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Triple Threat Athlete of the Week: Megan Johnson, West Salem

09/19/2024, 10:45am CDT
By Norbert Durst

The Triple Threat Athlete of the Week is an honor given on WisSports.net to the top senior boys and girls three-sport athletes in the state. Players are recognized each week on WSN, with a boys and girls winner of the Pat Richter Award at the end of the season to the best three-sport athlete of the year.

The Triple Threat Athlete of the Week is presented by the U.S. Marine Corps. The award recognizes student athletes who embody the spirit of teamwork, perseverance, and discipline across multiple sports. The mission of Marine Corps Recruiting Station Milwaukee is to find qualified men and women in Wisconsin and the surrounding area interested in becoming a United States Marine. Marines maintain the legacy of the Marine Corps by winning our nations battles and returning to their communities as quality citizens whether they are active duty or reservist. The coveted title of Marine applies only to those who graduate from the Recruit Depots or Officer Candidate School. RS Milwaukee will provide any qualified man or woman the opportunity to attend the training required to become a Marine - Enlisted or Officer.

Interested in speaking with a Marine Corps recruiter? Go to: https://rmi.marines.com/request-information/RSmilwaukee

Name: Megan Johnson

School: West Salem High School

Tennis Honors: Four-year varsity performer for the Panthers... second-team all-Coulee as a freshman... first-team all-conference and player of the year as a sophomore and junior... WIAA state qualifier as a junior... has helped the Panthers capture two of the last three Coulee Conference titles, the first two league titles in program history... coached by Julie Kamla... 

Basketball Honors: Enters senior year as a three-year varsity performer and two-year starter for the Panthers... second-team all-Coulee and honorable mention all-area by the La Crosse Tribune as a freshman... first-team all-conference, WBCA Division 3 all-state, honorable mention AP all-state, and WBCA academic all-state as a sophomore... WBCA Division 2 all-state, third-team AP all-state, Coulee Player of the Year (first-team all-league), and La Crosse Tribune Player of the Year as a junior... became the Panthers' all-time leading scorer in program history, eclipsing the previous record of 1,161 set by Penny Wehrs 40 years ago... has helped lead the Panthers to Coulee Conference titles in each of her first three seasons and WIAA state tournament appearances the last two seasons (D3 in 2023 and D2 in 2024)... the 5-11 wing averaged 23 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks per contest for coach Mike Malott and the 24-5 Panthers... enters her senior year with 1,355 career points... committed to play for coach Ana Wurtz at NCAA Division II Winona State University... 

Softball Honors: Enters senior year as a three-year starter for the Panthers... second-team all-Coulee as a sophomore... first-team all-conference and WFSCA second-team all-state as a junior... carried a .500 batting average and helped the Panthers capture the Coulee championship as a junior... coached by Brian Babiash... 

Favorite Sport (and why): "Basketball is my favorite sport because it is so fun to play. I also love my teammates whom I have been playing with since 3rd grade. We have created such a strong bond and I think that is why we have good team chemistry. Another thing that I love about this sport is the memories I have made while playing. Some of my best memories in life have come from this game or from spending time with my teammates."

Best Part of High School Sports (and why): "During sports seasons you spend more time with your teammates than you do with your family and you grow very close to them. I love that I can call them my family and I think that that is super special." 

Best Advice from a High School Coach: "The best advice I have received from a high school coach is 'A bad shot is better than a good turnover'. The first time I heard that statement I was in aww. I never had thought of the game like that before." 

Most Memorable Moment in High School Sports: "I have a couple of memorable moments from high school sports. One would be when I had a buzzer-beater against Milwaukee Academy of Science to win the game by one on our home court. Another one would be when I scored 40 points against McFarland in our sectional semi-final game to allow us to move on to state for the second year in a row. My sophomore year, during our sectional semifinal softball game against Mt. Horeb we were down 12-0 after only 2 innings of play. In the 5th inning, I hit a home run that was part of a comeback that saw us win 15-14 in 10 innings."

Best Part of Playing Three Sports: "During sports seasons, sometimes you spend more time with your teammates than you do with your actual family and you create bonds, friendships, sisterhoods, and even families with these girls. I love the sense of community that I get to experience with each one of my teams." 

Most Difficult Part of Playing Three Sports: "Being in three sports can be a lot of work especially when you are trying to balance being a kid, life, and school. It gets stressful at times, but having sports to distract me from the stress helps a lot."

Favorite Opponent (and why): "My favorite opponent to play is Alex Drazkowski from Onalaska. We have played tennis a few times and it is always a good match. I love playing against her because she is a lefty and playing against lefties in tennis is different than playing against a right-hander. I have to think a lot more and use more strategy throughout the match." 

Favorite Professional Team: "My favorite professional team to watch is the Milwaukee Brewers." 

Favorite Professional Athlete: "I don’t really have a favorite athlete, but I do love watching professional tennis matches. They are so fun to watch and the athletes are so incredibly good."

Favorite College Team: Winona State Warriors

Cumulative GPA: 4.0 

Toughest Individual You’ve Competed Against (and why): "The toughest individual athlete I have competed against is Lily Olson from Madison Edgewood. My freshman and sophomore years I had to play her during the first round of tennis sectionals and I lost both times which kept me from making it to state. My junior year, I got to play her again at sectionals but this time I had already qualified for state. I ended up losing to her again, but each time I played her I won one more game than I did the previous season. I loved competing against her because she was a multiple-time WIAA State Champion in tennis and I like to challenge and push myself against the best of the best."

Most Admired High School Teammate (and why): "Lydia Jothen, I love how humble and kind she is. She is always looking for ways to help people and improve her own game and I respect that. We also get along super well and have a great friendship. As an athlete, I believe that a season-ending injury is the worst thing that can happen to an athlete mentally. She is having shoulder surgery next week and her outlook on things has been so positive and I admire that about her."  

College Plans: "I plan to attend Winona State to play basketball."

Activities Outside of Sports: "I like to read books, play my flute in the band, spend time with friends and family, play cards and board games, and be outside."  

Favorite TV Show: "My favorite TV shows are Full House and Fuller House." 

Favorite Movie: "My favorite movies are The Waterboy and Home Alone." 

Favorite Musical Artist: "I don’t really have a favorite music artist, but my favorite genre of music is country."

Favorite Subject: "My favorite subjects in school are math and science."  

Favorite Restaurant: Buzzard Billy’s

Favorite Website/App: Instagram

Other Family Members: "My mom, Roxanne, my dad, Jeremy, and my brother, Andy 19, are my immediate family. Andy’s senior year, he caught a touchdown in the state championship football game and qualified for state in wrestling."

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