It All Adds Up To No. 1 for Austin
Austin Magsig
• School: Tates Creek High
• Grade: 12th • Sports: Soccer
• Academics: Austin is No. 1 in his class with a 5.25 weighted GPA and scored 35 on his ACT.
• Parents: Shawn & Onya
Austin Magsig, captain of the Tates Creek High soccer team, describes his sport as a cerebral game – which makes sense given his smarts.
Enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, Austin, 17, ranks No. 1 in a senior class of 385 students.
He has a 5.25 weighted GPA, scored 35 on his ACT and has passed three A.P. tests.
Math and science are his specialties, and he was one of only two sophomores qualified to take calculus at the school.
As a senior, he and another, equally advanced student basically have their own math class to themselves.
That’s why Austin is being recruited by two of the country’s most distinguished universities – MIT and Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.
“I enjoy math because it is a finite puzzle,” Austin said. “Once you find the solution, it clicks.”
Aerospace interests Austin but not as much as automobile aerodynamics. His dream job? An aerodynamic designer for Formula One race cars.
Although Austin is soft-spoken and serious, his love of fast cars and his sly sense of humor reveal a more nuanced personality.
“He’s always been a natural in the classroom and he’s very organized,” his father Shawn said.
“But he messes with me. He brings his calculus homework to me and it’s all letters and symbols, no numbers, and asks for my help. Of course, I don’t know what I’m looking at.
“He may be quiet but he’s also playful.”
And competitive. He is a three-year starter at Tates Creek and the team’s top defensive player the past two years.
He was All City last year and All District this year.
He has played since he was 6, prodded by his father, a Tates Creek graduate who played college soccer at Notre Dame and UK.
Since he was 9, Austin has played on the Lexington FC Premier team that won state titles when he was 10 and 11 and the Midwest Regional League last year.
During spring break, the team traveled to Europe for games in Holland, Belgium and Germany. Lexington FC won two and tied two, but the highlight for Austin was meeting
Jozy Altidore, a member of the U.S. national team who plays in Europe’s Premier League.
After a match, Altidore signed autographs and posed for photos. When he learned it was Austin’s birthday, he led the group in a round of “Happy Birthday.”
Serenaded by one of your heroes? It doesn’t get much better than that.
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