College Alumni

COLLEGE ALUMNI

Aili Tanke 2024 - Iowa State University - Aili was a 4 year varsity starter winning 2 state titles and 2 state runner-ups while being voted to the All-Tournament team 3 times. In 2024, during her senior year, Aili was named the MaxPreps Iowa Player of the Year. She was 3x 1st team All CIML, 4x All State, and 4x All District. Aili was the 4th Dragon to surpass the 500 rebound and 1,000 point marks. She ended her career 4th on the all time scoring list with 1,258 total points. Aili ended her career with school records in single game 3 PT FGs made (7) and career 3 PT FG% (47.2). Aili accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Iowa State University. You can follow Aili's career at the following link - Iowa State Cyclones Womens Basketball

Aaliyah Riley 2024 - Northwest Missouri State University - Aaliyah was a 4 year varsity letterwinner, 3 year starter, and played in 4 state championship games winning 2 state titles and 2 state runner-ups while being voted to the all tournament team as a junior. She was a 3x All CIML selection, 2x All District selection, and 3x All State selection. Aaliyah finished her career as only the second Dragon to dish out over 300 career assists totalling 312. She also finished with the second most wins in program history with 92. Aaliyah accepted a scholarship to play basketball at NCAA DII Northwest Missouri State University. You can follow Aaliyah's career at the following link: Northwest Missouri State Bearcats Women's Basketball

Averie Ryan 2024 - Grand View University - Averie spent 3 years on the varsity earning 3 varsity letters while winning 2 state titles and 1 runner-up. As a senior Averie played in all 26 games averaging 5 pts and 3 rebounds. Averie accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Grand View University. You can follow Averie's career at the following link: Grand View Vikings Women's Basketball

Jada Gyamfi 2022 - University of Iowa - Jada was a 4 year varsity starter, playing her first 2 years at neighboring Urbandale High School before finishing her junior and senior years as a Dragon. Jada is the 6th Dragon to reach 1000 career points and the 4th to reach 500 career rebounds. She is only the 3rd player to score 1000 pts and grab 500 rebounds. She was all CIML Central Conference for 3 years, all Western Iowa District 3 years, and All State for 2 years including first team honors as a junior and senior. She was also named to the IGHSAU All State tournament team both years and the IBCA Class 5A Player of the Year as a senior. Jada ranks on a number of our single season top 10 lists. Jada accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Iowa. You can follow her career at the following link: Iowa Hawkeyes Womens Basketball

Anna Gossling 2022 - Grand View University - was a 4 year letterwinner and 3 year starter. She played 96 career games for the Dragons, 3rd most all time and compiled a Dragon record 89 career wins. Anna was a two time all CIML Central pick, two time All Western Iowa District, and 1st Team All State honoree as a senior. As a senior she was named the Captain of the 2022 IGHSAU All State Tournament Team. She finished her career 8th on the all time scoring list with 873 pts, and 2nd on the career 3 pt makes list with 132. Anna owns the top 2 spots for single season FT% at 88.4 and 87.5 and owns the career FT% mark at 85.9. Anna played in a total of 11 state tournament games which is 1 game away from the most any player has the possibility of playing in. She made a total of 16 three pt fgs in the state tournament which is the most of any Dragon ever. Anna accepted a scholarship to play at Grand View University. You can follow her career at the following link: Grand View Vikings Womens Basketball

Zoey Buchan 2022 - University of Wisconsin River Falls - was a 4 year letterwinner and 2 year starter for the Dragons. Zoey played in a total of 93 games for the Dragons and ranks 2nd in career wins with 86. As a junior Zoey set the single season 3pt FG% record at 56.4% and ranks 3rd on the single season FT% list at 87.2. Zoey earned 2nd Team All CIML Central as a senior. Zoey accepted an offer to play basketball at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. You can follow Zoey's career at the following link.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls Falcons

Kinsey Jilek 2021 - NIACC - graduated from JHS in 2021. She played 3 years of varsity basketball. Kinsey started as a junior during our state championship and as a senior during our runner up finish. She was a captain during her senior year and earned Honorable Mention All Conference as a junior and senior. During her junior season, Kinsey was named our Newcomer of the Year, became only the 9th member of the charge club, and finished the season with the 5th best single season 3 pt % in school history at 45.2%. Kinsey finished her career ranked 4th for career 3 pt % at 37.0% and 8th in career Free Throw % at 75.0%. Kinsey accepted a scholarship to play basketball at NIACC.

