Kayla Johnson
There may be other sports that get more attention, but Kayla Johnson cannot be ignored as one of the most successful athletes in the history of Washington.
Kayla graduated from Washington High School in 2008, and attended Illinois Central College for a year. From there, she went to the University of Nebraska on scholarship as a member of their bowling team. Her senior season, 2012, she led the Huskers to a third place finish in the NCAA tournament and claimed 1st-team All-American honors.
After college, Johnson got a job at Caterpillar but continued her dream towards a bowling career, even though the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) had ceased operations in 2003.
Kayla earned a berth on Team USA for 2014, and it had just been announced that the PWBA would resume operations in 2015, when an accidental fall while bowling in late 2014 caused her to break her right wrist, causing severe cartilage damage and requiring surgery in early 2015. She was a member of the Team USA coaching staff for 2015. Kayla was also selected to be a part of Team USA for the 2016 and 2017 contests.
Today, Kayla continues her work at Caterpillar and her and her wife Dani run The Perfect Angle Pro Shop in Washington.