Joan, Joni, Davison Barganier (‘80) was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1962 in Marlin, Texas. In 1975 Joni’s parents heard of the new school called Vanguard that provided a great education and they decided to have her attend. From that time on, Joni and a group of students from the area commuted from Marlin every day to school.
Joni’s mother’s love of tennis got her interested in playing. Joni practiced with Patty Flowers, was coached by Lee McLeary and went to Newks Tennis Ranch in the summer. One of her challenges was overcoming her own nerves. Joni’s sister would remember their mother would tell her to try to keep calm. It worked, and junior year she helped the school win its first title as overall winners of the TCIL State Championship. In Joni’s senior year, she continued to improve, playing tournaments all over the state and nation. She later recalled playing Wimbledon champion Zina Garrison and Lori MacNeil, who was the U.S. Open semifinalist and French Open mixed doubles champion. Joni remembered how fast the balls came over the net, but relished the chance to play top players, her sister recalled. Joni won Vanguard’s first individual state championship for the school her senior year.
Joni graduated from Vanguard High School in 1980 and earned a scholarship to play college tennis at LSU. Joni went on to graduate from Baylor University with a degree in Sociology. She worked for the Texas Youth Commission and Mexia State School, and also was self employed. Joni passed away at age 56 on February 3, 2019.
Joni had a love of music, was an avid arrowhead hunter and had a gift of being able to make people laugh. She loved tennis and was always proud to have been at Vanguard.
Amber Daniel, class of 2000, started playing softball when she was just four years old with her interest growing from watching her dad play and watching Major League Baseball, primarily Texas’ own Nolan Ryan. She came to Vanguard in the eighth grade and soon made her mark. In junior high, her interest expanded to track and basketball.
As a freshman at Vanguard, Amber made the state track meet and was named newcomer of the year in softball. She was invited to the 1997 Softball Olympic trials. In basketball, Amber’s team won the district championship in 1997, 1998 and 1999. And In softball, Amber helped her team win two state championships in 1998 and 1999, and they made the semi-finals in 2000. From 1997-2000, Amber was named softball First-Team All-District, District MVP, All-State, and Super Centex. Amber was named Vanguard’s Athlete of the Year her senior year (2000.)
Amber overcame the challenges of staying on top of her studies while playing softball year round and earned a scholarship to play at Temple College after Vanguard. At Temple, she was named the North Texas Junior College player of the year, Academic all conference both years, and earned All-American honors. The team won the conference championship in 2002. Amber was third in the nation with 18 home runs, eighth nationally with a .495 batting average and 14th nationally with 61 RBI. She tallied 109 hits on the year with 61 runs scored, 17 doubles, four triples and just 18 strikeouts in 230 at bats. Amber went on to earn a scholarship to Baylor University where she helped her team receive its first NCAA regional and host bid and earned academic all conference both years.
After college, Amber worked on her Master’s degree as she coached and was a professor at Eastern New Mexico University for five years. She earned her MS in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Administration. Amber then returned to Texas and was an assistant softball coach at Texas State for five years where she helped guide the Bobcats to three conference championships and regional bids. Amber returned to school to achieve her AAS for Physical Therapist Assistant from Blinn College. Amber is dedicated, energetic and works hard to achieve patient goals in both a mental and physical aspect of physical therapy.
Michelle Wheelis Basden (‘94) grew up outdoors with a love of sports. She became one of the best athletes to walk the campus of Vanguard. In Michelle Wheelis’ four years in high school she was a major player on six State Championship teams in three different sports.
Her freshman year, she won the State track gold medal in the 400 yard dash. She was a top-five runner on the girls State Cross Country Championship teams of 1992, 1993 and 1994. Michelle’s team won the State Championship in cross country in 1992 and 1993.
Her sophomore year, the Lady Vikings won Vanguard’s first ever State Basketball Championship. Her teams won the TAPPS State titles again her junior and senior years. Her senior year, Vanguard finished 34-1 with its only loss going to the 1994, 5A State Champs. UIL State Champion that year. Michelle was All-State in basketball (1992, 1993, 1994), TAPPS All-Star basketball team (1992, 1993, 1994), 1st Team Waco Tribune-Herald Super Centex basketball player (1993 and 1994) and was an Academic All-Star (1994.)
In softball, Michelle led the Lady Vikings softball team, as the pitcher, to its first State Championship in 1993. They were State runners-up (1994). She was All-State in softball (1993 & 1994). Michelle was also All-State in golf in 1994, placing 3rd in the State Tournament. Michelle was named Vanguard High School Athlete of the Year in 1991 and 1992.
Michelle later returned to Vanguard and coached basketball, softball and golf between 2007-2014 and was the Athletic Director from 2008-2011. As athletic director, Michelle oversaw the start of the first competitive Viking volleyball program and the six-man football program and the reinstatement of soccer and the girls’ golf programs. As golf coach, she led the girls’ golf team to the 2013 and 2014 State Championship.
Michelle graduated from TCU with a BS in Advertising and Public Relations in 1998. She is a Cooper Clinic Certified Personal Trainer and also completed the Surgical Technology program at McLennan Community College in 2011. Michelle currently runs several small businesses, including; 254 Properties LLC, The Heart Of Texas Spelling 2 Communicate Academy, and Waco Yard Greetings. Michelle, her husband Ben Basden, Vanguard graduate ‘00, and her three children, Bryce, Brinkley & Brewer live in Waco.