Maya McDermott 2020 - University of Northern Iowa - graduated from JHS in 2020. She played and started 4 years of varsity basketball. Maya finished her career having played the 3rd most games in a Dragon uniform at 96 and 2nd on the all time wins list with 84. In 2017 as a freshman Maya earned 2nd team all conference honors. As a sophomore she earned first team all conference, all district, and first team all state honors. In 2019, as a junior, Maya repeated that trifecta of honors. During her senor season Maya once again earned first team all conference, all district, and first team all state honors while leading the Dragons to the Class 5A State Championship earning all tournament team captain honors. At the conclusion of the season she was named Iowa Class 5A Player of the Year. Maya is one of 5 Dragons to score over 1,000 career points and broke the all time scoring record finishing her career with 1,615 total points. She finished her career holding numerous records including single game (7), single season (70), and career 3 point field goals (212) made and single season 3 point field goal percentage (45.8). Maya broke the career steals record (196) and the single game (15), single season (139), and career assists (437) records. Maya accepted a scholarship to play Division I basketball for the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. You can follow Maya's career at this link: UNI Panthers Women's Basketball

Kendall Nead 2020 - University of Wisconsin Milwaukee - graduated from JHS in 2020. She was a 2 year starter and 4 year varsity player. In 2019 Kendall earned second team all conference honors. As a senior in 2020 she exploded onto the state scene. Kendall earned first team all conference, all district, and first team all state honors. She averaged over 18 points per game in leading the Dragons to the state title where she earned all tournament team honors. As a senior Kendall set the single season field goal record with 205 while shooting 60.3% from the field, which was third on the all time list. She finished 6th on the all time career scoring list with 883 points and her 487 points as a senior were the second most in a season. Kendall also finished her career 7th on the all time career assist list with 155. Kendall's hard work earned her a scholarship to play Division I basketball for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers. You can follow Kendall's career at this link: UW-Milwaukee Panthers Women's Basketball

Maddie Mock 2020 - Western Illinois University - graduated from JHS in 2020. She was a 3 year starter and 4 year varsity player. As a sophomore, junior, and senior Maddie earned second team all conference honors. She broke the record for games played in a Dragon uniform at 100 and ranks first on the all time wins list with 86. Maddie was the third Dragon to reach the 500 rebound milestone and finished her career second on the all time rebound list with 659. During her senior season she set the single game rebounding recording with 21. Maddie averaged 8.5 rebounds as a senior and during the Dragons state championship run she averaged 10.7 rebounds in 3 state tournament games. She finished 6th on the all time steals list with 133 and third on the all time assists list with 234. Maddie also finished 10th on the all time scoring list with 691 total points. Maddie earned a scholarship to play Division I basketball for the Western Illinois University Leathernecks. Maddie played 1 season for the Leathernecks before transferring the University of Central Florida.

Regan Nesheimm 2019 - South Dakota State University - graduated from JHS in 2019 and played 4 years of varsity basketball. Regan was a 4 year letter winner and 3 year starter. In 2019 she was 1st team all conference, all district, 2nd team all state, and made the 2019 all state tournament team. As a senior Regan was a team captain and earned co-team MVP honors. She also set the single season field goal percentage record at 60.7% and finished first on the career field goal percentage list at 59.5%. Regan also ranks 1st in school history on the all time wins list as she was part of 78 victories in 4 seasons. During her stellar high school career she finished 3rd on the all time rebounds list with a total of 454, 5th on the career steals list with a 139 total steals, and 7th on the all time scoring list with 810 total points. Regan accepted a scholarship to Division I South Dakota State University where in 2019 the Jackrabbits played their way into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. You can follow Regan's career at this link:
South Dakota State Jackrabbits Women's Basketball

Jennah Johnson 2018 - Wayne State University - graduated from Johnston High School in 2018 playing 4 years of varsity basketball. She was a 4 year letter winner, 3 year team captain, 2018 team MVP, and was the first player in Johnston history to play in 4 straight state tournaments. She ended her career playing in 99 total games with a record of 78-21, records for games played and career wins. Jennah was 2nd team all conference as a sophomore, 1st team all conference as a junior and senior. Also, as a senior, she was on the 5A west all district team and voted 3rd team all state. Jennah ranks 5th on the all time scoring list with 828 total points and 2nd in career assists dishing out a total of 213. She also finished her career in the top 10 of all the following categories; career field goal %, career made field goals, career and single season 3 point field goals and 3 point field goal %, career / single game / season free throws made and total rebounds, single season and career steals, single game and single season assists, and season and career charges taken. Jennah accepted a scholarship to play basketball at NCAA Division II Winona State University in Minnesota. Jenna played 1 season before transferring to Iowa State University.

Rachel Hinders 2016 - Lewis University - graduated from Johnston High School in 2016 as a 4 year starter for the Dragons. Rachel earned 2nd Team All CIC Western Division as a Freshman. As a sophomore she earned 1st Team All Western Division, 2nd Team All Conference, and All District . As a Junior she was 1st Team All Western Division, 1st Team All Conference, All District, and 1st Team All State. During her senior year she was voted 1st Team All Division, 1st Team All Conference, Elite All CIML, All District, and 2nd Team All State. She also became the 3rd Johnston player to surpass the 1,000 point mark and became the first player to have more than 500 rebounds. She was a 3 year team MVP and captain. Rachel went on to play basketball at NCAA DII Lewis University in Chicago where she earned a basketball scholarship.

