Johnson Among 60 Husker Graduates

Former Nebraska rifle team member Laura Johnson (Waverly, Neb.) will be one of a talented collection of 60 University of Nebraska student-athletes, including 12 individual All-Americans across NU’s men’s and women’s athletic programs, scheduled to graduate during spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Johnson joined the Nebraska rifle team in 2001 after beginning her college career as a member of the UNL club team. After joining the varsity squad, the Waverly, Neb., native quickly honed her skills, earning Nebraska's Most Improved Marksman award as a sophomore in 2002-03. Johnson lettered for the Huskers as a member the air rifle team at the NCAA Championships in 2004 as a junior before deciding to step away from the sport her senior year.

In addition to her accomplishments on the range, Johnson recieved high accolades in the classroom. A construction management major, she was a five-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.

The Husker graduating class, which is made up of student-athletes from 18 U.S. states and four foreign countries, is one of the largest in recent memory from the Nebraska Athletic Department and features representatives from nearly all of the Huskers’ 23 varsity programs.

The spring graduating class of 60 is added to the December class of 28 graduates to bring the total number of Husker student-athletes graduating during the 2004-05 academic year to 88. Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation with an exhausted eligibility graduation rate of 91 percent.

Along with its impressive size, the 60-member graduating class this spring also features illustrious individual and team accomplishments among its graduates, who combined to win 40 All-America awards, nine individual national titles and two national team titles at NU.