Johnson Set To Run Into Daemen History Books

11/21/2025 9:30:00 AM

AMHERST, N.Y. - CJ Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) will run into the Daemen University history books on Saturday when he becomes the Wildcats' first male cross country athlete to compete in the NCAA Division II National Championships. The national championship meet is slated for 12:15 p.m. (ET) at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wisc.

Johnson is one of 25 individual qualifiers in the race field, selected based on his performance at the NCAA Division II East Region Championships on Nov. 8 in Hopkinton, N.H. where he placed seventh overall with a time of 32:18.87, just two seconds shy of his career-best time for a 10K race. For his efforts, Johnson was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-East Region team for the second time in his career.

It's already been a magical season for the Daemen junior who also became the program's first male to win the East Coast Conference Championship meet, placing first in the 8K race with a time of 26:24.8, nearly 15 seconds ahead of the runner-up. In so doing, Johnson was named to the All-ECC First Team as well garnering ECC Most Outstanding Runner honors.

He came across as Daemen's top finisher in the first three meets of the season, including a fifth-place finish at the season-opening Doug Watts Open hosted by Edinboro University on Sept. 6. He also placed 12th overall at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational hosted by Roberts Wesleyan University on Sept. 27, recording a career-best 8K time of 25:21.1.

"CJ exemplifies everything you want in an athlete," said Daemen head coach Pete Gratien at the time of Johnson's national championship selection. "He sets the standard for work ethic, accountability and attitude. He had a phenomenal season and I'm pleased that he now gets a shot to compete at a national championship meet."

The 2025 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships will be broadcast live on ncaa.com. Live timing is also available via Leone Timing.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Follow the Daemen University cross country/track and field program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenXCTF.

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