North Central College Athletics

Ophelia Johnson is one of the most decorated female athlete in the history of North Central College athletics. She was a 14-time All-American. As a freshman, she was second at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Indoor Track and Field in the 55- meter hurdles and fourth at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field in the 100 hurdles, in addition to being part of the 400-meter relay team.

 As a sophomore, she was fifth at the NCAA Indoor Meet in the 55-meter hurdles and 55 dash. At the Outdoor Meet, she was third in the 100 hurdles, sixth in the 100 meters and part of the 400 relay team. 

The meet included competition from not only the CCIW but also a number of very good division one schools- as well. Their strong performance against such stiff competition earned them a 21st place ranking among division three colleges in the nation.

"We were the top division three school there," head coach Eric Simon said. "We were 20th last year out of about 26 schools. This year we were ninth out of 25." The Cardinals finished ahead of both Augustana and North Park College, the only other CCIW competitors there. North Central also finished ahead of teams from the University of Chicago, Creighton, and Washington University.

As a junior at the Indoor Meet, she was seventh in the 55 dash and fourth in the 55 hurdles. At the Outdoor Meet in 1990, she was first in the 100 hurdles, setting a national record (14.16) in the process. She was also third in the 100 meters and part of the 400 relay. As a senior, Johnson took second in the 100 hurdles.