Sports on the Spectrum

A Podcast Series



ABOUT



About Sports on the Spectrum


The purpose of Sports on the Spectrum is to provide a forum for athletes and coaches with first-hand or second-hand experience with neurodiversity and social, emotional and/or developmental health conditions (such as autism, ADHD, bi-polarity, depression, etc.) where sports has been life-changing in addressing or assisting people with these types of conditions. I want to connect with and help others who also have conditions that aren’t well understood AND who share my love of playing and/or coaching sports to talk about their experiences on and off the playing field. I created Sports on the Spectrum not only to share my story, but to share OUR stories. It’s my hope that together, we can encourage more people with these conditions to try sports! And perhaps we can help others to better understand all of the great things that neurodiverse people can do - including playing and coaching sports! ​

-- Keegan Fleigner



Keegan Fleigner was born in Santa Monica, CA in 2003. While in first grade, Keegan was diagnosed as being on the Autism Spectrum. Shortly thereafter, Keegan’s parents considered the possibility that team sports could help him in building his comfort and skill level toward interacting with his peers through the structure that sports provided. As a result, Keegan has undertaken a journey into sports that has fundamentally transformed his life.


Basketball: Starting at age nine, Keegan played year-round in the Santa Monica YMCA Basketball League for seven years. By the time he left the league at age 16, Keegan had set league records for games played as well as the most three-pointers made and earned multiple All-Star selections. By his final season, from which the League had expanded to 30 teams and 250 players annually, Keegan was only the second player inducted into Santa Monica YMCA Basketball Hall of Fame. In 10th grade, after transferring from Santa Monica High School mid-year, Keegan joined the Pacifica Christian High School Junior Varsity Basketball team mid-season and became their starting center, winning the Coaches' Award at the season’s end. Keegan then played for the Varsity Basketball team in 11th grade and became a co-captain of the team in 12th grade.


Volleyball: In 10th grade, Keegan played on Santa Monica High School’s Junior Varsity Beach Volleyball team. Upon transferring to Pacifica Christian High School, Keegan became the starting middle blocker on the school’s Varsity Indoor Volleyball team, which then finished its 2021-22 season in second place in the Liberty League in the Southern California CIF-SS region with a record of 10-4.


Running: At 10 years old, Keegan started running with his father in 5K races throughout Southern California. Then in 9th grade, Keegan ran on Santa Monica High School’s Cross-Country and Track teams. Outside of school, Keegan won the Open Division – beating 1,000 other runners – in the Long Beach Grand Prix 5K Race in 2019.


Academics: In 2019, Keegan was awarded the Santa Monica High School Freshman Renaissance Student of the Year Award, one of only two students selected among a class of 850 freshman students. After transferring to Pacifica Christian High School in 10th grade, Keegan maintained his outstanding academics, becoming an AP Scholar with Distinction. Keegan later graduated from PCHS in 2022 as Summa Cum Laude with a 4.3 GPA while also winning the school's prestigious Ryan Award, given to the senior who best personifies "perseverance, character, and heart" in their activities.


Keegan is currently attending the University of Texas at Austin, where he intends to graduate with a major in Informatics (Human-Centered Data Science) and a minor in Sport Management. Keegan currently has a 3.5 GPA and has completed courses such as "Programming for Informatics," "Statistics for Informatics," "Building Winning Teams," and "Introduction to Sport Management" so far. Keegan is also an active member of Longhorn TIES, an organization dedicated to enhancing the UT student experience for those who identify as neurodivergent. His long-term goal is to run the analytics department and/or become General Manager for an NBA team.


Awards & Scholarships: In April 2022, Keegan was one of only 20 winners (from over 5,000 applicants) of the prestigious Foot Locker Scholar-Athlete Scholarship, recieving a substantial cash award for college. The Foot Locker Scholar-Athletes program recognizes "student-athletes who go above and beyond in their communities, offering financial support as they pursue higher education while continuing to be community leaders and changemakers."


Keegan was also named a Taco Bell Live Mas Scholar as part of “the nation’s next generation of dreamers, innovators, and creators” and won the Equitable Excellence Scholarship for "students who do great things through courage, strength and wisdom in pursuing their ambitions" as well as the Mary Lagman Foundation Second Chances Scholarship, Orange Ribbons for Jaime Scholarship (in honor of Jaime Guttenberg, a 14 year-old student killed in the Parkland, FL high school shooting in 2018), and CJ Pony Parts Scholarship. Thanks to all of these organizations for supporting Keegan's dreams and ambitions!