Glory Johnson to Return for the 2021 Lacrosse Season

With the NCAA granting the opportunity for spring student-athletes to receive another year of eligibility, Glory Johnson of the Old Dominion lacrosse team has decided to return to the Monarchs for the 2021 season. 
 
A lot of different elements went into Johnson's decision, and the senior took her time and thoroughly went through her thought process. 
 
"It took me a little over a month to decide if I was going to return to ODU for my fifth year," Johnson explained. "There were a lot of factors that went into my decision, such as continuing my education, if I was truly ready to say goodbye to college lacrosse and how the process of taking the extra year would work.
 
"I also thought a lot about my teammates, coaches, and family who have supported me throughout my lacrosse career and how this would affect them. It was one of the biggest decisions I have had to make thus far in my life and it came with a lot of questions considering we may not even be able to return to campus in the fall. Ultimately, I decided to take my extra year because I have more to give to my teammates, coaches, and to the sport that has given me so much. I did not want my career to end the way that it did this spring." 
 
Johnson was in the midst of another exciting campaign before her senior season was cut short due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The Baldwinsville, N.Y. native scored 32 goals and added 11 assists, registering 43 points after just nine games in 2020. At the time of the cancelation of the season, Johnson was ranked in the top-10 in the nation in goals (tied for sixth) and in points (10th). Her 68 draw controls already surpassed the amount she brought in her two previous seasons combined (67), was just two away from the Monarchs single-season record and was the third-most in the country.  
 
In ODU's 14-9 win against VCU on February 12, Johnson tied a career-high with seven goals. She had registered at least three goals in seven of the nine contests the Monarchs had this season. 
 
"It was truly devastating sitting in the locker room surrounded by my teammates finding out we would not be playing the rest of our season," the senior captain explained after the abrupt end to the spring season. "I have never experienced something quite like that day and I will definitely remember it forever. 
 
"However, I completely understand and agree that it was necessary for the safety of not only us, but everyone else in our world to cancel the rest of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. I am thankful to have been surrounded by my teammates that day, the love I felt in that room was also something I will never forget."
 
Johnson can already be found scattered throughout the ODU lacrosse record books, as she currently sits in a tie for ninth in career points (152), 10th in career goals (118) and fourth in career draw controls (135). She has accumulated those numbers after just two and a half seasons with the Monarchs, as she started her collegiate career as a freshman at High Point. 
 
In 2019, Johnson had a historic season as she scored 53 goals, the fifth most in a single season in Monarchs history. If she continued her 3.56 goals per game average this spring, she would have eclipsed her 2019 totals, as she was on pace for over 60 goals midway through the season. 
 
"I am extremely excited to return for another season of Monarch lacrosse,"  Johnson said. "This program has given me so many amazing friends and experiences while also teaching me many valuable lessons and skills I will carry with my for the rest of my life. I have grown into the best version of myself while attending this university and playing for this program and I cannot wait to see what this group of girls are capable of in the 2021 season." 
 
Statistically speaking after the additional year of eligibility, Johnson has the chance to be one of the top-five players in the history of ODU women's lacrosse, a program that first competed in 1980.
 
"I am confident we are going to be more ready than ever to compete next season," Johnson said, looking ahead to next season, ODU's first in the American Athletic Conference. "The opportunity to play in the AAC is going to be a challenge but I feel this group will be ready to face that challenge head on. The most important thing I have learned from this situation is to never take anything for granted, and I believe my teammates and I will use that reminder every day when we step onto the field.
 
"My personal goal is to end my career on my own terms. I aim to give 110% every time I am on that field and to play for anyone who got that opportunity taken away from them."
 
In Her Own Words
The following is a statement from Johnson:
 
"I want to thank the NCAA for granting us this extra year of eligibility, my teammates who have supported me through everything, my coaches Heather (Holt), Kellogg (Ashley Waters), and Maggi (Buckley) for giving me another opportunity to represent ODU for one more season and especially my family for the continued support of playing the sport I love. I would not be where I am without any of these people."