LSU Gold

Thirty Seven Student-Athletes Graduate

by Matt Dunaway
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Thirty Seven Student-Athletes Graduate

BATON ROUGE – LSU had 37 student-athletes representing 12 programs among those who earned their degrees Friday as part of commencement ceremonies on campus.

“Graduation is the most exciting time of the year,” Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Kenneth O. Miles said. “We, at the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes, couldn’t be more thrilled for the class of 2013. Our student-athletes entered LSU to learn and now they must leave to serve the greater community and for that we congratulate them on such a monumental task.”

Football led the way with 10 total graduates which included a pair of starters in linebacker Lamin Barrow (interdisciplinary studies) and quarterback Zach Mettenberger (general studies). Barrow led the team with 86 total tackles this season and added 4.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks. Mettenberger had one of the finest seasons for a quarterback in LSU history as he threw for 3,082 yards and 22 touchdowns on 192-of-296 passing. Mettenberger ranked first in the SEC and third nationally with a 171.4 passing efficiency rating. Josh Downs (sports administration), who was a senior on the 2012 squad and served as a student coach this season, also received his degree.

The swimming and diving along with the track and field programs checked in with six graduates apiece.

Hannes Heyl, a 10-time swimming All-American, secured a Master in Finance. The 10 overall All-American selections are tied for third-most in school history. He holds LSU program records in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle relay along with the 200 and 400 medley relays. Thomas Reinecke (kinesiology) was an All-SEC pole vaulter and four-time NCAA Championships qualifier for the Tigers. He picked up a silver medal at the 2010 SEC Indoor Championships and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The tennis teams combined for five graduates highlighted by Stefan Szacinski (international trade & finance) who defeated six ranked opponents en route to a 2013 All-SEC Second-Team pick. He earned multiple SEC Academic Honor Roll selections and was a member of the 2012 SEC Community Service Team.

Mikie Mahtook (sports administration), a 2011 Baseball American and ABCA All-American First-Team honoree, was one of three baseball players to graduate. He batted .383 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs during the 2011 season before being a first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays. Chris Cotton (international trade & finance) registered a 4-1 mark with a 1.16 ERA and racked up 16 saves last season. He fired 13.1 scoreless innings during LSU’s run to the 2013 College World Series and was a 14th round pick of the Houston Astros.

Megan Kinneman (sports administration) headlined the three soccer graduates. She ended her career with 284 saves and 17 shutouts which places her second on LSU’s all-time list. Kinneman was a leader in the classroom and community with two SEC Academic Honor Roll picks and a 2012 SEC Community Service Team nod.

Ericka Garcia and Britney Taylor, a pair of gymnasts who were seniors on the 2013 Super Six team, graduated during Friday’s ceremonies. Garcia (international studies) was a four-year letterwinner for the Tigers who served as the leadoff performer on beam as a senior. Taylor (sports administration) spent two years at LSU after transferring in from Central Michigan, and she shined as a senior with the Tigers, posting career highs on vault (9.925), beam (9.925) and floor (9.85) during the year.

Madie Jones (industrial engineering), LSU’s nominee for the 2013 SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete award, represented the volleyball program. She was a two-time All-SEC Second-Team selection and is one of 20 players in program history to amass over 1,000 career kills. Jones also secured multiple SEC Academic Honor Roll picks and was twice named to the SEC’s Community Service Team.

Quinlan Duhon, LSU’s director of softball operations, received her Master of Kinesiology. She has spent the last four seasons handling all the behind-the-scenes aspects of the softball programs. Duhon still ranks fourth on LSU’s all-time home run list (30) and is ranked among the program’s Top 10 in RBIs (128), walks (68) and sacrifice flies (13).

Below is the complete list of graduates, their sport and their field of study:

College of Engineering (2)
Madie Jones, Volleyball, Industrial Engineering
Kaelee Mader, Women’s Swimming and Diving, Chemical Engineering

College of Agriculture (3)
Evan Bergeron, Men’s Track and Field, Environmental Management Systems
Seth Fruge, Football, Nutrition and Food Science
Josh Williford, Football, Agricultural Business

Manship School of Mass Communication (2)
Kaitlin Burns, Women’s Tennis, Mass Communication
Alex Ramsey, Soccer, Mass Communication

E.J. Orso College of Business (3)
Chris Cotton, Baseball, International Trade and Finance
Hannes Heyl, Men’s Swimming/Diving, Master of Finance
Stefan Szacinski, Men’s Tennis, International Trade and Finance

College of Science (1)
John Michaelis, Men’s Tennis, Biology

College of Humanities and Social Sciences (8)
Lamin Barrow, Football, Interdisciplinary Studies
Roger Cooke, Men’s Track and Field, History
Ericka Garcia, Gymnastics, International Studies
Zach Mettenberger, Football, General Studies
Brittany Porter, Women’s Track and Field, General Studies
Robert Simmons, Men’s Track and Field, Interdisciplinary Studies
Jason Slaydon, Football, Psychology
Armand Williams, Football, Interdisciplinary Studies

College of Human Sciences and Education (18)
Quinlan Duhon, