Landen Gagnon: Tennis, Swim, and Baseball

Few athletes have balanced as many seasons, practices, and performances as well as Landen Gagnon, who spent his high school years competing in tennis, swim, and baseball. Earning the Athlete of the Year title was a meaningful culmination of years of effort.

“Being named Athlete of the Year means a lot to me,” Gagnon said. “It shows I proved myself to my coaches and other coaches throughout the four years I’ve played.”

Gagnon described the mental side of being a three-sport athlete as the most difficult aspect. “Mentally transitioning between sports was the easy part — trying to do my best and help out the team to the best of my ability and not disappointing my coaches or team was the most mentally challenging,” he explained.

Courtesy Photo From left, Alpena High School Principal Romeo Bourdage stands with Landen Gagnon and Faith Dragiewicz, along with AHS Athletic Director Ben Henry. Gagnon and Dragiewicz were recently honored as AHS Athletes of the Year.

Adapting from season to season, Gagnon leaned into the structure and support of his coaches. “Trusting my coaches and believing that they were setting me up for success with all the drills and exercises I was put through is how I adapted to each season,” he said.

He credits a strong support system for helping him stay grounded: “My biggest supporters throughout my journey are my parents, coaches, friends, and family — Coach Johnson, Mr. G, Coach Mac, Coach Guthrie, and everyone else.”

One of his proudest moments came in the pool, he said, “especially this year, when we placed third at regionals for swim after coming in last the year before.”

Faith Dragiewicz: Soccer, Golf, and Basketball

A three-sport athlete, Faith Dragiewicz made her mark on the soccer field, basketball court, and golf course — and brought a unique approach to competition that emphasized growth, relationships, and positivity.

“Being Athlete of the Year is super cool for me,” Dragiewicz said. “It’s really amazing to see how years of hard work and commitment have paid off and to see that other people have recognized it.”

Though she admits she’s “not a super competitive person by nature,” Dragiewicz found ways to push herself by creating healthy rivalries in practice. “I forced myself to be competitive. Choosing a teammate to compete with every day forced me to push to be better.”

But winning wasn’t everything.

“My experiences in various sports made me realize that, as fun as it is, winning isn’t everything,” she said. “It’s so much more important to make sure that all of my teammates were supported and having fun. I never remember the games we won and lost, but the relationships I got to build and memories we made together are something I’ll value my entire life.”

One of her favorite memories came during a season when she didn’t necessarily dominate the competition — but still found joy.

“I was super proud of myself during golf season this past fall,” she said. “I was bad, I’m not going to lie. But I had so much fun golfing with girls from other teams and with my own teammates at practice each day. I don’t like not being good at things, but I had such an amazing experience being bad at golf because of who I was surrounded with and my own attitude towards the sport.”

Both Gagnon and Dragiewicz leave Alpena High School as standout athletes and role models — proof that leadership, perseverance, and love for the game matter just as much as talent.