My Story Matters: Dajun Johnson

Loyalty is vital to UNI wrestler Dajun Johnson. It is why he chose to commit to Old Dominion. They were among the first schools to offer him a scholarship and had a recruiting class that Johnson thought could build a program.

His loyalty was also why, when Old Dominion dropped their program, the freshman from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin chose UNI. Sure, they were also one of the first schools to offer him during his initial recruiting process, but his loyalty was to his friend and Panther redshirt freshman Parker Keckeisen.

"I've known Parker since I was in the sixth grade," Johnson said. "He was there when I first started wrestling. We wrestled together at Askren Wrestling Academy. He started talking to me and said, 'Come wrestle here. We are doing something special.' I jumped at the opportunity. He was always my practice partner until last year when he went to UNI and I am excited to have that again."

For Keckeisen, who lived in nearby Glendale, the time spent on the mat and in rides to and from practice are a key part of their friendship.

"We had a lot of time together at practice and riding together to and from the practice facility as kids," he said. "We built a strong bond. We learned a lot about each other during those car rides. Doug (Schwab) always says that great people off of the mat make great wrestlers on the mat. I thought it would be a great fit for everyone if he came to UNI.""

Wisconsin Bay is an upper-middle-class suburb of Milwaukee on the shores of Lake Michigan. His Father, Demitree attended Whitefish Bay High School and moved his family there when Dajun was in middle school to give his children the same experience he had as a student. Demitree owns a non-emergency medical transportation company and Dajun's mother, Temecka, runs two child care centers.

Owning your own business is hard work and his parents' drive and ambition has been imprinted on Dajun. The place where he showed the most is on the mat. He was a back-to-back individual state champion and was a double Fargo All-American as a junior.

The results of his hard work are evident, but it was Keckeisen's results the year before at Fargo that made him realize how good he could be.

"I saw Parker go into to Fargo and go up against some of the top guys in the country and beat them, that is when I knew that I could really do something," Johnson said. "I wrestled against him every day and I knew that if he could do it, I could too. That really helped my confidence and I showed it the next year at Fargo."

"He can hang in the room for sure," Keckiesen said. "I think after he saw what I did, he knew he could do, he really hammered down that whole fall and winter into that wrestling season. He won a state title and then carried that into spring and into Fargo. You could see the motivation and confidence."

It was at Fargo his junior year that he connected with the UNI coaching staff. Now that he is here at UNI, he knows that there is a lot to live up to.

"I feel like UNI is a powerhouse," Johnson said. "Over the last two years, I think they have proved that. Our goal is to keep proving that and building on that. There is a ton of talent in the room, and that makes us all better."

This summer, when Johnson should have been wrestling for another All-American shot at Fargo or preparing for his college wrestling experience, he was instead at home because of the pandemic. Along with the pandemic, came unrest in the wake of the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others. The events hit home for Johnson and his family with the protests after the death of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, about an hour south of his home in Whitefish Bay.

"I am used to seeing the different things across the country, but it was strange seeing it happen so close to home," Johnson said. "I don't really get into that stuff, but it was a bit of a shock to the system. My parents called and told me to make sure I was aware of my surroundings and be careful who I hang out with."

He is grateful for the opportunity to be part of a team that he knows has his back, and it comes back to loyalty.

"I know that Parker or any of my teammates have my back," he said. "Their loyalty is huge for me. I know that I can go anywhere with these guys and know that I have someone that I can depend on."

Keckeisen echoes Johnson's feelings.

"His friendship means a lot to me," Keckeisen said. "I know that wrestling will be done someday. I know that when it is over, I will still have someone that I can call at any time. I know he will be there for me and, I know that I will always be there to support him."

Despite a summer of unrest both personally with a last-minute school change and nationally with the civil unrest, Johnson is still focused on the goals ahead. Off the mat, his goal is to study pre-med and work towards becoming either a dentist or a chiropractor.

"I am very focused on making sure I take my academics seriously," he said. "I want to grow and become a better student and a better man."

On the mat, he hopes to stand at the top of the podium at the NCAAs and he doesn't sound like he will be very patient to prove himself.

"Coach told us this week that we could win five national titles if we start this year. That sounds pretty good to me."

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My Story Matters: Dajun Johnson

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