18 Husker Grads Win in Competition, Classroom

Lincoln - A total of 18 current and former Husker student-athletes across all sports will receive their degrees during University of Nebraska-Lincoln Winter Commencement ceremonies at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 9 a.m.

Seven members of the Nebraska football team headline the graduating class, led by honorable-mention All-Big Ten defensive backs DeShon Singleton, Ceyair Wright and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. The trio of Blackshirts are joined by Janiran Bonner, Aidan Flege, Tyler Knaak and Dylan Parrott. The seven football players who came to Nebraska from seven different states helped the Big Red to back-to-back bowl games in 2024 and 2025.

AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten volleyball middle blocker Rebekah Allick will earn her degree as a management major. The Lincoln native helped the Huskers to an unbeaten regular season, a Big Ten championship and a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2025. During her career, she was part of three straight teams that won Big Ten titles and advanced to a pair of NCAA Final Fours, including the 2023 NCAA Championship match.

Baseball’s Riley Silva added a pair of Big Ten titles to the graduating class. The outfielder from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada helped the Huskers to back-to-back Big Ten Tournament championships in 2024 and 2025.

Husker soccer players Lauryn Anglim and Sadie Waite also graduated from Nebraska with Big Ten championships in their careers. Anglim (Omaha, Neb.) and Waite (St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada) were starters on NU’s conference title-winning team that advanced to the 2023 NCAA Elite Eight.

The Nebraska track and field/cross country programs contribute six members to the graduating class, including the most decorated individual in the class -  2025 NCAA indoor high jump champion Tyus Wilson. The senior from Sterling, Kan., is a four-time Big Ten high jump champ and a two-time first-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American.

Teammate Adria Navajon added a Big Ten individual championship for the Husker men’s track and field in the heptathlon in 2025. Liem Chot, Jacquelyn Abanses, Hannah Godwin and Rebecca Pecora round out the list of track and field graduates.

Current men’s basketball guard Sam Hoiberg will add a degree as a sports media and communication major. Hoiberg, who helped the Huskers capture the College Basketball Crown postseason tournament title a year ago, has started every game during Nebraska’s nation-leading 15-game winning streak. The 11-0 Huskers are ranked No. 13 nationally heading into Sunday night’s home game with North Dakota at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Overall, the 18 Husker graduates in December came to Nebraska from nine states and three foreign countries.

Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation, while leading the nation with 19 NCAA Impact Awards (formerly known as Today’s Top 10) across all sports. Nebraska also leads the Big Ten and ranks second in NCAA Division I with 373 College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans across all sports. More than 100 Nebraska student-athletes all time have earned prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.

December 2025 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (18)
Jacquelyn Abanses (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Lutz, Florida (Business Administration)
Rebekah Allick (Volleyball) - Lincoln, Nebraska (Management)
Lauryn Anglim (Soccer) - Omaha, Nebraska (Nutrition & Health Sciences)
Janiran Bonner (Football) - Ellenwood, Georgia (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Liem Chot (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Lincoln, Nebraska (English)
Aidan Flege (Football) - Lincoln, Nebraska (Management)
Hannah Godwin (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Kearney, Nebraska (Biological Sciences)
Malcolm Hartzog Jr. (Football) - Silver Creek, Mississippi (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Sam Hoiberg (Basketball) - Lincoln, Nebraska (Sports Media & Communication)
Tyler Knaak (Football) - Cottonwood Heights, Utah (Environmental Studies)
Adria Navajon (Track & Field) - Rubi, Barcelona, Spain (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Dylan Parrott (Football) - Eldridge, Iowa (Management)
Rebecca Pecora (Track & Field) - Pioltello, Milan, Italy (Biochemistry/Biological Sciences)
Riley Silva (Baseball) - Cambridge, Ontario, Canada (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
DeShon Singleton (Football) - Amite, Louisiana (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Sadie Waite (Soccer) - St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada (Marketing)
Tyus Wilson (Track & Field) - Sterling, Kansas (Elementary Education)
Ceyair Wright (Football) - Los Angeles, California (Child, Youth & Family Studies)