By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University athletes Kylea Johnson (Sr., Onalaska, WA/Onalaska HS) and Hans Lehndorff (Sr., Boulder, CO/Boulder HS) have been named to the Northwest Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team for the 2015-16 athletic year. The award honors the top male and female athlete from each NWC college and university based on athletic, academic and community achievement.
Johnson competed as a sprinter on the Willamette women's track and field team. Lehndorff was a defensive lineman on the football team and a thrower on the men's track and field squad.
NWC Scholar-Athlete First Team
Kylea Johnson (Sr.) was selected as the Women's Senior Scholar-Athlete for the Bearcats after earning the highest cumulative GPA among graduating seniors on women's teams at Willamette. Johnson, who majored in Environmental Science, recorded a 3.93 cumulative GPA.
Johnson ran the anchor leg this spring as the Bearcats won the NWC championship in the women's 4 x 100-meter relay in 48.44 seconds for the second fastest time in school history. Willamette won the race by .07 as Johnson provided a thrilling finish.
In addition, she placed third at the 2016 NWC Championships in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.73 seconds and was fourth in the 200-meter dash at 25.69 seconds. During the 2015 NWC Championships, she placed fourth in the 100-meter dash, was fourth in the 200-meter dash, and helped WU place fourth in the 4 x 100-meter relay.
Her career-best times rank her fifth all-time at Willamette in the 100-meter dash (12.42) and seventh all-time in the 200-meter dash (25.60). She is listed 10th on the 5all-time list in the 400-meter dash (58.28).
Johnson volunteered at the Chehalis Valley Pony Club near her hometown during summer breaks during her studies at Willamette. In the winter, she helped with the Hampton Lumber Mill's Adopt-a-
Family program that provides Christmas presents to children in low-income families.
Hans Lehndorff (Sr.), who graduated this spring with a double major in Economics and Religious Studies, achieved a 3.92 cumulative GPA. He was named Men's Senior Scholar-Athlete at Willamette for achieving the highest cumulative GPA among seniors on men's teams for the Bearcats.
In addition, he was selected as the winner of the J.H. Booth Award for 2015-16 as the top men's senior student-athlete at Willamette. The Booth Award is presented annually by the Athletics Department to a graduating senior student-athlete who has developed and demonstrated strong leadership skills and outstanding athleticism while maintaining a high rank of scholarship during his collegiate career.
Lehndorff was a four-year letterwiner and a three-year starter in football. He played in 27 games as a defensive lineman. In track and field, he won two Northwest Conference championships in the discus throw (2014, 2016). He also placed fourth in the discus in 2013 and was fifth in 2015.
His 2016 NWC title was earned with a personal record throw of 158' 2". It was the top throw by a Willamette athlete since 1963 and moved him into third on the Bearcats' all-time list in the discus.
Also this spring, Lehndorff took second place in the NWC in the shot put with a career-best throw of 52' 5.25". He ranks fifth all-time at Willamette in the shot put. He finished the 2016 season listed 26th in NCAA Division III in the discus and ranked 31st nationally in the shot put.
Lehndorff has volunteered with Catholic Community Services at a youth respite home. He also has helped at the Salvation Army food pantry and with Marion-Polk Food Share. He has volunteered during Willamette's Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. He also participated in various service projects with the Willamette football team, including the United Way Days of Caring.
He completed an internship at the Oregon State Capitol in the Legislative Review Office. He was a teaching assistant in Religious Studies for three semesters, and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society as a senior.
