and getting to find out about everyone's background was always interesting to me."
 Q: Favorite place to compete?
"I always liked our mid-season meet at George Mason because it was always our first away meet every season where we got to spend overnights. We would also always go to the U.S. Open which was a lot of fun and a cool place to compete. Puerto Rico was where we'd always go for our training trips."
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Q: Ever step on the seal?
"I stepped on the seal later down the road. I want to say it was probably going back to visit the next year [after graduation], and I was like, 'Oh, I can walk on it.'"
 Q: Any advice for student-athletes?
"Use your time in college to explore all your passions and be open. You never know what you'll come out of college thinking. The second piece would be to have fun. Going back, I wish people had told me to just relax and have fun. When you're in it, you're just wrapped up in doing well academically and going to classes that sometimes you just don't get to relax."
