54 Huskers Earn Degrees from Nebraska

Lincoln - A talented collection of 54 University of Nebraska student-athletes, which includes nine individual All-Americans across NU’s men’s and women’s athletic programs, graduated during spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday morning at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Husker graduating class, which is made up of student-athletes from 17 U.S. states, includes 20 Nebraska natives, three athletes from two Canadian provinces, and one student-athlete each from Puerto Rico and Serbia and Montenegro. The class also includes 17 student-athletes who graduated with eligibility remaining in their respective sports, including six members of the Husker track and field team, four members of the NU football team, three Husker softball players and two members each from the NU women’s basketball and women’s golf teams.

Nebraska’s graduating class includes nine student-athletes who combined for 24 All-America awards, including two athletes who have combined for three individual national titles in their respective sports and a fourth athlete who led her team to a national championship while capturing national player-of-the-year honors. Another earned All-America honors while helping the Nebraska bowling team to the first two NCAA team championships in history. The Husker graduates also feature a trio of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.

Nebraska Associate Athletic Director for Academic Programs and Student Services Dennis Leblanc said the May 2006 graduating class consists of strong examples of student-athletes who have the ability to excel in the classroom, in the community and in competition.

"I commend each one of these Nebraska student-athletes for the way they have balanced classwork with competition," Leblanc said. "These 54 graduates come from a diverse background from around the country and the world and have represented Nebraska at the highlest level in academics and athletics. The athletic department, the University and the state of Nebraska should be proud."

Ashley Selig leads an impressive list of graduates for the NU track and field squad. A native of Lincoln, Selig is a five-time All-American and the 2005 NCAA indoor pentathlon champion. Off the track Selig is also a standout, serving as the president of Nebraska’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Coach Gary Pepin’s women’s track and field team was also be represented at commencement exercises by Anne Shadle, who completed her eligibility in 2005 after winning a pair of NCAA titles in the indoor mile and the outdoor 1,500-meter competition. Shadle is a native of South Sioux City, Neb.

On the men’s side, Grand Island, Neb., native Dusty Stamer earned his degree after completing his eligibility on the track in 2005 as a two-time All-American, including the NCAA runner-up in the 60-meter dash indoors.

Coach Mark Manning’s Nebraska wrestling team was represented by a pair of All-Americans at graduation, as two-time All-Americans B.J. Padden and Jacob Klein earned their degrees.

Coach John Cook’s Nebraska volleyball team added one of the top student-athletes in program history to the list of graduates, as three-time All-American and 2000 AVCA Player-of-the-Year Greichaly Cepero earned her degree. Cepero, a native of Dorado, Puerto Rico, helped the Huskers to the NCAA title in 2000.

Six-time All-American Misty Chanek represented the Nebraska rifle team, while All-American Jamie Martin, an Omaha native who helped the Huskers to a pair of NCAA team titles represented Coach Bill Straub’s bowling team. All-American Anne Steffan also represented the Husker softball team.

Overall, the Nebraska football team produced nine graduates, including 2005 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans Dane Todd from Lincoln and Kurt Mann from Grand Island. Both of those Huskers will play their senior seasons with degree in hand for Coach Bill Callahan’s NU football team in 2006. Two other Huskers, Isaiah Fluellen and Andrew Shanle, earned their degrees before playing their senior seasons at NU next season.

The men’s and women’s track and field/cross country programs added 11 total graduates, including Selig, Jenna Blubaugh, Ashlee Dickinson, Tom Donlin, Nicole Kadyszewski and Kelsi Murman, who all have eligibility remaining in their sport.

The Husker softball team added an impressive class of six graduates, including current Huskers Lizzy Aumua, Trisha Tannahill and Jessica Yoachim, who will continue to help Coach Rhonda Revelle’s club contend for Big 12 and national titles this season.

Coach Barry Collier’s men’s basketball team added four graduates, all from the state of Nebraska, including Jason Dourisseau (Omaha), Bronsen Schliep (Fairfield), Tony Wilbrand (Alliance) and Wes Wilkinson (Grand Island).

Four Husker wrestlers earned their degrees, while four of Coach Robin Krapfl’s women’s golfers also claimed their diplomas, including current Husker senior Stephanie Ruiz. The second-team All-Big 12 golfer will lead the Huskers into NCAA Regional play this week, while teammate Chelsea Gehring also earned her degree with eligibility remaining at Nebraska.

Three of Coach Connie Yori’s women’s basketball players earned their degrees on Saturday, including senior Jelena Spiric who will return to play for the Huskers next season after earning Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors in 2005. Junior Jessica Gerhart also earned her degree in just three years for the Huskers, but the two-time academic All-Big 12 selection has chosen to forego her senior year to pursue advanced schooling to prepare for her career.

