Lincoln– A school-record 103 Husker student-athletes will earn degrees this weekend during the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s commencement ceremonies, with graduate commencement occurring on Friday at 3 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena, before undergraduate commencement is held at Memorial Stadium Saturday at 9 a.m.
The elite group of Huskers is powered by 18 student-athletes who combined for 47 All-America awards in collegiate competition during their careers. The class features a pair of NCAA Champions in Rhema Otabor (javelin, 2023) and Cecelia Ossi (smallbore rifle, 2023), and two NCAA silver medalist men’s gymnasts in Taylor Christopulos (floor, 2024; all-around, 2023) and Zac Tiderman (high bar, 2024).
Nebraska’s largest class of student-athlete graduates in history also features a pair of NFL players who returned to Lincoln to complete their degrees. Current Cincinnati defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt, who helped the Bengals to the 2022 AFC Championship Game, will claim his degree as a criminology and criminal justice major. Taylor-Britt has started 20 games in his first two professional seasons after being chosen in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by Cincinnati.
Nathan Gerry, who was a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 NFL Draft, completed his degree as a sociology major. The linebacker/safety from Sioux Falls, S.D., helped the Eagles to a championship in Super Bowl LII, while also playing for San Francisco and Washington during his career.
Taylor-Britt, Gerry, 2024 Nebraska Outstanding Male Student-Athlete Ethan Piper and Husker dual-sport star Nash Hutmacher are among 15 current or former Husker football players in the huge class of May graduates.
Former Husker baseball star Ryan Boldt also returned to Lincoln for his degree. Boldt, who was a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American (2015, 2016) as an outfielder for the Huskers, was a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2016 MLB Draft following his junior season. The Red Wing, Minn., native overcame injuries to advance to a pair of seasons with the AAA Durham Bulls, where he played a total of 152 games in 2021 and 2022. He earned his bachelor’s degree as a nutrition and health sciences major.
Boldt is one of eight current and former Husker baseball players to graduate on Saturday, including Nebraska ace Brett Sears, who pitched the Big Red to a 2-1 win at Michigan State on Thursday night. Sears, who was announced as a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award earlier this week, is 8-0 with a 2.05 ERA and is the leading contender for Big Ten Pitcher-of-the-Year honors. Garrett Anglim, Cole Evans, Trey Frahm, Bryce Hughes, Will Walsh and former teammate Luke Sartori will also graduate this weekend while the Huskers battle for the Big Ten regular-season title.
A huge collection of 33 men’s and women’s track and field student-athletes make up nearly one-third of Nebraska’s graduating class. The Husker track and field graduates include nine athletes who have combined for 18 first- or second-team All-America honors as collegians, including 2023 NCAA champion and two-time Big Ten javelin champion Rhema Otabor. The two-time first-team All-American from the Bahamas is joined by four-time All-Americans and three-time Big Ten champions Jenna Rogers (high jump) and Darius Luff (hurdles) in the graduating class.
Nebraska’s graduating track and field All-Americans also include Mirta Kulisic (javelin), Micaylon Moore (triple jump), Lorenzo Paissan (4×100), Arthur Petersen (javelin), Brithton Senior (4×100) and La’Qwasia Stepney (high jump).
A group of five Husker men’s gymnasts also add big accomplishments in competition to the graduating class with four athletes who combined for 13 career NCAA All-America honors. Taylor Christopulos, the 2023 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, was an eight-time All-American and the NCAA runner-up in the all-around (2023) and floor exercise (2024). Zac Tiderman added a pair of All-America honors, including a runner-up trophy on high bar in 2024. Sam Phillips also contributed two All-America awards, while Cooper Giles added an All-America honor.
The Nebraska volleyball team adds more impressive credentials to the class with three-time All-American and two-time CSC Academic All-American Lexi Rodriguez leading the way. Rodriguez, who earned first-team All-America honors on and off the court as a junior libero in 2023, claims her degree as an advertising and public relations major. She is joined by fellow 2023 first-team All-American Merritt Beason among five volleyball players in the class.
Cecelia Ossi, the 2023 NCAA Champion in the smallbore, adds elite level performance to the group. The seven-time All-American and 2023 Nebraska Female Athlete of the Year is among three rifle student-athletes in the class.
Two-time All-American and 2024 Big Ten 149-pound champion Ridge Lovett contributes more honors among three wrestlers in the class, while three-time NTCA All-American Kayla Verstraete also headlines a trio of bowling graduates.
