Pfeil, Kirschner Earn Undergraduate Degrees

Lincoln - Former Husker soccer players Brittany Pfeil and McKensie Kirchner were among 21 NU student-athletes to earn their bachelor's degrees from the University of Nebraska during summer commencement exercises at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday morning.

The starting goalkeeper during her senior season, Pfeil graduated with a culinary science degree. The Norfolk, Neb., native was 10-6-1 in 2008, helping lead the Huskers to 10-9-1 record. Pfeil recorded three shutouts as senior (Drake, Texas Tech and Oklahoma), while also lettering in 2007 when she appeared in five games. In 2009, Pfeil gave a hand to the Husker soccer program by serving as an undergraduate assistant coach.

Kirchner was a three-year letterwinner from 2005 to 2007, then suffering an MCL injury and spending her senior season a team student manager. A native of Omaha, Neb., Kirchner earned her degree in international studies. She tallied one assist during her career in a 4-1 win over Drake in 2006.

 The Nebraska summer graduating class of 21 is added to NU's 70 May graduates and 37 December graduates to bring the total number of Husker student-athletes graduating during the 2009-10 academic year to 128. Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation with an exhausted eligibility graduation rate of 94 percent, while leading the nation in the number of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (277) and NCAA Top Eight Award winners (16) across all sports.