Gig Harbor female athlete of the year: Alyssa Gray a two-time league MVP, state champion

Before Alyssa Gray even stepped onto the field as a freshman to try out for the Gig Harbor High School girls soccer team, she was a highly anticipated player.

Living up to her reputation of good technical ability and strength on the ball, she just spent one week on the junior varsity squad of the before being called up to play varsity.

Ever since then, Gray has cemented herself as one of the top athletes for the Tides and she did it all through her hard work she put in on and off the field.

“It was a really good run, I loved all four years playing soccer and also running track,” she said. “It was something that I could never ask for. It was super fun, the programs are super nice, I really bonded with friends and the coaches that are there.”

In her four years of playing soccer, Gray has made the all-league team three times in the Class 3A South Sound Conference; once as a first-teamer in 2017 and back-to-back stints as league MVP in 2018 and 2019.

Her stellar career at Gig Harbor includes winning a state title in her junior year, beating Holy Names in the championship game, 2-1.

“Winning a state title is pretty up there [in favorite memories],” she said. “Above that, in my opinion, are the friendships and bonds that I’ve made. I still keep in touch with girls that graduated last year. And honestly, getting to know freshmen. I was able to be captain this year, so I got to be a role model for them.”

That encapsulates the type of leader and teammate Gray has been through her time at Gig Harbor. She was always supportive of her teammates, even if she was injured on the sidelines.

And as much as she wanted to prepare for her next step in college soccer, Gray understood that she could give back to the program as much as she got out of it.

“I knew that she was always open to feedback,” said coach Stephanie Cox. “The special thing for me was to see how she grew and her character and handling adversity. [I had] hard conversations with her, but I knew that those conversations would help her grow.”

As her coach, Cox was very impressed with the way Gray carried herself as a leader on the field. From being as supportive as she was to her teammates to fighting through multiple injuries, Cox impressed with Gray’s dedication to the team.

Gray also had a special relationship with Cox as she felt like she could learn a lot from her coach. Having a coach that has reached the places Gray wants to go to as well allowed her to set high aspirations for her career.

“It was just great to see how she could make the best of every opportunity whether that was summer workouts, or she was out scouting with our other captain,” Cox said. “She was all in and committed. Not just for her personal success but to pass on something to younger kids.”

Gray will be attending Washington State University in the fall, where she hopes to major in Elementary Education with a minor in business.

When Gray was touring schools to go to, she felt a strong connection with WSU as she feels like she can stay there for all four years. Plus, it’s a relatively short five hour drive across Snoqualmie Pass.

“I picked Washington State because of the coaching staff, I really like them,” she said. “They are a good program and they even did really well last year which is nice, and it’s going to be tough to come in and top that. But I’m super excited… I love the girls that are committed there, we talk all the time.”

And even with everything up in the air in terms of heading out to Pullman, Gray is doing what she does best and training for her upcoming season.

“I’ve been getting some training packets and working out. It’s hard not working out in a club setting,” she said. “It’s definitely going to throw me off a bit, but everyone is in the same boat. It’s all about work ethic and drive for me.”

That is the other important aspect to Gray’s legacy as she wants to leave behind the notion that hard work will pay off in the long run.

She was made noise before she suited up for the Tides, dominated in high school and will now realize a long time dream playing for the Cougars. Her hard work certainly paid off.

“No matter where you come from, know that working hard… and staying late really makes a difference,” Gray said. “My legacy is that [I was] someone with a good work ethic in school and sports.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 5:27 AM.