Larson Wayman (‘10) played multiple sports ever since he can remember. Inspired by his older brother Browning, Larson said: “If my brother was playing sports, then I wanted to be playing sports.” His earliest memories of playing sports were Upward Basketball and pitching machine baseball. He began playing tennis in kindergarten and took that seriously throughout elementary school and into junior high.
Larson came to Vanguard in the 7th grade, and excelled in basketball, baseball, tennis and cross country. In 2006 and 2007 he made All-State in cross country. In 2008, he and his doubles partner Will Bauer won the state Doubles Championship. Larson said losing in the state championship his junior year was a learning experience, adding extra motivation to win it again in 2010.
In baseball, Larson’s freshman and sophomore varsity teams, made of mostly underclassmen, won only five or six games each of those years. The experience paid off and they ended up as one of the top teams in the state his junior year, making it to the state semifinals. He was part of the All-State Tournament Baseball team in 2009.
Larson also excelled in Basketball and was on the All-State Basketball team and named Super Centex Honorable Mention in Basketball in 2010.
After Vanguard, Larson went on to attend Baylor University. He graduated in 2014 with a BS in Health Science Studies. He played Intramural sports including softball, basketball, flag football, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, tennis and soccer. And he played AAU for Waco Basketball and on Baylor’s Dream Team, the all-male practice squad for the Baylor Women’s basketball team. Larson then received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery in 2018 from the University of Texas School of Dentistry, and after his residency at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry he purchased a private dental practice in Oklahoma City, where he continues to practice.
Scott Goble (‘99) excelled in four different sports while at Vanguard: cross country, track, basketball and baseball. Scott became the epitome of the Vanguard athlete who balanced many sports with a rigorous academic career.
Scott started playing tee ball when he was just four years old. When he was eight, he started playing basketball at the Woodway Family Center. Scott continued playing both sports when he came to Vanguard in the 7th grade, the same year his mother, who served as the head of school from 1996 to 2000, came to teach at the school.
Never having run before, Scott joined cross country in the fall of his 7th grade year and then track in the spring. He became a fierce competitor. In high school, Scott won the State Championship in Cross Country in 1995 and 1998.
Scott helped the boys’ basketball team win the district championship and advance to the regional finals for the first time in Vanguard history in 1998. Scott was All-District in basketball and received the sportsmanship award. He was named to the Academic All-Star team and played for the South.
Scott was also All-District in Baseball for two years. In 1999, his team made its way into the regional playoffs. Scott remembers hitting a go-ahead double and making a diving catch in the outfield for the last out that would have otherwise scored the winning run in the game to decide the district championship.
His senior year, Scott was pushed in track by his brother Grant who was a freshman. Dubbed by the newspaper as “The Brothers Goble,” they went one and three, with Scott winning the state championships in the 1600m. Scott made it two state championships when he went on to also win the State 3200m.
Scott was awarded Vanguard Sportsman of the Year his junior year and Athlete of the Year his senior year. Scott was known for his “never say die” attitude. He put a lot into his athletic efforts, but he was an equally good student who qualified for Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Club and National Honor Society and was even awarded the 1999 Edward Knipper Award in recognition of outstanding academic achievement, good character and service to school and community.
After Vanguard, Scott attended Texas A&M where he joined the Corps and became a Ross Volunteer and Yell Leader. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. Scott attended Texas Tech Law School and finished in the top 10 percent before joining the JAG, Judge Advocate General Corps. He received an LLM from the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in 2017 and George Washington Law in 2022. Scott has been stationed around the world including Germany, Texas, Afghanistan, Hawaii, and Washington DC. Major Scott Goble is currently a senior prosecutor for the complex crimes and special victims unit stationed at Fort Hood. Scott’s wife Tara Goble, is also a Judge Advocate and currently the Regimental Judge Advocate for the 3rd Calvary Regiment, 1st Calvary Division. They have two children, Brooks and Reagan.
Luana Sudan raised four Vanguard varsity athletes and was a constant supporter and contributor to Vanguard Athletics over more than 14 years. Starting in 1992 with her daughter Christy, who came to Vanguard as a 7th grader, Luana was a part of Vanguard as a parent until 2006. Her four children — Christy, Jason, Amy and Marybeth and two sons-in-law, Blake Marable and Jordan Ogden — all attended Vanguard.
Luana was a fan, supporting and encouraging her family and the Vanguard family among others with optimism, always seeing the good in people. Luana kindly donated countless hours of service to the athletic department and the school as a whole. She was head of the annual Vanguard garage sale for multiple years which supported the school and donated unthinkable hours to serving and assisting Vanguard athletics. In the words of one alumnus, “Luana Sudan is one of the kindest and most generous contributors in the history of Vanguard athletics.”
An alumni parent said, “What is etched indelibly was the ever present Viking Crew volunteer, Luana Sudan. The concession stand in the gym was the epicenter of all Vanguard Crew fundraising and hosting of campus events. Luana Sudan, alongside the tireless efforts of Jan Gummult, was on campus from concession stand lunches until the last whistle of the last play-off game. Then, it was out to the track, the softball field and to the baseball diamond to carry Viking Crew support to every event and game. Luana’s Vanguard career spans 20 years of support and volunteer service to Viking athletics and the Viking Crew. And, more importantly, she is a Hall of Fame Mother to her children.”
We celebrate a woman who was the heart of the athletic program and will continue to inspire families for generations to come as a part of the Vanguard Athletic Hall of Fame.
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