Nebraska’s 2024 Outstanding Female Student-Athlete and 2022 Female Athlete of the Year Billie Andrews leads a group of eight graduates from the softball program, while 2024 College Three-Point Champion Keisei Tominaga adds recognition for the men’s basketball program. Five swimmers, four women’s gymnasts, three men’s and women’s golfers, a pair of soccer student-athletes and a member of the men’s tennis team round out Nebraska’s 2024 class.
The May graduates came from near and far to call Nebraska home during their careers. The group came to Lincoln from 24 states, including 32 native Nebraskans, while 16 more Huskers journeyed to Nebraska from 11 foreign countries (Bahamas, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Slovakia, South Africa).
Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the country, while leading the Big Ten with 354 CSC Academic All-Americans and NCAA Top 10 Award winners (18) across all sports.
May 2024 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (103)
Student-Athlete, Sport (Hometown) – Major
Trevor Acton, Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Marketing
Matthias Algarin, Men’s Track & Field (Pierz, Minnesota) – Management
Billie Andrews, Softball (Gretna, Nebraska) – Graphic Design
Brooke Andrews, Softball (Gretna, Nebraska) – Psychology
Garrett Anglim, Baseball (La Vista, Nebraska) – Management
Camyl Armendariz, Softball (La Verne, California) – Criminology & Criminal Justice
Sarah Barton, Swimming & Diving (Huntersville, North Carolina) – Hospitality, Restaurant & Tourism Management
Ally Batenhorst, Volleyball (Houston, Texas) – Communication Studies
Merritt Beason, Volleyball (Gardendale, Alabama) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Cory Berg, Men’s Track & Field (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) – Construction Management
Lindsey Blehm, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Environmental Science
Nate Boerkircher, Football (Aurora, Nebraska) – Finance
Ryan Boldt, Baseball (Red Wing, Minnesota) – Nutrition & Health Sciences
Chief Borders, Football (Chicago, Illinois) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Nick Bryant, Men’s Track & Field (Memphis, Tennessee) – Political Science
Alexis Buchert, Bowling (San Antonio, Texas) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Ru’Quan Buckley, Football (Wyoming, Michigan) – Criminology & Criminal Justice
Lauren Buzzell, Soccer (St. Francis, Minnesota) – Criminology & Criminal Justice
Caitlin Cairns, Swimming & Diving (Colorado Springs, Colorado) – Management
Adam Christopher, Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Park Ridge, Illinois) – Business Administration
Taylor Christopulos, Men’s Gymnastics (Layton, Utah) – Agribusiness
Joseph Clifford, Men’s Track & Field (New Concord, Ohio) – Emerging Media Arts
Kendall Coley, Women’s Basketball (Minneapolis, Minnesota) – Advertising & Public Relations
Clara Colombo, Women’s Gymnastics (Caravaggio, Italy) – Biochemistry
Martina Comin, Women’s Gymnastics (Vicenza, Italy) – Business Administration
Marissa Cosentini, Bowling (Wayne, New Jersey) – Criminology & Criminal Justice
Kinsey Davis, Women’s Gymnastics (Huntersville, North Carolina) – Communication Studies
Gabriela Donahue, Swimming & Diving (Oviedo, Florida) – Management/Marketing
Madelynn Erickson, Rifle (Sutter, California) – Nutrition & Health Sciences
Gabe Ervin, Football (Buford, Georgia) – Management
Cole Evans, Baseball (Grand Island, Nebraska) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Trey Frahm, Baseball (Elkhorn, Nebraska) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
James Friedman, Men’s Gymnastics (Salem, Oregon) – Accounting
Jessica Gardner, Women’s Track & Field (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Advertising & Public Relations
Nathan Gerry, Football (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) – Sociology
Cooper Giles, Men’s Gymnastics (Lake Zurich, Illinois) – Nutrition & Health Sciences
Sydney Gray, Softball (Tucson, Arizona) – Finance
Heinrich Haarberg, Football (Kearney, Nebraska) – Finance
Ty Hahn, Football (Johnson, Nebraska) – Management
Emily Haimes, Swimming & Diving (Enfield, London, England) – History/Psychology
Lena Hassert, Women’s Golf (Kreuzau, Germany) – Business Administration
Ashton Hausmann, Football (Roca, Nebraska) – Management
Kolby Heinerikson, Men’s Track & Field (Kansas City, Missouri) – Biological Sciences
Bryce Hughes, Baseball (Channelview, Texas) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Nash Hutmacher, Football/Wrestling (Oacoma, South Dakota) – Management
Jacob Hyde, Men’s Track & Field (Rapid City, South Dakota) – Management
Jerry Jorgenson, Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Treynor, Iowa) – Marketing/Advertising & Public Relations
