Erica Johnson Named 2026 Athena Award Winner

Westonka High School is proud to name senior Erica Johnson as the 2026 recipient of the Athena Award. Candidates for this “outstanding female athlete” award must demonstrate excellence in individual or group sports. Westonka has been celebrating the top female athlete since 1973.

In addition to Johnson, nominees for the Athena Award included Ava Daum, Edie Hollenstein, Emily Hallett, Georgia Harmer, Morgan Johnson, Maria Neumann, and Delaney Parker.

“Erica Johnson is an exceptional student-athlete who truly represents everything the Athena Award stands for,” said Activities Director Jeff Peterson. “Her illustrious athletic career, combined with her outstanding leadership and commitment to excellence in the classroom, make her incredibly deserving of this honor. We are thrilled and proud to celebrate Erica as our 2026 Athena Award recipient.”

Johnson served as captain in all three of her sports – swim and dive, gymnastics, and track. She competed at the state level nine times throughout her high school career, earning numerous awards along the way, including All-Conference, MVP, and Hardest Worker.

Johnson’s favorite sports memory came leading up to the state swim and dive meet in 2023. The Delano High School team lost their dive coach prior to the state meet. Johnson and her high school coaches stepped up and did conjoined practices with Delano’s two state qualifying divers. They continued to combine training for the 2024 season and practiced with the Delano divers every day.

“I enjoyed this because we all grew and improved together and it was nice to view the ‘competition’ as the people who have my back and support me instead of people to look out for,” said Johnson. “We pushed each other to improve, and all together raised the level of diving while also building teamwork throughout our section.”

With a cumulative GPA of 4.0, Johnson takes a rigorous course load, including AP and PSEO classes. In addition to sports, Johnson is a member of National Honor Society and participates in Letters of Love. She is also a Kids’ Ministry Room leader and Vacation Bible School group leader at her church.

Erica is the daughter of Tammy Johnson of Mound. She plans to attend St. Cloud State University to study accounting and continue her diving career.

Johnson will represent WHS at the 54th Annual Minneapolis Athena Award Luncheon, which will be held May 1 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center. She will be one of more than 50 outstanding senior women honored from public and private high schools in the greater Minneapolis area. To learn more about the event, visit the Minneapolis Athena Award website.