Spencer Johnson Season 2014-15

Honors & Awards

• Three-Time Academic All-Big Ten (2013, 2014, 2015)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2014, 2015)
• Nebraska Granite Award (2012-13)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2012, 2014; Spring 2012, 2014, 2015)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Fall 2010; Spring 2011)

2014-15 (Senior)
Regular Season
Spencer Johnson upset top-ranked Kyven Gadson of Iowa State at the Southern Scuffle, 5-3, but suffered an injury at the tournament that sidelined him the rest of the season. Johnson went 17-2 in five tournament appearances, earning eight pins and two major decisions in the process. He collected titles at the Northern Colorado Open, Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open and Bob Smith Open. In addition, Johnson went 2-2 at the Cowboy Open.

2013-14 (Junior)
Regular Season
Johnson made five dual appearances and competed in five tournaments at 197 pounds as a junior. He compiled a 25-8 mark overall, with five pins, five major decisions and two technical falls. Johnson took first place at the U.S. Western National Open after placing third in both the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open and Harold Nichols Cyclone Open. He earned a fifth-place finish at the Reno Tournament of Champions, while putting together a 3-2 dual record.

2012-13 (Sophomore)
Big Ten Championships
Johnson fell in both of his matches at heavyweight at the conference tournament. He lost an 8-2 decision to Michigan’s Ben Apland before falling by a 13-5 major decision to No. 12 Jimmy Lawson of Penn State.

Regular Season
Johnson opened his season in January at the Viking-Warrior Open where he finished second. Johnson earned his first dual start at heavyweight on Jan. 11, falling by an 8-3 decision to No. 19 Ben Apland of Michigan. Johnson won his next two matches by decision, including a crucial 3-1 victory over Illinois’ Chris Lopez that led to Nebraska’s upset of the No. 5 Fighting Illini.

Following three consecutive losses to ranked opponents, Johnson went 2-0 at the NWCA National Duals. He finished the 2012-13 campaign with a 6-7 record, going 4-4 in duals. He achieved one pin on the season. He was named to the Academic All-Big Ten list for his work in the classroom.

2011-12 (Redshirt Freshman)
Regular Season
Johnson wrestled in six open tournaments at 197 pounds, compiling a 23-6 overall record. He captured titles in three of the six tournaments and placed in the top five in the other three, recording seven pins and seven major decisions in the process. Following a loss to Northern Iowa’s Taylor Kettman in the second round of the UNI Open, Johnson reeled off 16 consecutive victories. He won the Quality Hotel Open, Viking-Warrior Open and York College Open in that stretch.

Johnson wrestled in two Big Ten duals to close out his season. He lost both matches by decision against top-20 opponents. For his work in the classroom, Johnson earned a spot on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll during the spring 2012 semester.

2010-11 (Redshirt)
Regular Season
Johnson produced a stellar freshman campaign with 31 victories and three open tournament titles. His 31 wins ranked third on the team behind Jordan Burroughs and Robert Kokesh. Johnson also posted eight bonus-point victories. Johnson began the year by winning his first three matches at the Harold Nichols Open, before falling to Iowa State’s Kyven Gadson, 3-2, in the finals. After winning five matches at the Kaufman/Brand Open, Johnson took home his first tournament title at the Bob Smith Open by dominating the 184-pound class, with two major decisions among his five victories. Johnson added crowns at the Quality Hotel Open and the Grand View Open, while finishing runner-up in the Viking-Warrior Open. Johnson concluded his season with a third-place finish at the Briar Cliff Open, while wrestling up a weight class at 197.

Before Nebraska
Johnson was a 2010 Minnesota Class 2A state champion following a 42-3 senior season. In 2009, he finished runner-up at the state tournament with a 42-6 record. An all-state and all-conference selection, Johnson finished sixth at Senior Nationals to claim All-America honors.
Johnson earned six letters in wrestling and three in football. He was a member of the National Honor Society and was on the B-Honor Roll.

Personal
Spencer is the son of James and Deb Johnson and was born in Windom, Minn., on Jan. 15, 1992. Spencer has three older sisters, Jessica, Naomi and Jackie, and one younger brother, Vincent. Spencer is majoring in civil engineering and has garnered Academic All-Big Ten honors three times. He is a five-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll and was chosen to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters of 2010-11. In addition, Spencer was named to the 2014 Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.