11 Huskers Earn Degrees During Summer Graduation

Lincoln - A talented collection of 11 University of Nebraska student-athletes will earn their degrees during summer commencement ceremonies on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Nebraska track and field program is represented by five graduates, including All-American Jenny Green (Grand Island, Neb.) and All-Big 12 performers Jessie Graff (Mt. Airy, Md.), Courtney Jones (Dallas, Texas) and Justine Roach (Leicester, England). Academic All-Big 12 representative Corlan Vonderschmidt (Lincoln, Neb.) will also represent Coach Gary Pepin’s track and field program.

The Nebraska men’s basketball program will be honored with two graduates as point guards Charles Richardson Jr. (Maywood, Ill.) and Marcus Neal Jr. (Annapolis, Md.) will both earn their degrees for Coach Doc Sadler’s program.

Coach Bill Callahan’s Nebraska football program will add Dontrell Moore (Thibodaux, La.) to its list of graduates, while Carmen Kier (Renton, Wash.) will also claim a bachelor’s degree as a member of Coach Rhonda Revelle’s Husker softball squad.

Marc Harwood (Lakefield, Minn.) will represent Coach Mark Manning’s NU wrestling program, while Derric Wood (Lincoln, Neb.) rounds out the list of Husker summer graduates as a member of Coach Francis Allen’s men’s gymnastics team.

Overall, Nebraska’s class of 11 August graduates came to the University from seven states and one foreign country.

“I admire each of these student-athletes for the way they balanced school with competition,” Nebraska Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academics, Compliance and Planning Dennis Leblanc said.  “These graduates add to Nebraska’s great tradition of academic and athletic excellence. These student-athletes have come from different parts of the country and the world to receive the highest quality of education while competing in athletics at the highest level. The athletic department, the University and the entire state of Nebraska are proud of them.”         

Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation with an exhausted eligibility graduation rate of 94 percent.August 2007 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (11)

Student-Athlete (Sport) - Hometown - Major
Jessie Graff (Track & Field) -  Mount Airy, Md. - Theatre
Jenny Green (Track & Field) - Grand Island, Neb. - Advertising
Marc Harwood (Wrestling) - Lakefield, Minn. - Art
Courtney Jones (Track & Field) - Dallas, Texas - Economics
Carmen Kier (Softball) Renton, Wash. - Sociology
Dontrell Moore (Football) - Thibodaux, La. - Sociology
Marcus Neal Jr. (Men’s Basketball) Annapolis, Md. - Sociology
Charles Richardson Jr. (Men’s Basketball) - Maywood, Ill. - English
Justine Roach (Track & Field) - Leicester, England - Psychology
Corlan Vonderschmidt (Track & Field) - Lincoln, Neb. - Psychology
Derric Wood (Men’s Gymnastics) - Lincoln, Neb. - History