Johnson Earns Second Gold Medal at AAC Championships

Saturday, March 2

Indianapolis, Ind.

9 a.m.

Tulane University

AAC Championships

Johnson Earns Second Gold Medal at AAC Championships

Mar 2, 2019 | Women's Swimming and Diving

CHAMPIONSHIPS CENTRAL | DAY FOUR RESULTS (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY

INDIANAPOLIS – Tulane University junior Olivia Johnson closed out her homecoming at the American Athletic Conference Championships on a high note Saturday night, as she captured her second gold medal by winning the 1650 freestyle.

Johnson finished the race in a time of 16:31.20, shaving more than eight seconds off her season-best time to claim gold. The Indiana native's performance marked the first time a Tulane swimmer has ever won two events at the AAC Championships.

Johnson's trip to the top of the podium was her third visit to the medal stand during this year's championships.

On Thursday, Johnson took runner-up in the 500 freestyle, posting school-record time of 4:47.18. She then followed that effort with another school-record time of 4:10.58 in the 400 IM.

As a team, Tulane placed fourth with 504.5 points. The Green Wave's fourth-place performance tied for the program's second-best finish all time.

Sophomore Kate McDonald made her first trip to the medal stand as an individual as she took third in the 200 breaststroke, posting a performance of 2:12.09, which broke her own school record that she set earlier in the day during preliminary competition.

In addition, McDonald's time in the 200 breaststroke hit the NCAA B-cut standard.

Tulane closed out finals competition with a fourth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. The Green Wave just missed sending their fifth relay team to the medal stand.

Senior Shelly Zelnick, senior Paris Zhang, sophomore Courtney Barker and senior Lilly Morgan teamed up to post a time of 3:22.31. Tulane's 400 freestyle relay team missed the medal stand by less than a second.

Be sure to follow the program on Facebook and Twitter (@GreenWaveSwim) and on Instagram (@TulaneSwimDive). Fans can also follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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