When Jenny Johnson entered her final semester of high school, she knew what was awaiting her post-graduation. Her older sister was playing basketball at Central Washington University, and in November 2013, Johnson signed her National Letter of Intent to do the same. But after her senior season of basketball, she tried rugby, and everything changed.

Johnson played one spring season with the Kent Crusaders, fell in love with the sport, and ultimately turned down her basketball scholarship at CWU to play rugby once the Wildcat program went varsity. Turns out, it was a good decision. Under the guidance of then-new coach Mel Denham, the six-foot lock turned out to be an agile No. 8 with great body control and hands – skills one expects from a scholarship-worthy basketball player – and became a huge asset to the Wildcats in the program’s first varsity season. Central Washington went on to both the DI national 15s and 7s championship finals.

That’s a lot of exposure for one team, and several CWU players, including Johnson, were invited to national camps throughout the summer. With a year-and-a-half of rugby experience, the 19-year-old donned her first USA age-grade jersey last week, and started at lock for both of the Women’s Junior All Americans' (WJAA) games against the Canada U20s. The junior Eagles won by a combined 70-27, and Johnson scored a try.

The Can-Am Series was “definitely the highest level of rugby I have played at,” Johnson said. “Everything – coaching, teammates, opposition, and off-field preparation – was executed at an extremely high level.”

Fortunately for Johnson, she enjoyed a level of comfort shared only by CWU teammate Nate Serevi. With the games occurring at the Wildcats’ pitch, and a hometown crowd there to cheer her on, there was ample support.

“It felt very normal, and I was able to go through my game-day routines just as I do at CWU regularly, so it actually me helped focus on the game that much more,” Johnson said of the hometown advantage. “It was awesome to have my coaches, teammates, family, and classmates there to watch, as well. I think having them there actually calmed me down playing on such a big stage.”

Although the Americans won both matches handily, there were certainly periods of struggle – especially in the scrum. Johnson began her career at lock but had spent the previous year at the back of the scrum.

“The mentality is not all that different than playing in the back row,” Johnson said of the position swap. “As a second row, you still have to work hard off of set pieces and always be a physical presence on the field.

“Both teams made some lineup changes for the second game so it took both sides a few scrums to get adjusted,” Johnson spoke to game two’s set piece woes. “A big thing that our coaching staff talked about during the week was problem-solving on the field, and that's what we had to do a lot during the second game. We switched some people around to get some more power in our scrum, and I think we benefited from that a lot as the game progressed.”

The WJAA coaching staff also preached resiliency, asking individuals to turn a single moment into a point of inspiration – a meter-yielding tackle, a linebreak, a poach – for the team when it needs the boost. Johnson was particularly adept at producing those moments, whether disrupting the breakdown or feeding the ball through contact to keep the attack moving.

“It’s hard to say I have one favorite because our team bonded so quickly this week,” Johnson said of her teammates. “But it was really special to share this experience with Nate Serevi. She's become one of my best friends so getting to play at such a high level with her, on our home field, was a huge blessing. And as far as role models, having Mel Denham as my head coach is an incredible honor because she brings so much knowledge and experience as a back row player.”

The sophomore is focusing on the upcoming CWU season and integrating the talented incoming class – not the least of which includes Kent alumni Leah Ingold, Joanna Moriera, and Paige Wyatt – but she has some near-future goals toward which she's working.

“My rugby aspirations are to go as far as I can with the sport, hopefully being the Women’s National Team,” Johnson said. “I still have a lot to learn considering I've only been playing for a little over a year, but I want to continue to learn and grow as much as possible. I would also love to coach in the future.”

Catch Johnson, Serevi, and the rest of Central Washington in action this coming month, as the Wildcats attempt to defend their Pacific Mountain North conference title.