Class of 2016 Top Graduates at ASU

Katelyn MacLeay has been named recipient of Angelo State University’s 2016 Presidential Award as the top graduate in her class, while four other ASU graduating seniors have been selected for 2016 Distinguished Student Awards from their respective academic colleges.

A native of San Antonio, MacLeay will be recognized at ASU’s May 14 commencement exercises along with the four Distinguished Student Award honorees. The Distinguished Student Award recipients are: Jared Goecker and David Goggin, College of Arts and Sciences; Cadyn Heinze, College of Education; and Braden Weinmann, Archer College of Health and Human Services. Other nominees were Collin Cook, Lacy Neuwirth, Jackson Rebrovich and Walter Paden Reed, all from the College of Arts and Sciences.

ASU’s Academic Excellence Committee will host a public awards ceremony and reception at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 2, in the C.J. Davidson Conference Center inside the Houston Harte University Center to honor the nominees and award recipients. Each will be presented a plaque by ASU President Brian J. May. The event is open free to the public.

Nominated by the Department of Biology, MacLeay graduates with a major in biology with chemistry minor. A two-year captain of the ASU Rambelles volleyball team, she epitomizes the scholar-athlete through her excellence in both academics and varsity athletics. She graduates with Highest University Honors after completing the Honors Program curriculum with thesis option, and she received numerous prestigious scholarships, including the Carr Fellow Scholarship, Honors Program Scholarship, Melba and Sherri Edenbaum Athletic Scholarship and ASU Women’s Athletic Scholarship for Volleyball. Her academic accomplishments merited her induction into the Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Beta Beta national honor societies, selection as a two-time Lone Star Conference Academic Player of the Year for Volleyball and recognition as a 2015 Council of Sports Information Directors Association First-Team Academic All-American. Her undergraduate research project was accepted for presentation at the Great Plains Honors Council Conference, and her campus leadership and extracurricular involvement earned her selection to “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.”

MacLeay’s academic success was matched by her performance on the volleyball court. Highlights of her illustrious athletic career include earning Lone Star Conference Libero of the Year honors and selection as first-team All-LSC and All-South Central Region. Her selection to the 2015 American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Team made her the first ASU student-athlete to earn both athletic and academic All-America honors in a single season. She also received the 2016 ASU Holland’s Award for Volleyball, Academic Excellence Award and Kathleen Brasfield Award for ASU Female Athlete of the Year.

Beyond the classroom and volleyball court, MacLeay served as president of the ASU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, huddle leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and co-executive founder of the ASU Culture Exchange Club. Named 2015 ASU Homecoming Queen, she was also active in the Honors Student Association, worked as a peer mentor and Supplemental Instruction leader for the Freshman College, assisted with various volleyball clinics and academies, and coached the San Angelo Force Volleyball Club.

Also a nominee for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, MacLeay was the first ASU honors student to be granted early acceptance through the Honors Program Early Acceptance Agreement with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. She will enroll in the fall to begin her training for a career as a physician. Her studies will be supported by an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship and a Distinguished Fremont Scholar Award from the James M. and Erma T. Freemont Foundation.

Doole native, Jared Goecker was nominated by the Department of Political Science and Philosophy. A political science major with communication minor, he received the B.T. Taylor Memorial Scholarship. His academic performance merited him induction into the Alpha Chi and Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies, as well as the Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society and Lambda Pi Eta communication honor society. He also presented research at the National Alpha Chi Convention. His extensive involvement in the ASU Student Government Association (SGA) earned him selection as Student Senator of the Year for 2012-13 and election as ASU student body president for 2014-15.

As SGA president, Goecker led efforts to launch the Ram Tram public transportation system, worked to strengthen ties between the university and the community, and represented the student body on the search committee for ASU’s new provost and vice president for academic affairs. He also completed a semester-long internship at Congressman Michael Conaway’s office in Washington, D.C., and worked as a regional field manager for Governor Mike Pence’s re-election campaign in Indiana during his senior year. Following graduation, Goecker plans to begin a career in business and hopes to pursue a career in public office.