Elle Brown 2016 - University of Missouri - played 3 years at Johnston High School from 2013-2016 and started every game in those 3 seasons. Elle accepted a scholarship to the University of Missouri during her junior year and moved to Columbia, MO for her senior season when her parents accepted positions within the Mizzou Athletic Department. During Elle's junior year the team was ranked #1 the entire season and finished as state runner-up. Elle made the 2016 All-State Tournament Team. As a freshman and sophomore she was 2nd team all conference and as a junior was 1st team. As a junior she also earned 3rd Team All State honors. Before moving for her senior season Elle finished her junior season on a number of JHS top 10 lists. She ranked 6th on the all time scoring list, 7th in scoring average, 4th in career 3 pt fgs, 4th in career steals, 3rd in career assists, and 4th on the total win list.

Steph Wilkinson 2013 - Grand View University - graduated from JHS in 2013 as record holder in blocked shots for both career and single game. She had a very successful senior season as a Dragon. She led the team in multiple categories including scoring and rebounding. She was voted 1st Team All-Division, 2nd Team All-Conference, 2nd Team All-CIML, All District, and 3rd Team All-State. Steph was also chosen to participate in the Iowa High School Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game. Steph went on to play basketball at NAIA Grand View University in Des Moines.

Kristin Riley 2012 - Simpson College - graduated from JHS in 2012. She was a two year starter for the Dragons. As a senior she earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors. Kristin went on to play basketball at DIII Simpson College in Indianola.

Emily Parker 2011 - Holy Cross University - graduated from JHS in 2011. She was a three year starter for the Dragons. Emily earned all conference honors as a junior and a senior. She was voted all district and 3rd team all-state as a junior. Emily finished her high school career at JHS with some impressive stats. While in high school she scored the second most points in a game with 30, made the most field goals in a game with 12, set the record for highest FG % for a career, and set the rebounding records for single game, season, and career. Emily earned a DI basketball scholarship to Holy Cross where she earned All Rookie Team honors in the Patriot League as a freshman.

Kate Nielsen 2009 - Simpson College graduated from JHS in 2009. She earn all state honors in basketball and soccer. She also lettered on the volleyball team that won the state championship. While playing basketball for the Dragons she was voted all-conference, all-district, and 3rd team all-state as a senior. Kate set several records in high school including total rebounds in a season, rebounding average for a season and career, and steals in a game. Kate went on to play basketball at Simpson College having a great career on the court. As a senior she averaged 22.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for a team ranked as high as 6th in the nation and making it to the sweet 16. She was voted Iowa Conference Player of the Year, DIII First Team All-American, West Region Player of the Year, and was a finalist for DIII Player of the Year. At Simpson Kate set records for total rebounds in a single season, 3 pt fg % for a single season, and free throws made in a season.

Leslie Ware 2008 - Coe College - graduated from JHS in 2008. She was a two year starter for the Dragons. She set the record for single season FT % and ranks toward the top of 3 pt fg in a career. She went on to have a successful career at Coe College. She left the Kohawks ranked on their top 20 scoring list. Leslie set a record for career 3 pt fg made and ranks in the top 10 for career assists. She earned 2nd team all-Iowa conference as a senior.

Laura Hilby 2008 - Buena Vista University - graduated from JHS in 2008. Upon graduating she attended Buenva Vista University in Storm Lake, IA. As a senior for the Beavers she averaged 11.9 points per game which was second most on the team. Laura earned DIII Academic All-American as a senior also.

Lori Bjork 2005 - Illinois / Maryland University - graduated from JHS in 2005. She had a great high school career starting every game she played in through 4 years for the Dragons. Lori earned 1st team all-conference three times, elite all-CIML as a senior, all-district honors twice, 2nd team all-state as a junior, and 1st team all-state as a senior. During her senior season she was ranked the #130 player in the country. She set numerous records and is still on many of our top 10 lists including career fg made, total points, single season and career scoring avg, career 3 pt fg made, career steals, career assists, and career charges taken. Lori accepted a scholarship to play at the University of Illinois. In her 3 years with the Illini she set their single season and career records for 3pt fg made. Lori also set the career record for FT %. Her junior year she earned 3rd team all-Big Ten honors. For her senior season she transferred to the University of Maryland, who had won a national championship two years prior. In her one year Lori started at PG for the Terrapins and was 2nd in the ACC in 3 pt fg made that season earning honorable mention all-ACC. After graduating Lori spent one season playing professional basketball overseas.

Ashley Wheeldon 2005 - Buena Vista University - graduated from JHS in 2005. Ashley was part of a very successful basketball season her junior and senior seasons. She set the single season and career records for charges taken. After graduating from Johnston she attended Buena Vista University and played basketball for the Beavers.

Therese Arnott 2001 - Lynn University - graduated from JHS in 2001. She set Dragon records for most steals and assists in a single season. She earned all-conference and all-district honors. Therese went on to play basketball for DII Lynn University.

Kari Boscaljon 2001 - William Penn University - graduated from JHS in 2001. She set single season and career records for 3 pt fg %. Kari also placed second on the single season and career scoring average lists. Her senior season season she set the single season record for steals. She was voted 1st team all-conference, all-district, and 2nd team all-state. She went on to play basketball at DII schools Nebraska-Kearney and Southwest Minnesota State before finishing her career at NAIA William Penn University.