68 Husker athletes earn degrees in Spring 2023
LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Athletics) – A total of 68 Husker student-athletes will earn degrees this weekend during the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s commencement ceremonies, with graduate commencement occurring on Friday at 3 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, before undergraduate commencement is held at Memorial Stadium Saturday at 9 a.m. Chancellor Ronnie Green, who will be retiring in June, will deliver the keynote addresses during both commencement ceremonies. The strong group of Husker graduates is headlined by NFL fullback and former Nebraska tight end Cethan Carter, who has spent the past six years (five seasons) with the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins. Carter caught 59 passes and started 35 games in his four seasons as a Husker from 2013 to 2016. The New Orleans native will earn his degree in criminology and criminal justice.Two-time All-Big Ten linebacker Luke Reimer (Lincoln, Nebraska) also highlights the collection of 18 Nebraska graduates from the Husker football team.Six-time All-American and six-time Big Ten champion Mayson Conner adds another big name to Nebraska’s group of graduates. The high jumper from McCool Junction, Nebraska has claimed six titles (3 indoor, 3 outdoor) in the event at the Big Ten Championships. Last week, his high jump victory helped the Huskers capture the Big Ten Outdoor crown, while his most recent All-America performance indoors aided Nebraska’s eighth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships. Conner is one of 13 members of the track and field program graduating this weekend.Nebraska’s first five-time All-America wrestler in history, Mikey Labriola leads a group of six graduates from the Husker wrestling program. The 174-pounder from Easton, Pennsylvania was the 2023 NCAA runner-up while helping the Big Red to an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.Donte McKinney from the men’s gymnastics program adds another All-American to Nebraska’s list of 2023 spring graduates. The senior from Fort Bragg, North Carolina was the NCAA runner-up on high bar to help the Huskers to a fifth-place team finish at the national championships. He also captured All-America accolades on vault to aid the Big Red’s run to a fourth-place NCAA finish in 2022.Four members of the Nebraska baseball program, including current Huskers Jake Bunz, Efry Cervantes and Griffin Everitt, earn their degrees while competing in NU’s final regular-season series at Purdue.On the women’s side, two-time first-team All-American and 2021 NTCA Bowler of the Year Crystal Elliott led the list of graduates. Elliott, from Palm Bay, Florida, led Nebraska to the 2021 NCAA title before helping the Huskers to a third-place finish in another All-America season in 2023. She will be joined by bowling teammates Gwen Maeha (Wahiawa, Hawaii) and Amara Smith Speights (Woodbridge, Virginia) at Saturday’s commencement.Australian women’s basketball sensations Jaz Shelley and Isabelle Bourne will earn their degrees from Nebraska on Saturday, along with teammate Trinity Brady. Shelley (Moe, Australia), a first-team All-Big Ten guard in 2022-23, will return for her third season with the Huskers in 2023-24, while Bourne (Canberra, Australia) completed her fourth season with the Big Red and will pursue a professional basketball career in Australia.Six members of the Husker swimming and diving team (Kaitlyn Barth, Katelyn Kilpatrick, Berkeley Livingston, Madesyn Ronquillio, Molly Rosenthal, Shannon Stott) will earn degrees this weekend, while five members of the women’s tennis program (Isabel Adrover Gallego, Samantha Alicea, Chloe and Ellie Kuckelman, Vivien Sandberg) also will claim degrees. A pair of former Husker softball players (Keana Pola, Karlee Seevers), two soccer student-athletes (Alicia Cardenas, Mila Gretzky), volleyball player (Annika Evans), women’s gymnast (Kathryn Thaler) and men’s golfer (Caleb Badura) complete Nebraska’s spring graduating class.The May graduates came from near and far to call Nebraska home during their careers. The group came to Lincoln from 24 states, including 20 native Nebraskans, while eight more Huskers journeyed to Nebraska from six foreign countries (Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Great Britain, Spain).Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the country, while leading NCAA Division I in the number of CSC Academic All-Americans (349) and NCAA Top 10 Award winners (18) across all sports.May 2023 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (68)Student-Athlete, Sport (Hometown) – MajorIsabel Adrover Gallego, Women’s Tennis (Mallorca, Spain) – Computer EngineeringSamantha Alicea, Women’s Tennis (Miami, Florida) – PsychologyCaleb Badura, Men’s Golf (Aurora, Nebraska) – Sports Media & CommunicationKaitlyn Barth, Swimming & Diving (Madison, Wisconsin) – Nutrition & Health SciencesJamieson Battistella, Track & Field (Derrimut, Victoria, Australia) – PsychologyBryce Benhart, Football (Lakeville, Minnesota) – Criminology & Criminal JusticeNikita Bolotsky, Men’s Gymnastics (Las Vegas, Nevada) – PsychologyIsabelle Bourne, Women’s Basketball (Canberra, Australia) – Communication StudiesTrinity Brady, Women’s Basketball (Indianapolis, Indiana) – Communication StudiesJake Bunz, Baseball (Elkhorn, Nebraska) – Sports Media & CommunicationDrake Burton, Track & Field (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Business AdministrationAlicia Cardenas, Soccer (Erie, Colorado) – Criminology & Criminal Justice/PsychologyCethan Carter, Football (New Orleans, Louisiana) – Criminology & Criminal JusticeEfry Cervantes, Baseball (Tucson, Arizona) – ManagementMayson Conner, Track & Field (McCool Junction, Nebraska) – Business AdministrationChase Contreraz, Football (Missouri Valley, Iowa) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesGrant Detlefsen, Football (Lincoln, Nebraska) – FinanceLiam Doherty-Herwitz, Men’s Gymnastics (Bedford, Massachusetts) – Environmental StudiesBoo Dryden, Wrestling (Wichita, Kansas) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesCrystal Elliott, Bowling (Palm Bay, Florida) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesAustin Emerson, Wrestling (Temperance, Michigan) – ManagementAnnika Evans, Volleyball (Waverly, Nebraska) – PsychologyGriffin Everitt, Baseball (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Sports Media & CommunicationMyles Farmer, Football (Atlanta, Georgia) – Sports Media & CommunicationCaleb Feekin, Baseball (Papillion, Nebraska) – Finance/ManagementAnthony Gaona, Wrestling (Olathe, Kansas) – Management/MarketingMila Gretzky, Soccer (Brantford, Ontario, Canada) – Criminology & Criminal JusticeBlaise Gunnerson, Football (Carroll, Iowa) – Supply Chain ManagementJade Hallgrimson, Cross Country/Track & Field (Billings, Montana) – Nutrition & Health SciencesGabe Heins, Football (Kearney, Nebraska) – AgribusinessGarrison Hughes, Track & Field (Sidney, Montana) – FinanceJohanna Ilves, Track & Field (Koeru, Estonia) – AgribusinessKatelyn Kilpatrick, Swimming & Diving (Ocala, Florida) – Biological Systems EngineeringChloe Kuckelman, Women’s Tennis (Overland Park, Kansas) – Graphic DesignEllie Kuckelman, Women’s Tennis (Overland Park, Kansas) – JournalismMikey Labriola, Wrestling (Easton, Pennsylvania) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesTaylor Latimer, Track & Field (Valley Center, Kansas) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesBerkeley Livingston, Swimming & Diving (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Nutrition & Health SciencesMaddy Lueger, Track & Field (Centralia, Kansas) – Nutrition & Health SciencesMichael Lynn, Football (Greenwood Village, Colorado) – ManagementGwen Maeha, Bowling (Wahiawa, Hawaii) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesDonte McKinney, Men’s Gymnastics (Fort Bragg, North Carolina) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesDaniel Monahan, Wrestling (Princeton, New Jersey) – Biological SciencesPassmore Mudundulu, Track & Field (Lincoln, Nebraska) – MarketingQuinton Newsome, Football (Suwanee, Georgia) – Sports Media & CommunicationJevon Parrish, Wrestling (Olathe, Kansas) – Biological Systems EngineeringCameron Pieper, Football (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Elementary & Special EducationKeana Pola, Softball (Santa Ana, California) – Criminology & Criminal JusticeNoa Pola-Gates, Football (Gilbert, Arizona) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesBeau Psencik, Football (Houston, Texas) – ManagementLuke Reimer, Football (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Business AdministrationTy Robinson, Football (Gilbert, Arizona) – Nutrition & Health SciencesMadesyn Ronquillio, Swimming & Diving (Tracy, California) – Nutrition & Health SciencesMolly Rosenthal, Swimming & Diving (Glen Ellyn, Illinois) – Food Science & TechnologyVivien Sandberg, Women’s Tennis (Ahaus, Germany) – Business AdministrationKarlee Seevers, Softball (York, Nebraska) – Communication Sciences & DisordersJaz Shelley, Women’s Basketball (Moe, Australia) – Advertising & Public RelationsKevin Shubert, Track & Field (Omaha, Nebraska) – ManagementTaya Skelton, Cross Country/Track & Field (Fort Calhoun, Nebraska) – PsychologyAmara Smith Speights, Bowling (Woodbridge, Virginia) – Psychology/Ethnic StudiesLogan Smothers, Football (Muscle Shoals, Alabama) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesGarrett Snodgrass, Football (York, Nebraska) – AgronomyMarika Spencer, Track & Field (Columbus, Nebraska) – Elementary EducationNoah Stafursky, Football (York, Nebraska) – PsychologyShannon Stott, Swimming & Diving (St. Albans, Great Britain) – Child, Youth & Family StudiesKathryn Thaler, Women’s Gymnastics (Katy, Texas) – ManagementAbigail Volkmer, Cross Country/Track & Field (Lincoln, Nebraska) – PsychologyJavin Wright, Football (Chandler, Arizona) – Sports Media & Communication
