Colton Johnson signs with SMSU

GRAND RAPIDS— Surrounded by his family, friends, and teammates in the Grand Rapids High School atrium, senior Colton Johnson made his college decision official.

Johnson signed his letter of intent to run track and field at Southwest Minnesota State for the Mustangs. Johnson is a long-jump specialist, as he proved with his 11th place finish in the 2023 state tournament with an impressive jump of 20-08.25.

His head coach Matt Sandys was present for the signing and told the story of trying to recruit Johnson a few years back, recruiting him after watching him dunk a basketball, and watching him become a state-athlete.

Sandys said he would miss Johnson’s hard-work and talent while being “excited about (Johnson’s) next chapter.”

Johnson, also a stand-out basketball player for Grand Rapids, is currently in-season for the Thunderhawks Track and Field team but said that he will need to train more often, work a little harder, and increase his plyometrics training as he gets ready to compete at the next level.

SMSU was one of three schools who had contacted him according to Johnson, and he liked what he saw from the coaches and team. He is undecided on a major.

His advice to underclassmen athletes is to “work hard and do what you want to do.”