31 Huskers Celebrate Graduation Saturday

Lincoln - A talented collection of 31 University of Nebraska student-athletes, including 12 current and former members of the Nebraska football team, will earn their degrees during winter commencement ceremonies on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Among the 12 football players receiving their degress on Saturday are Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Zac Taylor and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year Adam Carriker. Nebraska special teams captain Brandon Rigoni, a Lincoln native, starting tight ends Matt Herian and J.B. Phillips, starting linebacker Stewart Bradley, and starting defensive tackle Ola Dagunduro will also pick up their degrees on Saturday. Current Huskers Newt Lingenfelter and Will Otto will also receive their diplomas, giving NU nine current football players on the graduation roster. Overall, Nebraska will have 13 football players with degrees in hand on the roster for the 2007 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, including previously graduated seniors Dane Todd, Andrew Shanle, Kurt Mann and Isaiah Fluellen.

Former Huskers Chase Andersen, Chris Bryant and Shamus McKoy will also collect their degrees Saturday.

The Nebraska track and field program will add seven members to the December 2006 graduating class, including 2005 NCAA outdoor 800-meter champion Dmitrijs Milkevics and 2004 NCAA indoor 60-meter hurdles champion Priscilla Lopes, along with Sara Jane Baker, Chris Chandler, Andy Nelson, Nic Petersen and Jason Thompson.

The women’s swimming and diving program will contribute two graduates with MacKenzie Clark and Abby Fitzpatrick earning degrees, as will the men’s gymnastics program, with Ray Hacker and Nick Moore receiving undergraduate degrees. The women’s golf team will also boast two new graduates with Jackie Beste and Sara Sackett taking home diplomas.

Pitcher Brett Jensen, an All-American for the Husker baseball team, will close out his academic career at Nebraska with his degree, as will former Husker volleyball All-American Jen Saleaumua.

Husker soccer player Kari Hogan, men’s golfer Kent Schreiner, women’s tennis player Pamela Castillejos and bowler Karla Engh complete the list of 31 Husker graduates.

Nebraska’s 31 December graduates come from 18 states across America, in addition to three 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 31 graduates add to Nebraska’s continually growing tradition of academic and athletic excellence. These student-athletes have come from all around the United States and the world to get an outstanding education while competing at the highest level of athletics. 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 94 percent.

December 2006 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (31)
Chase Andersen - Football - Lincoln, Neb. - Accounting
Sara Jane Baker - Track & Field - Kalamazoo, Mich. - Marketing
Jackie Beste - Women’s Golf - Sauk Centre, Minn. - Accounting
Stewart Bradley - Football - Salt Lake City, Utah - Accounting
Chris Bryant - Football - Aurora, Colo. - Business Education/Cooperative Education
Adam Carriker - Football - Kennewick, Wash. - Business Administration
Pamela Castillejos - Women’s Tennis - Puebla, Mexico - Industrial Engineering
Chris Chandler - Track & Field - Starke, Fla. - Sociology
MacKenzie Clark - Swimming & Diving - Colorado Springs, Colo. - Advertising
Ola Dagunduro - Football - Inglewood, Calif. - Sociology
Karla Engh - Bowling - Sioux Falls, S.D. - Elementary Education
Abby Fitzpatrick - Swimming & Diving - Lakeville, Minn. - Criminal Justice
Ray Hacker - Men’s Gymnastics - Fairfax, Va. - Finance
Matt Herian - Football - Pierce, Neb. - History
Kari Hogan - Soccer - Lakewood, Colo. - Family and Consumer Science
Brett Jensen - Baseball - Eagle Grove, Iowa - Communication Studies
Newt Lingenfelter - Football - Plainview, Neb. - Mechanized Systems Management
Priscilla Lopes - Track & Field - Whitby, Ontario, Canada - Sociology
Shamus McKoy - Football - Raleigh, N.C. - Sociology
Dmitrijs Milkevics - Track & Field - Riga, Latvia - Business Administration
Nick Moore - Men’s Gymnastics - Indianapolis, Ind. - History
Andy Nelson - Track & Field - Greenwood, Mo. - Electrical Engineering
Will Otto - Football - Fullerton, Calif. - Sociology
Nic Petersen - Track & Field - Omaha, Neb. - Economics
J.B. Phillips - Football - Colleyville, Texas - Marketing
Brandon Rigoni - Football - Lincoln, Neb. - Psychology
Sara Sackett - Women’s Golf - Cambridge, Neb. - Elementary Education
Jen Saleaumua - Volleyball - National City, Calif. - Sociology
Kent Schreiner - Men’s Golf - Ogallala, Neb. - Business Administration
Zac Taylor - Football - Norman, Okla. - Communication Studies
Jason Thompson - Track & Field - Belton, Mo. - Sociology