Husker athletes ready to graduate
NU Student-Athletes of the Year Ashley Miller and Tyler Hitchler will graduate Saturday.
Lincoln - Four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, including three Nebraska Student-Athletes of the Year from the track and field program, headline the Huskers' huge graduating class of 82 student-athletes set to earn their bachelor's degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during commencement exercises at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday morning.
Nebraska's 82-member graduating class includes 11 individual All-Americans in their respective sports, led by six from Coach Gary Pepin's men's and women's track and field program. Nebraska's 2012 Student-Athletes of the Year Tyler Hitchler and Ashley Miller have both claimed All-America honors in competition and in the classroom. NU's 2011 Student-Athlete of the Year Natalie Willer was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and an All-American in competition as well for the track program. Adam Dailey also claimed All-America honors on the track and in the classroom for the Huskers during his career.
Overall, the track and field program made up more than one-quarter of NU's May graduating class of student-athletes with 21, including track and field All-Americans David Adams, Luke Pinkelman and Audrey Svane. Other All-Americans in the May graduating class include women's gymnasts Kathryn Howard and Maddie Steinauer and Husker bowlers Jasmine Laugerman and Kayla Johnson.
Coach Bo Pelini's Nebraska football program added 17 members to the graduating class, including two-sport standout Khiry Cooper, who was also part of a four-player class from Coach Darin Erstad's Nebraska baseball program. Coach Connie Yori's Husker women's basketball program featured five graduates, led by 2011-12 Nebraska Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Kaitlyn Burke.
The Nebraska soccer and softball programs each added six graduates to NU's total, including former softball letterwinner Andrea Casella from Cupertino, Calif., who is earning her bachelor's degree in sociology 30 years after helping the Huskers to the first-ever NCAA Women's College World Series in Omaha in 1982. The soccer team features twin-sister graduates Colleen and Katie Goetzmann - one of two sets of twins in the NU graduating class, joining Blaire and Brooke Dinsdale from the track program.
The men's and women's gymnastics teams and the men's golf team each contributed three graduates, while the men's basketball, women's golf, bowling, swimming and diving, and men's and women's tennis programs each added two graduates. The volleyball, wrestling and rifle programs each managed single graduates.
Overall, each of Nebraska's 23 sports will be represented by at least one student-athlete, in a class of Nebraska May 2012 graduates who came from near and far to call Nebraska home during their collegiate careers. Nebraska's class came to Lincoln from 16 states, including 38 native Nebraskans from 19 communities around the Cornhusker State. Members of the graduating class also came from four foreign countries, including Australia, Canada, France and Germany.
Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the country, while leading the nation in the number of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (294) and NCAA Top Eight Award winners (16) across all sports.
May 2012 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (82)
Student-Athlete Sport Hometown Major
Adams, David Track & Field/Cross Country York, Neb. Electrical Engineering
Adams, Jesse Track & Field/Cross Country Ogallala, Neb. Finance
Auge, Sam Men's Gymnastics Mahtomedi, Minn. Mathematics Education
Birtles, Rachel Track & Field Perth, Australia Mathematics Education
Boney, Taylor Men's Tennis Lincoln, Neb. Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
Brechtel, Julie Softball Fullerton, Calif. Business Administration/Marketing
Burke, Kaitlyn Women's Basketball North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Advertising/Business Administration
Burleson, Cory Baseball Midland, Texas Finance
Bussel, Breanna Track & Field Jefferson City, Mo. Psychology
Casella, Andrea Softball Cupertino, Calif. Sociology
Coatman, Mike Men's Golf Lincoln, Neb. Sociology
Cooper, Khiry Baseball/Football Shreveport, La. Advertising & Public Relations
Dailey, Adam Track & Field Wahoo, Neb. Architectural Studies
Dinsdale, Blaire Track & Field Traer, Iowa Business Administration
Dinsdale, Brooke Track & Field Traer, Iowa Accounting
Doering, Brad Track & Field/Cross Country Yuba City, Calif. Social Science Education
Drake, Madison Softball Lincoln, Neb. Marketing
Eastman, Will Men's Gymnastics Martinez, Ga. Criminology & Criminal Justice
Ebke, Jim Football Lincoln, Neb. Mathematics Education
Engel, Aaron Track & Field Centennial, Colo. Electrical Engineering
Evans, Stephanie Women's Tennis Lebanon, Tenn. Biochemistry/Biological Sciences
Falcon, Peter Track & Field/Cross Country Bellevue, Neb. Psychology
Foland, Heidi Softball Grand Island, Neb. Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science
Franssen, Luke Track & Field Lincoln, Neb. Mechanical Engineering
Fulmer, Michaella Soccer Lee's Summit, Mo. Accounting
Fyffe, Kristin Women's Gymnastics Cincinnati, Ohio Accounting
Giehl, Julie Swimming & Diving Boulder, Colo. Accounting/Finance
Giesselmann, Matt Track & Field Fremont, Neb. English
Gilleylen, Curenski Football Leander, Texas Civil Engineering
Goetzmann, Colleen Soccer Omaha, Neb. Business Administration
Goetzmann, Katie Soccer Omaha, Neb. Business Administration
Goosen, Brittany Soccer Olathe, Kan. Sociology
Grushecky, Kelsey Swimming & Diving West Newton, Pa. Biological Sciences
Gulizia, Todd Track & Field/Cross Country Omaha, Neb. International Business/Spanish
Hacker, Chris Wrestling El Reno, Okla. Psychology
Higgins, Suzanne Track & Field Grand Island, Neb. Biological Systems Engineering
Hitchler, Tyler Track & Field Fremont, Neb. Nutrition Science
Howard, Kathryn Women's Gymnastics Houston, Texas Advertising & Public Relations
Jackson, Justin Football Roca, Neb. Business Administration
Jacobs, David Men's Gymnastics Lincoln, Neb. Finance/International Business
Johnson, Kayla Bowling Washington, Ill. Art
Jorgenson, Scott Track & Field Brookings, S.D. Social Science Education/History
Kelley, Dominique Women's Basketball Lincoln, Neb. Broadcasting
Klingelhoefer, Faron Football Amherst, Neb. Agricultural Education
Knopik, Kayla Women's Golf Papillion, Neb. Finance
Laugerman, Jasmine Bowling Brooklyn Center, Minn. Marketing/Management
Legate, Tyler Football Neligh, Neb. Elementary Education
Linke, Kelli Softball Lincoln, Neb. Sociology
Mahloch, Sheena Rifle Plymouth, Neb. Criminology & Criminal Justice
May, Mathew Football Imperial, Neb. Business Administration/Marketing
Meginnis, Sam Football Lincoln, Neb. Economics
Miller, Ashley Track & Field/Cross Country Tipton, Iowa Dietetics
Molek, Josh Football Omaha, Neb. Management
Moravec, Brent Football Grand Island, Neb. Biochemistry
McClure, Mychael Football Wisner, Neb. Fisheries & Wildlife
McCray, Toney Men's Basketball Missouri City, Texas Sociology
Nymeyer, Brett Men's Golf Stratford, Ontario, Canada Finance
Okafor, Collins Football Omaha, Neb. Biological Sciences
Osborne, Courtney Football Garland, Texas Ethnic Studies
Paar, Calin Men's Tennis Munich, Germany Economics/Management
Parsloe, Tyler Men's Golf Littleton, Colo. PGA Golf Management
Periago, Jessica Women's Basketball Toulon, France Biochemistry/International Studies
Pinkelman, Luke Track & Field Cozad, Neb. Criminology & Criminal Justice
Redmon, Catheryn Women's Basketball Grand Prairie, Texas Animal Science
Richardson, Brandon Men's Basketball Los Angeles, Calif. Sociology
Root, Brigette Volleyball Grand Island, Neb. Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science
Schorgl, Carolyn Women's Golf Leawood, Kan. Accounting
Sidhu, Harleen Women's Basketball Surrey, British Columbia, Canada Nutrition Science
Siegel, Jade Track & Field Hastings, Neb. Speech-Language Pathology
Slapper, Blair Soccer Prairie Village, Kan. Marketing
Spitsnogle, Dexter Baseball Odell, Neb. Mechanical Engineering
Steinauer, Maddie Women's Gymnastics Omaha, Neb. Biological Sciences
Svane, Audrey Track & Field Tioga, Texas Computer Science
Tate, Khris Baseball Carthage, Texas Communication Studies
Thomsen, Kevin Football Elkhorn, Neb. Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science
Thompson, Brandon Football The Woodlands, Texas Business Administration
Thorson, Brian Football Omaha, Neb. Criminology & Criminal Justice
Tyson, Tori Softball Corona, Calif. Communication Studies
Ward, Lester Football Brenham, Texas Criminology & Criminal Justice
Weatherholt, Mary Women's Tennis Prairie Village, Kan. Business Administration
White, Jaclyn Soccer Long Beach, Calif. Accounting/Finance
Willer, Natalie Track & Field Elkhorn, Neb. Biological Sciences/Psychology
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