Going out swinging

Kwyn Johnson earned a long list of achievements in her four years at Flathead High School. 

A 4.0 student, she has a state record, nearly-untouchable school records and helped lead her team to within a few points of a state title. And that wasn’t even her best sport. 

Johnson finished her career as one of the most talented athletes to walk through the halls of Flathead. She put up prolific numbers in track, but she was probably more impressive on the volleyball court.

The statuesque 6-foot-3 left-hander was the top right-side hitter in the state each of the last two seasons, earning a scholarship to Arizona State University.

“She brings the whole package,” Flathead volleyball coach Leon Wilcox said. 

“It’s unusual to get lefties. It’s even more unusual to get one at 6-foot-3 that is coordinated and athletic. It’s pretty rare. It doesn’t come along very often.”

That rare talent came into focus late last season. Struggling with a injury to her swinging arm for most of the season, Johnson had trouble letting loose for big hits on the outside. She could block and was still a big part of the team, but had to rely on her savvy to tip passes into open areas instead of smashing them to the floor with full force. 

That all changed on senior night against crosstown-rival Glacier. 

“I didn’t practice hitting that whole week. I practiced hitting in warmups, right before the game,” Johnson said. “I decided it was my last home game, I’m gonna come out swinging.”

Her attack in the third set caught a few members of the Wolfpack off guard after two sets of soft flicks over the net. The sudden burst of power made an impact, fed life into Flathead and spurred a comeback.

“She’d been saving it up for that match,” Wilcox said. “That was pretty cool.”

Johnson finished with 21 kills in the match and the Bravettes came back from the two sets down to win the final three sets and complete a perfect run in conference. 

“It was very emotional,” Johnson said. “Our team decided we were not going to lose to Glacier. We just put our minds to it and got it done.”

The team got all the way to the Class AA championship game before running into Billings Senior, the only team that had beaten the Bravettes all season. Flathead’s second place finish was its best since winning it all in 2001.

It was a high mark of her growth as a player and leader on the court. Starting off as a middle blocker as a freshman, she transformed into a six-rotation player as a senior that could lead a team, even when not at 100 percent.

“She’s the kind of kid you wish you had a whole team of,” Wilcox said. “She’s just a great all-around athlete and a great person. It went beyond her athletic ability. She was a hard-working, dedicated kid.”

That hard work showed off in her marquee event on the track. 

The triple jump is one of the most grueling disciplines in the field, combining technique, speed and form in one long sequence. Johnson made it look natural, though there was a lot of work that went into it.

“I practiced a ton,” Johnson said. “I practiced all winter. The technique was a big thing, especially that first phase coming off your run. That’s hard to get down, a lot of girls can’t get that. I was always pretty good at that ... That definitely helped.”

At the end of her junior season, after posting giant distances all year long, Johnson took aim at a record mark. She beat the Class AA mark in her first two attempts, but was aiming for something bigger.

Johnson had spent most of the year jumping into the high 37-foot distances. The old Class AA record of 37-7 was almost a given. She wanted 38 feet.

“I wanted 38 really, really bad,” Johnson said. “The first time that I broke (the record), I came less than an inch from getting 38 feet. I got angry. I said, ‘There’s no way I’m leaving here without jumping 38 feet.’ I got it the next time, it was the greatest feeling ever.”

Her jump of 38-4 3/4 broke her own school record by a foot and easily set the new class record. 

But, as Johnson worked to better that mark her senior season, 38-feet became a white whale. 

“That was really frustrating,” Johnson said. 

“It was more frustrating because I was thinking about the numbers ...  It wasn’t coming, I would get more and more frustrated. I think I could’ve made it easier on myself than I did. In the end, I never got it again, but I’m still happy with the way things turned out.”

The way things turned out, Johnson still won the triple jump by six inches and she qualified for state in six events, taking part in five and get to the finals in every one.

Her win helped Flathead to a fourth-place finish as a team and capped her Bravette career on a high note.

That career brings her to Tempe this fall. She enters Arizona State as part of the 13th-ranked recruiting class nationally, for a team looking to compete in the ultra-competitive Pac-12 Conference.

The busy volleyball schedule has prevented her from continuing with track, but it doesn’t take a leap to say there’s still a lot ahead for Johnson.

“I’m gonna miss Flathead,” Johnson said. “It’s bittersweet that it’s over. I love the school, I love the teachers.”

“It’s sad that it’s over, but I’m ready to move on to bigger things.”