Gooding named female Egli award winner

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State University Athletic Conference has announced its John S. Egli Outstanding Student-Athlete Award recipients for 2023, as three student-athletes earned recognition this year. The Egli Award is presented annually to the outstanding female and male student-athlete in the PSUAC; this year, two male student-athletes were selected as co-Egli winners for their outstanding academic and athletic careers. 

The recipients include: Kylee Gooding, a fourth year volleyball standout at Penn State Mont Alto; Bryce Barrouk, a fourth year men's basketball star at Penn State Brandywine; and Dylan Treaster, a fourth year member of Penn State DuBois' championship baseball team. A unique aspect of each one's athletic career--it was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gooding, a nursing major who will graduate in May, earned the recognition after one of the best volleyball careers at Mont Alto. Gooding was named to multiple PSUAC All-Conference teams, including being named the PSUAC West Rookie of the Year in 2019. In addition, Gooding is a three-time selection as a United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-American. She led her team to strong finishes in the PSUAC, including capping her career with a PSUAC championship in 2022 and ultimately capturing the 2022 USCAA Division II Volleyball National Championship. Off the court, Gooding's career has been equally impressive. A strong student, Gooding has earned Dean's List recognition every semester, has been a PSUAC All-Academic recipient each of her four years, as well as a USCAA National All-Academic member three-times. 

Gooding is a member of the Student Nurse Association of Pennsylvania, served as a Lion Ambassador on her campus and participated on THON committees during her time at Mont Alto. Gooding also served locally, regionally and nationally on Student-Athlete Advisory Councils, participating in groups on her campus, in the PSUAC and on the USCAA councils.

Barrouk became a household name in the PSUAC basketball world as a third and fourth-year player, being named to the PSUAC East First Team both years and picking up East Player of the Year honors in 2022-23. Barrouk also was named a USCAA All-American his last two seasons, including garnering the association's Men's Basketball Division II Player of the Year honors this past season. Averaging a double-double this year, Barrouk led his team to the conference semifinals after a 2022 season that ended in the PSUAC Championship game. Barrouk also earned the respect of his teammates and coaches for his leadership, being named the PSUAC John Fritz Sportsmanship Award winner from Brandywine in 2022 and 2023.

Barrouk will complete his business management degree in May, having been named to the Dean's List each of the last six semesters. He is a four-time PSUAC All-Academic Team member, as well as a three-time USCAA National All-Academic recipient. Outside the classroom Barrouk has been involved as a game day assistant for other sports on the Brandywine campus, as well as volunteering in his community, most notably with the "Bag It Chester" initiative to hand out reusable grocery bags to residents. 

Like his fellow recipients, Treaster lost a full season of participation due to the pandemic. Unlike his fellow recipients, Treaster missed another after breaking a finger right before the beginning of his second baseball season. After watching from the dugout as his team won the PSUAC title and USCAA National Championship, Treaster was a strong contributor to DuBois' runner-up finish in the PSUAC in 2022, finishing the season with a .357 batting average and a .984 fielding percentage and is currently batting .389 this season.

Treaster's list of off-field accomplishments is more impressive. While being active on his campus as a Lion Ambassador, treasurer of the Astronomy Club, in the Business Society and two honors socities, Treaster's awards speak volumes about his academic talents and ambitions. An applied materials engineering major, Treaster has earned the Evan Pugh Scholar Senior Award, the Edward L. & Janet I. Hopkins Scholarship, the North Central PA LaunchBox & Entrepreneur Student Award, the Robert J. Nagy Scholarship, and the President's Sparks Award, just to name a few. A Dean's List member and PSUAC and USCAA All-Academic recipient, Treaster has worked on two research projects at DuBois, including analyzing carbonaceous chondrite meteorites provided by NASA and optimizing aluminum as a potential application in additive manufacturing.

The Egli Award is presented in honor of former Assistant Professor John Egli in recognition of his long-standing dedication and devotion to Penn State, where he served as a student, athlete, faculty and coach. Egli served as the First Commonwealth Campus Coordinator of Athletics and was heavily involved in the establishment, growth and development of what eventually became the PSUAC. Award winners are nominated by individual campuses and selected by the PSUAC Awards Committee, taking into account each nominees qualifications as a distinguished scholar and athlete. Award recipients will be recognized over the next month at their campus student awards programs, as well as through PSUAC social media channels. Acceptance speeches and interviews with each of the recipients will be posted in late April as we recognize Bryce, Dylan and Kylee's outstanding achievements as Penn State student-athletes.