Kaylin Kinney, Softball (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Lindsay Krause, Volleyball (Papillion, Nebraska) – English
Lexi Kucera, Swimming & Diving (Hutchinson, Minnesota) – Nutrition & Health Sciences
Mirta Kulisic, Women’s Track & Field (Split, Croatia) – Biochemistry
Ridge Lovett, Wrestling (Post Falls, Idaho) – Communication Studies
Trevin Luben, Football (Wahoo, Nebraska) – Management
Darius Luff, Men’s Track & Field (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Criminology & Criminal Justice
Seth Malcom, Football (Tabor, Iowa) – Management
Dais Malebana, Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Pretoria, South Africa) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Reed Malleck, Men’s Golf (York, Nebraska) – Finance
Will Marshall, Men’s Golf (Elburn, Illinois) – Mathematics
Shunya Maruyama, Men’s Tennis (Nagano, Japan) – Psychology
Riley Masten, Women’s Track & Field (Highlands Ranch, Colorado) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Ashley McElmurry, Women’s Track & Field (Missoula, Montana) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Kalynn Meyer, Women’s Track & Field (Superior, Nebraska) – Agricultural Engineering
Karlie Moore, Women’s Track & Field (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) – Broadcasting/Sports Media & Communication
Micaylon Moore, Men’s Track & Field (Fort Collins, Colorado) – Biological Sciences
Tanessa Morris, Women’s Track & Field (Brooks, Alberta, Canada) – Natural Resource Sciences – Master’s
Katelyn Mullinax, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Naperville, Illinois) – Management/Marketing
Caitlynn Neal, Softball (Dewey, Arizona) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Abbey Newlun, Softball (The Woodlands, Texas) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Jack Nolley, Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Software Engineering
Kennedi Orr, Volleyball (Eagan, Minnesota) – Communication Studies
Cecelia Ossi, Rifle (Annandale, New Jersey) – Finance
Rhema Otabor, Women’s Track & Field (Nassau, Bahamas) – Actuarial Science
Lorenzo Paissan, Men’s Track & Field (Trento, Italy) – Finance/Management
Arthur Petersen, Men’s Track & Field (Hellerup, Denmark) – Management
Sam Phillips, Men’s Gymnastics (Woodland Hills, California) – Hospitality, Restaurant & Tourism Management
Ethan Piper, Football (Norfolk, Nebraska) – Science Education (7-12)
Hannah Preissler, Women’s Track & Field (Giltner, Nebraska) – Sports Media & Communication
Cal Puskar, Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Orchard Park, New York) – Educational Psychology – Master’s
Emma Ralston, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Papillion, Nebraska) – Nutrition & Health Sciences
Lexi Rodriguez, Volleyball (Sterling, Illinois) – Advertising & Public Relations
Jenna Rogers, Women’s Track & Field (Rutherford, New Jersey) Communication Sciences & Disorders
Luke Sartori, Baseball (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Nutrition & Health Sciences
Gentry Scheve, Men’s Golf (Emporia, Kansas) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Brett Sears, Baseball (Westphalia, Iowa) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Brithton Senior, Men’s Track & Field (Hanover, Jamaica) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Erik Snell, Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country (Mount Prospect, Illinois) – Nutrition & Health Sciences
Abbie Squier, Softball (Lincoln, Nebraska) – Finance
La’Qwasia Stepney, Women’s Track & Field (Belleville, Illinois) – Criminology & Criminal Justice
Annika Stewart, Women’s Basketball (Plymouth, Minnesota) – Nutrition & Health Sciences
Katie Stoneburner, Soccer (Omaha, Nebraska) – Business Administration
Mackenzie Strauch, Rifle (Belgrade, Montana) – Criminology & Criminal Justice
Grant Tagge, Football (Omaha, Nebraska) – Finance
Cam Taylor-Britt, Football (Montgomery, Alabama) – Criminology & Criminal Justice
Lindsey Thiele, Women’s Golf (Wahoo, Nebraska) – Psychology
Alex Thomsen, Wrestling (Neola, Iowa) – Biological Systems Engineering
Zac Tiderman, Men’s Gymnastics (Wilsonville, Oregon) – Business Administration
Keisei Tominaga, Men’s Basketball (Moriyama, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan) – Child, Youth & Family Studies
Michaela Vavrova, Women’s Golf (Bojnice, Slovakia) – Hospitality, Restaurant & Tourism Management
Kayla Verstraete, Bowling (Loves Park, Illinois) – Criminology & Criminal Justice
Bennet Vinken, Men’s Track & Field (Hamburg, Germany) – Management
Will Walsh, Baseball (Leawood, Kansas) – Management
Caroline Williams, Women’s Gymnastics (Roswell, Georgia) – Communication Sciences & Disorders
Camden Witucki, Football (Grand Blanc, Michigan) – Management
