Turena Johnson had a legendary career at Luther College.
From 1996 to 1997, if there was a distance event contested at an NCAA meet, Johnson would likely be the first across the finish line. In fact, Johnson captured five of the eight NCAA titles during that span (NCAA DIII didn’t run the 3000 between 1991 and 2013).
In 1996, Johnson won the individual cross country title and added the 10000-meter crown outdoors in a time of 36:01.7.
The following year, Johnson won the indoor 5000 and completed the distance double at the outdoor championships.
Johnson continued her career post-collegiately, which has been highlighted by a third-place effort at the USA 25K Championships and a sixth-place finish at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon.
She is the first athlete from Luther College to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.