#JWMerger2019
Wedding Party
Michaela Heys
Maid of Honor
Strong, incredible, patient, kind, sassy, talented, hard-working, kind, forgiving— Michaela Heys is who I needed to survive college. I love her for everything she is, and everything she’s going to become! I am so thankful for her constant kindness, patience and support. I don’t know anyone else like her, and I know she’s going to do great things in the future. #drheys 10/10 recommend you get yourself a Michaela Heys.
Kristen Durden
Bridesmaid
Whimsical, imaginative, brave, unique, sassy, loving, strong, patient— Kristen Durden raised me. She taught me that thunder storms aren’t scary, it’s okay to get messy, and all animals should be loved and cared for. She introduced me to coffee, taught me to use my imagination, and showed me how to be my own person. I am forever grateful for Kristen; she’s who I’ve always looked up to, and who I want to be when I grow up. Her strength and kindness astounds me; much love for my Critter Camp, Rockin’ C Ranch buddy.
Jordan Alford
Bridesmaid
Strong. Hard-working. Patient. Relentless. Kind. Loving. Role model. Determined. Creative. Encouraging. Incredible. Challenging. Beautiful. Wise. Jordan Alford showed me what it looked like to have a character and work ethic worth chasing after. She is who I wanted to be when I was younger. I got to watch her grow and learn as a person and an athlete. Jordan is the reason I attended UT Tyler- she got me in contact with the head coach, Bob Hepler and made sure I had a chance at joining the track program. She always encouraged me to be more than what I thought I could be, and continues to do so. My work ethic, my character, my drive, comes from Jordan Alford.
Baylee Cochran-Martin
Bridesmaid
Beautiful. Strong. Indecisive. Persistent. Brick wall. Patient. Kind. Hard-working. Loving. Unique. Hilarious. Corny. Focused. Leader. Baylee Martin restores my faith in my ridiculously high standards. I’ve never seen so much persistence on a day-to-day basis. I’ve also never seen so much indecisiveness (lol). She’s an incredible human being and I’m so lucky to call her a friend. She’s kind and patient and able to juggle a marriage, school, sports, and multiple jobs. She’s strong and independent and funny and cares so much about the people around her. She’s seen a total of 5 movies. We’ve become very quick friends even though we were at rival high schools growing up, but I’m doing my best to look beyond that (hahaha). Thanks for putting up with me and my standards and lack of patience.
Tim Ferguson
Best Man
Tim and I have been best friends since we were in kindergarten. We didn’t like each other at first, but quickly grew to be close friends. We’ve been saying that we will be the best man at each other’s weddings since we were in high school and Tim has always been there for me regardless of the situation. We can go without talking for quite some time and pick up right where we left off.
Kevonte Shaw
Groomsman
The first person I met at UT Tyler was Von. I had contacted him before I decided to go run track there to get his opinion on the program and the school and since the first day I was on campus he and I have been close. He taught me a lot about track and field and what it takes to be a good friend and is part of the reason I got back into track and field.
Alex Fluehr
Groomsman
Alex and I were roommates my first two years at Augustana. We were both nervous for college to start and being away from home for the first time, but we quickly became good friends and tackled our first year of college and college baseball together. We hung out all the time with some other friends from baseball and created a close knit group of friends for life.
Trace Gingerich
Groomsman
Trace and I also played baseball together at Augustana. We were there to pick each other up any time the other needed it and I consider him a friend for life. After college, Trace got into bow hunting so that was one more thing for us to bond over. We’re always talking about bow hunting to the point where I’m sure other people think it’s obsessive, but we’ve always had a close friendship that was strengthened through sports and the outdoors.