Coach Pablo Morales added three graduates to the list from the NU swimming and diving team, while the baseball and soccer teams each contributed a pair of graduates. The women’s bowling, rifle and women’s tennis teams rounded out the list of Husker teams represented by adding graduating individuals.

The spring graduating class of 54 is added to the December class of 30 graduates to bring the total number of Husker student-athletes graduating during the 2005-06 academic year to 84 before summer commencement exercises in August. Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation with an exhausted eligibility graduation rate of 93 percent.

May 2006 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (54)
Lizzy Aumua (Rock) - Softball - Santa Fe Springs, Calif. - Sociology
Emily Becker - Swimming & Diving - Bakersfield, Calif. - Pre-Veterinary Science
Jenna Blubaugh - Track & Field - Greeley, Kan. - Psychology
Kira Boerkircher - Softball - Cozad, Neb. - Dance
Breanna Boyd - Soccer - Calgary, Alberta - Biological Sciences
Daniel Bruce - Baseball - Omaha, Neb. - English
Beth Anne Bryson - Golf - Lincoln, Neb. - Elementary Education
Greichaly Cepero - Volleyball - Dorado, Puerto Rico - Management
Misty Chanek - Rifle - Ganado, Texas - Horticulture
Jennifer Cremieux - Tennis - Ajax, Ontario - Psychology
Richard Davidson - Track & Field - Lewisville, Texas - Sociology
Donald DeFrand - Football - Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - Sociology
Ashlee Dickinson - Track & Field - St. Charles, Iowa - Anthropology
Tom Donlin - Track & Field - Seattle, Wash. - Mechanical Engineering
Jason Dourisseau - Basketball - Omaha, Neb. - Communication Studies
Isaiah Fluellen - Football - Ramstein, Germany - German
Chelsea Gehring - Golf - Aberdeen, S.D. - Horticulture
Jessica Gerhart - Basketball - Fenton, Iowa - Nutrition and Dietetics
Carrie Gloudemans - Gymnastics - Neenah, Wis. - Elementary Education
Esmie Holderman - Swimming & Diving - San Pedro, Calif. - Biological Sciences
LaToya Howell - Basketball - Chicago, Ill. - Psychology
David Ingalls - Wrestling - Hazel, S.D. - Management
Merynn Ito - Golf - Aiea, Hawaii - News-Editorial
Lindsey Jenkins - (Ingram) - Soccer - Littleton, Colo. - Nursing
Nicole Kadyszewski - Track & Field - Canterbury, Conn. - Construction Mgmt.
Alex King - Swimming & Diving - Amarillo, Texas - Chemical Engineering
Jacob Klein - Wrestling - Valley Center, Kan. - Communication Studies
Nathan Krug - Football - Chapman, Neb. - Exercise Science/Pre-Medicine
Sheena Lawrick - Softball - Calgary, Alberta - Family and Consumer Science
Michelle Lynch - Volleyball - Jacksonville, Ill. - Biological Sciences
Kurt Mann - Football - Grand Island, Neb. - Mechanized Systems Management
Mitch Manstedt - Wrestling - Clarks, Neb. - History
Jamie Martin - Bowling - Omaha, Neb. - Family and Consumer Science
Kelsi Murman - Track & Field - Glenvil, Neb. - Business Administration
B.J. Padden - Wrestling - Camp Crook, S.D. - Industrial Technology Education
Stephanie Ruiz - Golf - Edmond, Okla. - Communication Studies
Bronsen Schliep - Basketball - Fairfield, Neb. - Business Administration
Matt Schroeder - Football - Belden, Neb. - Management
Marcus Sedberry - Track & Field - Dallas, Texas - Marketing
Ashley Selig - Track & Field - Lincoln, Neb. - Exercise Science
Anne Shadle - Track & Field - South Sioux City, Neb. - Exercise Science
Andrew Shanle - Football - St. Edward, Neb. - Family and Consumer Science
Phil Shirek - Baseball - Minot, N.D. - Biological Sciences
Jelena Spiric - Basketball - Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro - Biochemistry
Dusty Stamer - Track & Field - Grand Island, Neb. - Sociology
Anne Steffan - Softball - Mankato, Minn. - Psychology
Trisha Tannahill - Softball - Olathe, Kan. - Communication Studies
Fred Thorne - Football - Lincoln, Neb. - Industrial Technology Education
Blake Tiedtke - Football - Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Exercise Science
Dane Todd - Football - Lincoln, Neb. - Biological Sciences
Danny Tylka - Track & Field - Lincoln, Neb. - Biological Sciences
Tony Wilbrand - Basketball - Alliance, Neb. - Computer Science
Wes Wilkinson - Basketball - Grand Island, Neb. - Business Administration
Jessica Yoachim - Softball - Arkansas City, Kan. - Communication Studies