Greensboro College Appoints Rebecca Johansson, Head Coach of Men's and Women's Cross Country
Greensboro, NC (10/24/2023) — Greensboro College Athletics has announced the appointment of Dr. Rebecca Elin Johansson as the school's new Men's and Women's Cross-Country Head Coach. The cross-country program at Greensboro College, which was discontinued in 2011, will be re-launched for the 2024 Fall season.
Since July 2019, Dr. Johansson has been the owner/coach of The Performance Project, LLC. in her hometown of Greensboro. In this capacity, she provides remote-based coaching for adult runners and multi-sport athletes ranging from 25 to 60 years of age. The mission of her business is to design a science-based training regimen leading to optimal performance for each athlete.
In her youth, Johansson's primary sport passion was swimming. She became a successful product of the Greensboro Swimming Association's year-round program before enrolling as a boarding student at the prestigious Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fl. Following high school, she became a scholarship student-athlete at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she excelled academically and athletically, being named Academic All-Big 10 all semesters and recognized her sophomore year for the highest cumulative GPA on the swim team. She was a national-level swimmer in the USA and was world ranked in the 1500m freestyle.
Johansson earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science and master's degree in Exercise Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Exercise Science & Sports Medicine from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. While completing her doctorate she served as an Endurance Sport Coach for the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. Before landing in Cape Town, she also had stints as an Academic Tutor for the University of Utah Athletics, a Research Associate and Teaching Assistant at Wisconsin-Madison and was A Senior Swim Coach at a club in McFarland, WI.
Johansson began coaching in 2008 after retiring from competitive swimming, and began competing in high-profile triathlons and endurance running events. As a result, she gained a passion for coaching and getting people involved in sports. Among her beliefs is that sports provide people with a community, a healthy lifestyle, and the ability to develop realistic goals that provide life-long benefits.
Her approach has been geared toward enhancing longevity in sport while also fostering a biopsychosocial model of athlete development.
In making the announcement, Greensboro College President Dr. Lawrence Czarda noted how refreshing it is having coaches who fully incorporate what is taught in the classroom into their student-athlete development. "We are thrilled to have Dr. Johansson joining us to re-start our cross-country program, and it is such an incredible bonus to have someone who is so in tune with expanding the capabilities of our athletes through science-based training," commented Czarda.
Director of Athletics Kim Strable also noted that Dr. Johansson's personal commitment to training and racing in a variety of events will instantly make her an influential role model for college student-athletes in her cross-country program. "Dr. Johansson is a true example of an educator who genuinely seeks to help athletes to maximize their full potential. We think like-minded high school graduates who choose Greensboro College and compete in cross-country will absolutely thrive under her tutelage."
Greensboro College provides a liberal arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.
Founded in 1838 and located in downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia, and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal arts program and six master's degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 19-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities. Learn more at greensboro.edu.
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Dr. Rebecca Elin Johansson, the new Head Coach of Men's and Women's Cross Country at Greensboro College