Two Glenville State University student-athletes who competed in NCAA nationals recently share something beyond their athletic achievements: both serve their country in uniform while competing at the top level of collegiate sports.
Nick Johnson, a wrestler from Parkersburg, serves in the United States Marine Corps. Janae Scott, a track and field athlete from Levittown, Pennsylvania, serves in the United States Army. Both qualified for the NCAA Championships — Johnson for wrestling in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Scott for the shot put.
Nick Johnson
Johnson grew up in Parkersburg and was a standout athlete at Parkersburg High School, placing in the state wrestling tournament all four years and earning an individual state title as a senior at 170 pounds. He went on to wrestle at VMI on a Division I scholarship before returning home.
After leaving VMI, Johnson pursued acting, appearing in the film “Tag” and the television series “Valor” before getting into coaching and MMA training in Parkersburg. In February 2019, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and went to basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina.
“It was something deep down I knew was always going to happen,” Johnson said. “The way my parents raised me, I knew I had a calling to serve and give back. There is no greater way to achieve that objective than to serve your country.”
After serving a deployment to Cuba from 2021 through 2022, Johnson eventually settled in Knoxville, Tennessee. His return to wrestling came unexpectedly in December 2024, when Glenville State head coach Dylan Cottrell reached out after seeing a workout video Johnson posted on Instagram.
“I got a response to it from Coach Dylan Cottrell, and soon after he was talking to me about coming out of retirement and wrestling again,” Johnson said. “I hadn’t been on the mat for seven years, but I knew I still had the drive to compete.”
At 25, Johnson came back and became a national qualifier within two months of returning to the sport. In the 2024-2025 season, with a full year of training, he won MEC and Regional titles and placed fifth at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors. He earned a 4.0 GPA in the fall semester.
This year he has again won the MEC and Regional titles. He currently holds weekend duty at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
“Glenville has given me an opportunity to finish out my dream to become a collegiate student-athlete, and to do it near my hometown and my family,” Johnson said.
“Nick has been an amazing asset to our program since the day he stepped onto the Glenville State campus,” Cottrell said. “He has been a great leader for this program which I feel undoubtedly comes from his time as a United States Marine.”
Janae Scott
Scott grew up in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and attended Pennsbury High School, where she was a volleyball and track athlete. She became a state meet qualifier as a thrower and placed sixth in the discus at the Pennsylvania State Track Meet as a senior.
She began her military journey after her junior year, joining the Army’s Split Option Training program, which allows high school juniors to enlist in the National Guard or Army Reserves and split their training.
“I knew that I was wanting to do track in college, but I didn’t know where that was leading,” Scott said. “Getting into the Reserves provided me with a backup plan with wherever my life moved forward.”
After enrolling at Bridgeport University in Connecticut and coming home after one semester, Scott entered the transfer portal and connected with Coach Paris Vaughn at Alderson-Broaddus College. Just weeks before she was set to start there, Alderson-Broaddus announced it was closing.
“It was quite a shock, and I was really uncertain about what my next move was going to be,” Scott said. “But I have to hand it to Paris Vaughn — he worked with all of us on the roster through the process and got us connected with other programs.”
Scott landed at Glenville State — and had never set foot in West Virginia before moving in. Her rise was swift. She threw 11.79 meters in her first indoor meet as a Pioneer and won the MEC Indoor Championship shot put title in 2024 with a throw of 13.49 meters. She has since won five consecutive MEC shot put titles.
At the 2026 indoor championships, Scott faced her toughest competition yet in a mid-year transfer from Troy State with a personal record of 15.00 meters. Scott pulled off the upset with a record throw of 14.86 meters, eclipsing her competitor’s 14.78.
“I love pressure,” Scott said. “Once I changed my technique this summer with Coach Johnson, and fully committed to the spin, I knew there would be some big throws coming at some point.”
Scott also earned a 4.0 GPA in the fall semester and was honored in the Athletic Department’s 4.0 Ceremony. She will compete in the NCAA National Shot Put Final on March 14 at 5:15 p.m.
“I cannot begin to express how proud I am of these two young student-athletes,” said Jesse Skiles, Glenville State Director of Athletics. “Their service to our country and their commitment to protecting our freedom is something very special, and understanding that they have done so while performing at a high level as student-athletes — we are blessed to have them as Pioneers.”
Story by Jesse Skiles, GSU Director of Athletics.
