11 cadets join Academy's Aces Club Published Sept. 14, 2009 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The newest members of the Academy's Aces Club were honored with a dinner and reception hosted by the Dean of Faculty at the Dean's Heritage House Sept. 1. Eleven cadets from the student population of more than 4,400 earned a 4.0 GPA, earning them face time with Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, Brig. Gen. Dana Born and other senior Academy leaders. "This is the smallest number of Aces since the inception of this special recognition program's inception five years ago, which further highlights their respective achievements," General Born said during the event. "Those who have graduated represent the best and brightest among a phenomenal cohort of new second lieutenants in our Air Force." "Everyone kept saying how proud they were of what we did, and that's always great motivation to keep working hard in my classes," said Cadet 1st Class Austin Fritzke, an electrical engineering major with Cadet Squadron 19. "I felt the dinner to be a great honor, and I felt very welcome. I hope there will be even more cadets next year." Cadet 2nd Class Joshua Monroe, a management major with Cadet Squadron 12, said he was glad for the opportunity to sit down and share a meal with Academy leaders. "It not only makes the cadets who were at the dinner feel very appreciated, but it also gave us a unique chance to get to know the generals and their families on a more personal level, which is something not many cadets have the chance of doing," he said. Retired Col. Mick Erdle represented the Academy's Research and Development Institute as the host for the event. Four of the honorees are 2009 graduates, five are from the Class of 2010, with two from the Class of 2011 and one cadet from the Class of 2012. CLASS OF 2009 Second Lt. George Sondecker led the current group of Aces as a five-time award recipient. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and now attends graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Second Lt. Abigail Rogers, a double Ace, received her bachelor's degree in behavioral science. She was also named the Mountain West Conference's female student-athlete of the year for 2008-2009. She currently attends graduate school at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. Second Lt. Josiah Gaffney was a first-time Ace during his last semester at the Academy. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and now attends graduate school at the University of Maryland. CLASS OF 2010 Cadet 1st Class Rexford Pearce, a management major with Cadet Squadron 21, is a three-time Ace. Cadet 1st Class Austin McKinney is a double Ace and a management major with Cadet Squadron 22. Cadet 1st Class Austin Fritzke is an electrical engineering major with Cadet Squadron 19. He also represents the Academy in its intercollegiate track and cross-country programs. Cadet 1st Class Shawn Killpack is an electrical engineering major with Cadet Squadron 17. Cadet 1st Class Millie Mays is a mathematics major with Cadet Squadron 10. CLASS OF 2011 Cadet 2nd Class Eric Robinson made the Aces Club for the third time in four semesters at the Academy. He's a mathematics major with Cadet Squadron 5 and a member of the intercollegiate swim team. Cadet 2nd Class Joshua Monroe is a management major with Cadet Squadron 12 and a first-time Ace. CLASS OF 2012 Cadet 3rd Class Travis Myers made the Aces list in his second semester at the Academy. He is a materials chemistry major with Cadet Squadron 33 and a member of the men's gymnastics team.