Awards & Accolades
>NCAA Division I All-American: Member of the 4X100m relay team at Appalachian State
>Hall of Fame Inductee: Appalachian State Class of 2009
>Southern Conference Champion: 10-time individual champion
‘>All-Southern Conference Honoree: Eight-time honoree (indoor and outdoor all four years)
>Former School Record holder (Appalachian State): Held three individual school records for the Mountaineers for more than 15 years in the 300m, 400m, 500m and a member of four record-holding relays: 4x400m, Sprint Medley, 4x100m, and 4x200m
>Southern Conference team titles: Eight titles (indoor and outdoor)
Lynette (Gardin) Johnson joined the Salem College Track & Field/Cross Country staff as an assistant coach on Tuesday, April 1st. Coach Johnson will lead the sprinter/hurdle group for Salem.
Johnson is a graduate of Appalachian State, where she was a distinguished sprinter on the women’s Track & Field team earning numerous awards and accolades throughout her athletic career. Johnson’s impressive achievements led to her induction into the Appalachian State Hall of Fame in 2009. She has been a vital part of the Track & Field community, serving as a former board member of the Former Athletes Association at Appalachian State.
In 2012, Johnson co-founded the Winston-Salem Roadrunners summer track club. She served as the Athletic Director and coach for more than 10 years. During her tenure, Johnson coached sprinters and hurdles that ranked among the top ten in the country at the Junior Olympics Championships and many earned scholarships to Division I schools.
Johnson retired after 31 years in the private business sector as a director of benefits administration. She comes from a family of accomplished track and field athletes, including her husband, Linell, who was a sprinter and jumper at Appalachian State, and their two sons, Jordan and Brandon. Johnson assisted in coaching both boys during their high school and summer club track days. Both boys competed at the high school level, earning numerous appearances at the N.C. State Championship meets.
Jordan achieved top three finishes for two consecutive years in the long jump, while Brandon is a two-time State Champion in the 55m and 110mh hurdles. Jordan continued his athletic career at Appalachian State as a long jumper and sprinter, holding the school's indoor long jump record. Johnson's youngest son, Brandon, is currently competing at the University of Cincinnati as a sprinter and hurdler, ranking fifth in Bearcats history for the indoor 60m hurdles and seventh for the indoor 200m.
