Ozark Catholic senior signs to throw for Benedictine College in Atchison

Savannah Johnson’s next chapter in Atchison starts with a pair of throwing shoes and a 550-page manuscript. The Ozark Catholic Academy senior has signed to compete in discus and shot put for Benedictine College, bringing to Atchison a student whose college plans stretch well beyond athletics.

Johnson will head to Benedictine in the fall and join the Ravens’ women’s track and field program, where Jacob Connealy leads cross country and track and field in Atchison, Kansas. She plans to study education and pursue a career helping students with learning disabilities, a goal that matches the blend of discipline and range that has defined her high school years.

Her path to the throwing circle did not begin there. Johnson started high school playing basketball and volleyball before shifting her focus to field events in track. Even then, she stayed busy outside sports with drama, choir and the pro-life club, building the kind of schedule that made her one of Ozark Catholic Academy’s most varied student leaders.

That profile grew even larger this spring when Johnson was named the Overall DAR Good Citizens Award winner, an honor tied to dependability, service, leadership and patriotism. It added another distinction to a senior year that already included the unusual detail of a 550-page manuscript under review, a project that set her apart academically as well as athletically.

Ozark Catholic Academy, in Tontitown, opened in fall 2018 as Northwest Arkansas’ first Catholic high school. The school says it offers 10 sports in the AAA 2A-1 Conference, and its athletic record has climbed quickly: since 2021, the Griffins say they have won eight team state titles and finished runner-up four times. Since 2020, Ozark Catholic student-athletes have also collected 20 individual state titles and 58 All-State honors.

Johnson’s decision sends one more multi-talented student to Benedictine, where women’s indoor and outdoor track and field remains a central part of the Ravens’ athletics program. For Atchison, it is the arrival of a freshman whose resume already spans competition, writing and service, and whose college path is set to test all three at once.