Muhleisen Among 60 Husker Graduates

Lincoln - Nebraska men's basketball team captain Jake Muhleisen will be among a group of 60 University of Nebraska student-athletes to graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in ceremonies Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Muhleisen is the second Husker men's basketball player to graduate during the 2004-05 academic year, joining John Turek who earned a marketing degree in just 3 1/2 years by graduating in December 2004.

A native of Lincoln, Muhleisen was a three-year captain for the Huskers and ranks in Nebraska's career top 10 for three-pointers (95) and games started (98). After returning from a season-ending hip injury as a sophomore, Muhleisen led Nebraska to a 32-27 record over the past two seasons, including Nebraska's first postseason berth in five years in 2004.

Off the court, Muhleisen led a successful group of men's basketball players in the classroom as he was a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection and a eight-time Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll member. Muhleisen, who earned a degree in finance while maintaining better than a 3.8 grade-point average, was an academic All-District VII selection and a finalist for academic All-America honors as a senior.

"Jake has been an instrumental part of our program, both on and off the court, over the past four seasons," said Nebraska Coach Barry Collier. "He has taken a leadership role in the playing arena and in the classroom, and has excelled on both counts. Jake carries a great amount of dedication in every aspect of his life and this success will follow him."

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.

Along with the men's basketball team's lone spring representative, the Nebraska football team will produce 14 graduates, while the men’s and women’s track and field/cross country programs will add 13 graduates. Also earning degrees this weekend will be six from the Husker baseball team; and four wrestlers and women's gymnasts; three women's basketball athletes and softball players; two men's gymnasts and women's tennis players; and one each from the volleyball, men's tennis, women's golf, women's bowling and rifle programs. The former men’s swimming and diving program also contributed two student-athletes to the Class of 2005.

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.