66 LSU STUDENT-ATHLETES EARN COLLEGE DEGREE ON FRIDAY

BATON ROUGE – A total of 66 LSU student-athletes were awarded their college degree on Friday as the university held its annual spring commencement exercise here on campus.

 

Of the 66 LSU student-athletes who graduated, 58 received their Bachelor’s degree with eight graduating with a Master’s degree. Overall, LSU issued a school-record 4,163 degrees on Friday.

 

“We are very proud of each of our student-athletes that received their college degree today,” LSU Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva said. “Our goal at LSU is for every one of our student-athletes to be given the opportunity to compete for championships, get a great education and leave here with a college degree.

“This is a very impressive list of student-athletes, many of which had great athletic accomplishments. But the accomplishment that I will always be most proud of is that they left LSU with a degree.”

 

The list of LSU student-athletes earning their Master’s degree include: Helen Boyle (volleyball – Business Administration), Harrison Kennedy (men’s tennis – Science in Analytics), Lloimincia Hall (gymnastics – Art in Education), Shanekia Hall (women’s track and field – Art in Education), Katie Lindelow (beach volleyball – Science in Kinesiology), Justin Maclin (football – Art in Education), Kailey McCasland (softball – Science in Kinesiology), and Colby Delahoussaye (football – Liberal Arts).

 

LSU’s list of 2017 spring graduates include some of the best to ever play for the Tigers. Here a quick look at some of the student-athletes that graduated on Friday:

 

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (track and field) is a five-time Southeastern Conference champion and NCAA champion in the 4×100-meter relay. Mitchell-Blake is with the track and field teams at SEC Championship this weekend where he looks to defend his three league titles from last season. The England native represented the United Kingdom at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

 

Rina Hill (women’s basketball) was a four-year letter winner for the Lady Tigers. She earned multiple academic honors, including four SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades. She was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the team’s post-season banquet in April. Hill is a member of the 2017 SEC Community Service team and served on the league’s Women’s Basketball Leadership Council. In her four years in the purple and gold, Hill scored 660 points and dished out 186 assists.

 

Ashleigh Gnat (gymnastics) completed one of the top careers in school history. Gnat won four SEC Championships, earned 17 All-America honors and was selected as the SEC Specialist of the Year and NACGC Central Region Gymnast of the Year the last two seasons. As leader in the gym, in the classroom and in the community, Gnat was selected as the winner of the AAI award which is given to the nation’s top senior gymnast.

 

Jared Poche’ (baseball) graduated on Friday morning and then will pitch the Tigers against Auburn tonight. Poche’ is just three wins away from tying Scott Schultz for the most victories by an LSU pitcher in a career.

 

Bailey Landry (softball) has started more than 200 games over her four-year career in the purple and gold, including every game her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. She’s currently with the softball team at the SEC Tournament where the Tigers have advanced to the semifinal round.

 

“We, in the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes, are very proud of the Class of 2017,” Kenneth Miles, assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs and executive director of the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes said. “Graduation is paramount to the next chapter in their lives because it symbolizes an ending and a new beginning simultaneously. These young men and women transformed the notion of what it means to be a student-athlete to scholar athletes who entered to learn and now they are leaving to serve. We certainly wish them well.”

 

The following is a complete list of LSU student-athletes that graduated on Friday:

 

College of Agriculture (2)

Emma Hiller, Beach Volleyball, Textiles, Apparel & Merchandising

Devin McCaffrey, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Plant & Soil System

 

College of Art & Design (1)

Brandon Surtain, Football, Studio Art

 

School of the Coast & Environment (1)

Damen Pheiffer, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Coastal Environmental Science

 

E.J. Ourso College of Business (13)

Helen Boyle, Beach Volleyball, Master of Business Administration

Ryan Cade, Men’s Swimming & Diving, General Business

Alden Cartwright, Baseball, General Business

Angele Cherbonnier, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Finance

Brandon Eddlestone, Men’s Basketball, Accounting

Patrick Geers, Men’s Track & Field, General Business

Rina Hill, Women’s Basketball, General Business

Lana Hodge, Women’s Golf, General Business

Harrison Kennedy, Men’s Tennis, Master of Science in Analytics

Rebecca Little, Women’s Track & Field, Finance

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, Men’s Track & Field, International Trade & Finance

John Valek III, Baseball, General Business

Rebekah Wales, Women’s Track & Field, Accounting

 

College of Engineering (3)

Elliot Dewlen, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Construction Management

Delaney Sheehan, Women’s Soccer, Chemical Engineering

Jenna Walker, Women’s Track & Field, Petroleum Engineering

 

College of Human Sciences & Education (29)

Bryce Adams, Baseball, Sports Administration

Chanice Chase, Women’s Track & Field, Sports Administration

Devon Dabney, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Sports Administration

Jordan Daigle, Men’s Tennis, Sports Administration

Sydney Ewing, Gymnastics, Kinesiology

Ashleigh Gnat, Gymnastics, Sports Administration

Cyril Grayson, Men’s Track & Field, Kinesiology

Lloimincia Hall, Gymnastics, Master of Art in Education

Shanekia Hall, Women’s Track & Field, Master of Art in Education

Rhyne Jones, Men’s Golf, Sports Administration

Katie Lagarde, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Kinesiology

Bailey Landry, Softball, Sports Administration

Megan Lee, Women’s Soccer, Kinesiology

Katie Lindelow, Beach Volleyball, Master of Science in Kinesiology

Justin Maclin, Football, Master of Art in Education

Hannah Martin, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Kinesiology

Kailey McCasland, Softball, Master of Science in Kinesiology

Danielle Mitchell, Women’s Track & Field, Child & Family Studies

Hunter Newman, Baseball, Sports Administration

Caroline Nistrup, Women’s Golf, Sports Administration

Shonacee Oliva, Gymnastics, Kinesiology

Brandon Pierce, Men’s Golf, Sports Administration

Jared Poche’, Baseball, Kinesiology

Russell Reynolds, Baseball, Sports Administration

Jasmine Rhodes, Women’s Basketball, Sports Administration

Eric Ricard, Men’s Golf, Sports Administration

Morgan Schuetz, Women’s Track & Field, Kinesiology

Collin Strall, Baseball, Sports Administration

Zach Wright, Men’s Golf, Sports Administration

 

College of Humanities & Social Sciences (12)

Bianka Bell, Softball, Sociology

Christian Brennan, Women’s Track & Field, Sociology

Colby Delahoussaye, Football, Master of Liberal Arts

Andy Dodd, Football, Interdisciplinary Studies

Cole Freeman, Baseball, Interdisciplinary Studies

Nataliyah Friar, Women’s Track & Field, Psychology

Carly Goldstein, Women’s Golf, Interdisciplinary Studies

K.J. Malone, Football, Interdisciplinary Studies

Sean Ochinko, Baseball, Interdisciplinary Studies

Jonathan Rucker, Football, Interdisciplinary Studies

Logan Rysemus, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Political Science

DeSean Smith, Football, Interdisciplinary Studies

 

Manship School of Mass Communications (2)

Danny Etling, Football, Mass Communications

Makenna Wilson, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Mass Communications

 

College of Science (3)

Christian Johnson, Men’s Track & Field, Biology

Callan Molle, Beach Volleyball, Biology

Ashley Welborn, Women’s Track & Field, Mathematics