30 Huskers Earn Degrees Saturday

A talented collection of 30 University of Nebraska student-athletes, including 10 current members of the Nebraska football team, earned their degrees during winter commencement ceremonies on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Among the 10 current Nebraska football players to earn their degress on Saturday were starting defensive tackles Titus Adams (Omaha, Neb.) and Le Kevin Smith (Macon, Ga.), starting strong safety Daniel Bullocks (Chattanooga, Tenn.), starting punter Sam Koch (Seward, Neb.), and starting offensive tackle Seppo Evwaraye (Laurel, Neb./Vassa, Finland). Other Huskers who earned their diplomas while also preparing for Nebraska’s showdown with Michigan in the Alamo Bowl, include Tyler Fisher (Anselmo, Neb.), Jake Peetz (O’Neill, Neb.), Gary Pike (Pueblo, Colo.), Joey Robison (Bertrand, Neb.) and Mark LeFlore (Omaha, Neb.). LeFlore completed his undergraduate work in just three-and-a-half years.

Three other former football lettermen, including Philip Bland (Lafayette, Colo.), John Martin (Wahoo, Neb.) and Shane Siegel (Grand Island, Neb.), earned their degrees as well on Saturday to bring the total number of graduates to 13 for the football program.

Nebraska volleyball All-American Melissa Elmer (Fort Wayne, Ind.) also added her name to the list of graduates, while leading the Huskers to the NCAA Championship match in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday. Former Husker Ally Rebholz (Indianapolis, Ind.) also received her diploma. The Nebraska track and field program had a strong contingent with five graduates, including Eric Rasmussen (Seward, Neb.), Tommy Donlin (Seattle, Wash.), Matthew O’Brien (Lexington, Neb.), Christi (Lehman) Krug (Newton, Kan.) and Jamie Senkbile (Central City, Neb.).

The Nebraska baseball team added four former Huskers to the list of graduates, including Aaron Marsden (Grand Fork, N.D.), Scott Fries (Grand Island, Neb.), Mike Sillman (Omaha, Neb.) and Darren Hoffart (Omaha, Neb.).

The Nebraska men’s gymnastics team contributed three former competitors to the list of 30 graduates with Steven Friedman (Johannesburg, South Africa), Josh Rasile (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Adam Tietze (Spring, Texas) earning degrees.

Former Nebraska men’s basketball player Corey Simms (St. Louis, Mo.), former NU soccer player Breanna Boyd (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), and former men’s tennis player Jose Rivera (Atizapan, Mexico) also took home their degrees to round out the list of Husker December graduates.

Nebraska’s 30 December graduates come from 11 states across America, in addition to four foreign countries.

"I admire each one of these student-athletes for the way they have balanced school with competition," Nebraska Associate Athletic Director for Academic Programs and Student Services Dennis Leblanc said. "These 30 graduates add to Nebraska’s great tradition of academic and athletic excellence. These student-athletes have come from all around the United States and the world to get the highest quality of education while competing in athletics at the highest level. The athletic department, the University and the entire state of Nebraska should be proud."

Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation with an exhausted eligibility graduation rate of 91 percent.

December 2005 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (30)
Titus Adams - Football - Omaha, Neb. - Business Administration
Philip Bland - Football - Lafayette, Colo. - Business Administration
Breanna Boyd - Soccer - Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Biological Sciences
Daniel Bullocks - Football - Chattanooga, Tenn. - Sociology
Tommy Donlin - Track & Field - Seattle, Wash. - Mechanical Engineering
Melissa Elmer - Volleyball - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Marketing
Seppo Evwaraye - Football - Laurel, Neb./Vassa, Finland - Communication Studies
Tyler Fisher - Football - Anselmo, Neb. - Exercise Science
Steven Friedman - Men’s Gymnastics - Johannesburg, South Africa - Finance
Scott Fries - Baseball - Grand Island, Neb. - Community Health Education
Darren Hoffart - Baseball - Omaha, Neb. - Finance
Sam Koch - Football - Seward, Neb. - Business Administration
Christi (Lehman) Krug - Track & Field - Newton, Kan. - Nursing
Mark LeFlore - Football - Omaha, Neb. - Communication Studies
Aaron Marsden - Baseball - Grand Fork, N.D. - Finance
John Martin - Football - Lincoln, Neb. - History
Matthew O’Brien - Track & Field - Lexington, Neb. - Mechanical Engineering
Jake Peetz - Football - O’Neill, Neb. - Exercise Science
Gary Pike - Football - Pueblo, Colo. - Physics
Josh Rasile - Men’s Gymnastics - Phoenix, Ariz. - Family and Consumer Science
Eric Rasmussen - Track & Field - Seward, Neb. - Social Science
Ally Rebholz - Volleyball - Indianapolis, Ind. - Communication Studies
Jose Rivera - Men’s Tennis - Atizapan, Mexico - Industrial Engineering
Joey Robison - Football - Bertrand, Neb. - Mechanized Systems Management
Jamie Senkbile - Track & Field - Central City, Neb. - Community Health Education
Mike Sillman - Baseball - Omaha, Neb. - Business Administration
Shane Siegel - Football - Grand Island, Neb. - Finance
Corey Simms - Basketball - St. Louis, Mo. - Sociology
Le Kevin Smith - Football - Macon, Ga. - Construction Science
Adam Tietze - Men’s Gymnastics - Spring, Texas - History