Red Wing, Minn., native David Goggin was nominated by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. A chemistry major with a multi-area math and physics minor, Goggin received multiple scholarships, including the Carr Fellow Scholarship, Steve Meadows Baseball Scholarship, San Angelo Area Foundation Scholarship and ASU Men’s Athletic Scholarship for Baseball. His academic performance earned him induction into the Alpha Chi and Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies, selection to “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges” and a Faculty Mentored Undergraduate Research Grant.

Goggin’s academic prowess is matched by his performance as a student-athlete. A two-year captain of the ASU Rams baseball team, he earned LSC Freshman of the Year recognition for baseball, the ASU Holland’s Award for Baseball, selection to the All-LSC and Daktronics All-South Central Region teams, and invitations to play summer league baseball. He also earned academic honors, including the 2015 NCAA Division II Baseball Elite 89 Award given to the student-athlete at the finals site for their respective sport with the highest GPA. He was named the 2015 LSC Academic Player of the Year for baseball and the 2015 LSC Fred Jacoby Male Academic Athlete of the Year for All Sports, as well as a Council of Sports Information Directors Association Academic All-American. He also received the 2016 ASU Holland’s Award for Baseball, Academic Excellence Award and Phil George Award for ASU Male Athlete of the Year.

Beyond the classroom and baseball field, Goggin represented his teammates as a member of the ASU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Faculty Athletic Council, participated in the Angelo Culture Exchange Club and coached in the West Texas Elite Youth Baseball program. Upon graduation, he will pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the Colorado School of Mines with the support of a Graduate Research Scholarship and a Ph.D. Program Scholarship.

Miles native, Cadyn Heinze was nominated by the Department of Teacher Education. An interdisciplinary studies major, she earned induction into the Alpha Chi national honor society and Kappa Delta Pi international education honor society, as well as selection to “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.” She served as treasurer of Kappa Delta Pi and the Council for Exceptional Children, as well as president of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. She provided leadership for numerous events, including Sensory Santa held at Fort Concho and the annual Autism Walk. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in teaching at the elementary level.

San Angelo native Braden Weinmann was nominated by the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Social Work. A psychology major with music minor, he graduates with Highest University Honors upon completion of the Honors Program curriculum with thesis option. He received a Carr Fellow Scholarship, Honors Program Scholarship, Alvin New Family Scholarship and the M.S. and Meek Lane Doss Endowed Opportunity Award Scholarship. His academic accomplishments earned him induction into the Alpha Chi and Pi Gamma Mu national honor societies and selection to “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.”

Additionally, Weinmann served as president of ASU’s chapter of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia national music fraternity and as secretary of the Honors Student Association. He also participated in Rams Plus and the Psychology Club. He played oboe in the ASU Symphony Orchestra and various woodwind ensembles and served as a mentor for the Honors Program and the Psychology, Sociology and Social Work Department. He took part in music masterclasses at the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference and presented research at regional and national honors conferences and the ASU Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Also active in the community, Weinmann served two terms as a student member of the United Way of the Concho Valley Board of Directors and as the LGBT+ services coordinator for the Concho Valley Rape Crisis Center. Upon graduation, he plans to pursue a master’s degree and a career in counseling psychology.

Kerrville native Collin Cook was nominated by the Department of Computer Science. A computer science major with technical and business writing minor, he plans to work in software development after graduation.

San Angelo native Lacy Neuwirth was nominated by the Department of English and Modern Languages. She is a December 2015 ASU graduate in English with minors in Russian and psychology who is currently pursuing a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction at ASU. She plans to teach English and language arts at the elementary level.

Burleson native Jackson Rebrovich was nominated by the Department of Mathematics and is majoring in mathematics with minors in computational and applied mathematics and psychology. The 2015 Barry Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention selection will enter the Ph.D. program in mathematics at Baylor University this fall.

San Angelo native Walter Paden Reed was nominated by the Department of Physics and Geosciences. A physics major with minors in mathematics and geoscience, he will pursue a Master of Science in geophysics upon graduation.