Oswego East Student-Athlete of the Week-Landon Kangas

Senior Landon Kangas has been a mainstay on the soccer field for the Wolves this year. Despite averaging only 20 minutes per game as a junior, Landon has become a vital part of the team as a senior and is rarely taken off the field as a result of his play. His persistence to improve, coupled with his intelligence and leadership through example, is why he is this week’s Oswego East student-athlete of the week.

It has been Landon’s dedication to improvement throughout his soccer career that has led him to be an important piece of the Wolves lineup. “As an athlete, Landon is competitive and comfortable as a leader on the field, and as a student, he is disciplined and a self-starter,” says Eric Kangas, Landon’s father.

The pandemic forced athletes across the world to shift their mindsets toward being self-starters when team-organized activities were canceled, and it was here that Landon took the opportunity to improve his individual skills. “During COVID, I started training a lot more with my sister and personal coach, as well as running and doing individual skill workouts on my own,” says Landon. He goes on to say, “When we were allowed to play again as a team, I continued doing these on my own to improve my game.”

Head coach Steve Szymanski has seen his senior left-wing take even bigger strides this season, as he came back from his junior year and improved as a player and leader. “Last season, Landon started less than half the games and averaged around 20 minutes a game,” says Steve. “This year he is so much more confident, is a great communicator on the field, and his overall touch and ability have improved tremendously from last season.”

With 2 goals and 2 assists this season, Landon has already matched his statistical highs from last season. However, it is his consistent effort and play that both inspire his teammates and help create opportunities for them. “Coaches have chosen a captain for the week, and Landon is the only player to receive that honor twice,” says Steve. He goes on to say, “Early in the season, we played a game where I addressed the team and specifically pointed out Landon’s effort, intensity, and energy during the first half and asked them to match it in the second half. That second half was our best of the season, and it was inspired by Landon’s drive to win.”

The Wolves have returned 14 players from last season’s team and have a great deal of skill, which, come playoff time, will make them a very competitive team. “When we play as hard as we can, we can keep up with anyone,” says Steve. He adds, “If we can score more consistently, we will be a very tough matchup for the teams in our sectional.”

Landon’s soccer career will not end this fall, as he has committed to playing at the prestigious Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Engineering has become a family affair for the Kangas’, as Landon’s mom Shannon is a chemical engineer, his father Eric is a mechanical engineer, his brother Andrew is a sophomore at Iowa State and is majoring in mechanical engineering, and Landon will follow in their footsteps with plans to major in computer engineering.

“I think with AI and the importance of technology in the future, computer engineering will be most important,” says Landon. He adds, “I took classes at OE and became interested, and I think it sounds incredibly fun.”

Gina Korczak, who taught Landon in Honors Introduction to Engineering, believes Landon has all of the characteristics to succeed in the field, saying, “Landon does an outstanding job applying concepts he has learned in math and science toward his detailed designs for solutions to real-world problems.” She goes on to say, “He is skilled at drafting, CAD, prototyping, testing, and is diligent at troubleshooting. Not only is Landon an excellent engineering student, but he has also been an active member of the National Technical Honor Society since his junior year. His membership recognizes his academic successes in our CTE department and encourages Landonto to get engaged in his career field outside of the classroom.”

Landon is focused on the present, saying, “I want to play as best as possible to help our team achieve our team goal of winning the conference and going as far as possible in the playoffs.” As a senior whose consistent effort and dedication to his craft have seen him find success on both the field and the classroom, Landon advises future Wolves by saying, “Make sure to stay on top of your grades so you can keep playing athletics, and make sure to try and have fun because your time at OE goes by quick.” If Landon and his teammates can be consistent in their play the rest of the season, the success they will find will not only be fun but rewarding as well.