LSU Gold
Position
Jumps
Height
5'6
Class
Freshman
Hometown
Gray, La.
High School
Vandebilt Catholic HS

Event: Pole Vault (IN: 17-3; OUT: 17-1)

CAREER CAPSULE
Graduated from LSU in May 2014 with his degree in kinesiology … Ended his collegiate career with personal bests of 17 feet, 3 inches indoors and 17-1 outdoors in the pole vault … A three-time NCAA Championships qualifier in the pole vault while competing at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds from 2012-14 … Earned career best finishes of eighth place indoors and seventh place outdoors at the SEC Championships as one of the league’s top vaulters.

2014
Ended his collegiate career with a third-straight appearance in the pole vault at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds held in Jacksonville, Florida … Cleared a height of 16-5 ½ for 26th place in the 48-man field at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds … Scored two points for the Tigers with a seventh-place finish at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, clearing 16-10 ¾ at the conference meet … Opened the outdoor season by clearing an outdoor seasonal best of 17-0 ¾ for third place in the B section of the pole vault at the Texas Relays … Tied for fourth place at the LSU Alumni Gold (16-3 ¼) and finished in fifth place at the LSU Invitational (16-2) … Was also sixth place at the Battle on the Bayou during the outdoor season with a clearance of 16-4 … Cleared an indoor seasonal best of 16-5 ¼ in an 11th-place finish at the Tyson Invitational … Jumped 16-0 ¾ to tie for fifth place in his season opener at the Auburn Indoor Invitational … Placed seventh in the pole vault at the Aggie Invitational with an effort of 16-4 … Tied for 14th place at the New Mexico Team Invitational with a mark of 15-7 … Also competed in the pole vault at the SEC Indoor Championships and LSU Twilight during the indoor season.

2013
An NCAA Championships qualifier in the pole vault for the second-straight season outdoors with an appearance at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds held in Greensboro, North Carolina … Ended his season by tying for 20th place in the qualifying round at the NCAA East Prelims with a clearance of 16-6 ¾ … Set new personal records of 17-3 indoors and 17-1 outdoors with his performance during the 2013 season … Cleared a lifetime best of 17-3 in an eighth-place finish in the invitational pole vault at the Tyson Invitational during the 2013 indoor season … Scored for the Tigers at the SEC Championships for the first time in his career with an eighth-place finish at the SEC Indoor Championships also held in Fayetteville, Arkansas … Cleared 17-1 ½ to score one point with eighth place … Opened the indoor season by clearing 16-6 ¾ for sixth place at the Crimson Tide Indoor Opener … Finished runner-up at the LSU Twilight with a mark of 16-9 ½ … Scored fifth-place finishes at both the Texas A&M Triangular (16-1 ¼) and Razorback Invitational (16-7 ¼) during the indoor season … Vaulted an outdoor PR of 17-1 at the 86th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays while tying for ninth place in the B section … Placed sixth in the college section at the Penn Relays with a clearance of 15-9 … Also vaulted at the LSU Relays (16-6 ½) and Battle on the Bayou (16-3 ¼) at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge.

2012
Shattered his outdoor personal record in the pole vault by more than one foot over the course of the 2012 season … Earned an 11th-place finish in the pole vault at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium … Cleared the bar at a height of 16-8 ¾ to establish a new PR at the SEC Outdoor meet … Competed in the event at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds for the first time in his collegiate career … Tied for 38th place after clearing 15-11 ¾ in his NCAA debut … Opened the outdoor season by taking fourth place in the event at the Louisiana Classics with a mark of 16-2 ¾ … Earned back-to-back sixth-place finishes at the Arizona State Tri-Meet (15-9 ¼) and LSU Alumni Gold (16-3 ½) … Did not compete for the Tigers during the 2012 indoor season.

2011
Saw action in two meets for the Tigers during the 2011 indoor season … Cleared a seasonal-best height in the pole vault at 15-8 ½ in a sixth-place finish at the LSU Twilight … Opened the season with a clearance at 15-1 to take ninth place overall at the Purple Tiger Invitational … Did not compete outdoors in 2011.

2010
Competed in seven meets for the Tigers during his freshman season in 2010 … Kicked off the indoor season with a pair of lifetime personal bests in the pole vault as he cleared 16-0 ¾ in a second-place finish at the Purple Tiger Invitational and 16-0 ¾ again in a sixth-place finish at the New Mexico Invitational … Also competed indoors at the LSU Twilight (15-3 ¾) and LSU NCAA Indoor Qualifier (14-11 ½) … Set an outdoor seasonal best of 15-5 ½ in a seventh-place finish at the Louisiana Classics in Lafayette … Also competed outdoors at the LSU Tiger Relays (15-1 ¾) and LSU Alumni Gold (14-8).

PRIOR TO LSU
A standout pole vaulter at Vandebilt Catholic High School … Came to LSU as the school-record holder in the pole vault with a personal-best mark of 15-7 ¼ … Was the indoor and outdoor state runner-up in the pole vault in 2009 … Named a first-team all-state performer for his performance during the 2009 season … Helped lead his high school team to three-straight district championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008 … Also guided his team to a regional title in 2007.

PERSONAL
Full name is Jaora Ramon Johnson … Born on Dec. 11, 1990 … Parents are Van and Alfredia Johnson … Has three siblings named Van Jr., Jade and Seth … Brother, Seth, ran track at Northwestern State … Was a standout in the classroom as a member of the honor roll at Vandebilt Catholic High School … Graduated from LSU in May 2014 with his degree in kinesiology with a concentration in human movement.

 

Full Bio