Merced Union High School District

Aly Gleason’s list of accomplishments read longer than Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s future wedding guest list. The 2009 Buhach Colony High School graduate has been able to travel the world through soccer and her 11-year career in the military. She was part of a national championship soccer team at Stanford, she also played rugby for the Cardinal, and earned her doctoral degree in kinesiology at Texas A&M. Gleason is currently a Major in the Space Force, working in the Pentagon.

 

Gleason,33, who works as a Human Performance Manager, designs all the fitness initiatives for the Space Force and it’s in that role she was tabbed to take part in a video that was posted on social media recently by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Human Health and Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The video featured the “Pete and Bobby Challenge,” which tasks participants to complete 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in 10 minutes.

 

Gleason needed just 5 minutes, 50 seconds to complete the challenge. After the video was released, many of her former coaches, teachers and other staff members in the Merced Union High School District were trying to pause the video to catch Gleason in the background. Her former high school soccer coach Ashley Faraone, who now coaches at Golden Valley, saw the video. “It's kind of mind blowing,” Faraone said. “It doesn't surprise me, though, because she was just always so smart. Even back then, I felt like everything she wanted to do, she was all in.”

 

In high school, that meant playing five different sports for Gleason as she split time playing. soccer and basketball all four years at Buhach Colony. She also ran cross country, played football one year and decided to play volleyball her senior year. Gleason played for longtime volleyball coach Michelle Osmer that one season and Gleason said it was the first time she really had a coach challenge and push her past her limits. “I mistakenly didn't start playing volleyball until I was a senior, because I played a bunch of other sports,” Gleason said. “But I'll never forget that year, because I think it was my first experience in tough love. I needed that kind of awareness because when I got into college, it wasn't the first time that I had a coach who expected that from me. So, I’m very thankful for that experience, for sure.”

 

Osmer remembers it was such a treat to have Gleason play for her volleyball team. “Aly was such a great athlete and picked up everything we taught her so quickly,” Osmer said “I know the girls looked up to her and realized what a hard worker she was. She was very well respected and young ladies like her don’t come around that often. Aly had the attitude and work ethic of a true champion.”

Gleason earned a soccer scholarship at Stanford where she played on the Cardinal’s national championship team in 2011. Stanford finally won the title after losing in the championship game two years in a row. “It's like having something at the tip of your fingers, and you just can't quite grasp it,” Gleason said. “It just keeps slipping away. That can be the most motivating feeling in the world. I think every season, we came back a bit more tenacious. Those next two years as you're going through the tournament, that anxiety starts to build up and build up and build up, and then finally, when you win the big one it’s just this overwhelming sense of relief and joy.”

 

Gleason only surrendered eight goals in her 20 matches at goalie during her Stanford career. As if playing Division I soccer wasn’t enough, Gleason also discovered rugby her junior year. “I went out after a couple of training sessions and just ended up absolutely loving the sport,” Gleason said. “I had to convince my soccer coach, because I was on a D-1 scholarship, to let me play a secondary sport, which was an interesting conversation. I think she realized my potential and how much I enjoyed it.” 

 

Gleason received her bachelors degree in human biology and her masters in communications at Stanford. She also found her career path while attending Stanford when she joined ROTC as a freshman. “I think the camaraderie of being in the military is so similar to being on a team for me that it felt like a natural fit for my personality type,” Gleason said.

 

Gleason joined the Air Force after college and earned her doctorate in kinesiology at Texas A&M. She still found ways to continue playing soccer as she was selected to play for the All-Armed Forces team her first year in the Air Force. Playing with the All-Armed Forces soccer team gave Gleason the opportunity to play in the Military Olympics in South Korea. The following year she was able to play soccer in the Military World Cup in France.

 

“Those were some of the coolest experiences,” Gleason said. “Walking around with your flags and representing your country is such an awesome thing. I don't know how you ever feel a greater sense of pride than when you're wearing your country's uniform.”

 

Gleason reflects fondly on growing up in Atwater. She says many of her time management skills were developed in high school while playing multiple sports and taking on rigorous academic courses. She said many of her formal high school teachers and coaches were inspirations for her.

 

“I think having to balance being a fairly high-level student and an athlete at the same time in high school has really paid off for me,” Gleason said. “Throughout my entire career, I learned how to prioritize and manage my time at a very young age. I had teachers who really pushed me to try hard in academics, because they saw some potential in me.”

 

Gleason is proud to represent her hometown of Atwater and the Central Valley. “I have to relate it to Josh Allen or Aaron Judge, because they’re the only athletes from the 209, but I take a lot of pride in being able to say I grew up in a unique town that's a bit agriculture and a bit city,” Gleason said. “I got a unique perspective of seeing both sides of the coin. I knew kids who were getting up at 5 a.m. to feed their cows and coming to class in high school. I appreciate that I got a bit of life experience growing up and I really appreciate where I’m from.”

 

Shawn Jansen is a Program Manager Digital Media and can be contacted at Sjansen@muhsd.org.