|
It didn't take long for Susie Johnson to settle into her role as the head coach for the UWM volleyball program. After 10 years as an assistant and associated head coach in Milwaukee, Johnson was named head coach May 21, with former head coach Kathy Litzau taking the post of associate athletic director and senior woman administrator at UWM. Since then, all Johnson has done is lead the Panthers to a school-record 26 wins and a fifth-straight Horizon League regular season title. UWM also put together winning streaks of 14 and 12 matches during her first season. Those feats led to Johnson earning Horizon League Coach of the Year honors. Success in Milwaukee is nothing new to Johnson. The Panthers had won either the regular season or tournament championship in league play in all 10 seasons Johnson was an assistant on the staff at UWM. Six of the last 10 Panther squads have qualified for the NCAA Tournament and now 10 of Johnson's 11 teams have won at least 20 matches. A closer look reveals some astounding numbers that highlight the incredible success Johnson has been a part of with the Panthers. In her 11 seasons in Milwaukee as a head coach and assistant, UWM has compiled a 252-73 overall record. That number includes a 133-15 mark in Horizon League play and a 117-13 record in home matches. Plus, the Panthers have won 68 of their 73 home league matches with Johnson on the bench.
Panther players have then consistently developed into the best players in the Horizon League. In her 11 seasons in Milwaukee, Johnson has coached seven Horizon League Players of the Year, with Leanne Felsing earning those accolades this season after Cheryl Hegemann claimed those honors last season. In all, players have earned all-league honors 34 times under the direction of Johnson. The recognition for Panther players has extended far beyond the Horizon League, though. With Johnson's assistance, UWM players have earned AVCA All-America honors five times, with Felsing receiving recognition this season. And, Panther players have earned AVCA All-Region honors 16 times in the 11 seasons Johnson has been in Milwaukee. Johnson's background as a player was at setter, where she earned All-Big Sky and All-Northwest Region honors while at Idaho State. She has used that experience to develop a long line of successful Panther setters, with Katie Schneider collecting all-league honors three times, Spoden earning 2000 Midwest Region Freshman of the Year honors and 2003 Horizon League Player of the Year honors and Melissa Lange claiming all-league honors in 2004 and 2005. In fact, each of the 10 entries on UWM's single-season assist record list have come during Johnson's tenure in Milwaukee. Johnson was also a two-time Academic All-Big Sky honoree and has helped direct the UWM volleyball team to great success in the classroom. The team has been regularly honored by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association for its grade-point average while Hegemann earned Academic All-America honors last December.Plus, Leanne Felsing has already been recognized as an academic all-district performer this season. A native of Racine, Wis., Johnson joined the Panther staff in July of 1997 after serving as an assistant coach at Indiana State for two seasons. Johnson also worked at Idaho State and served as head coach at UW-Parkside for two seasons. Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education, physical education and health from Idaho State, where she was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003. She also completed her master's degree in physical education-adult fitness from Indiana State in December of 1999. Johnson lives in Racine with her husband, C.J., son Ty, daughter Josie and stepson Brody. Johnson At UWM
Johnson as a player |
|||||||||||||
