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Lincoln - Patrick Aleksanyan, Matt Nelson, Casey Roberts and Robert Sanders were among more than three dozen Husker graduates who went through commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 9. The four representing the Nebraska wrestling team were part of approximately 2,400 students who crossed the stage and received degrees at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this weekend.
A native of Blanding, Utah, Sanders has been a leader on and off the mat for the Huskers over the past five years. Wrestling at several different weights, Sanders managed to qualify for the NCAA Championships twice. He capped his NU career with a third-place finish at the 2009 Big 12 Championship in front of the hometown crowd at the NU Coliseum. In the classroom, he was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and was named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll five times. He also received a Hero Award on April 27th, which is one of Nebraska's top individual Life Skills awards. He earned his bachelor's degree in fitness and health promotion.
Aleksanyan was a valuable wrestler for the Huskers during his time Lincoln, seeing action at several different weights. The Santa Ana, Calif.,-native qualified for the 2006 NCAA Championships at 133 pounds after a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championship two weeks earlier. He battled several teammates for starting time his final two seasons, while stepping in and earning key dual wins at several times. He earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
Formers Husker wrestlers Matt Nelson and Casey Roberts also completed their degrees on Saturday. Nelson majored in construction management, while Roberts received his diploma in architectural studies.
Nebraska's 2009 class of May graduates combined for 24 All-America awards and one CoSIDA Academic All-America award during their careers as Huskers. Nebraska leads the nation across all teams, all sports and all divisions with 268 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and features a Big 12-leading 93 percent graduation rate for student-athletes.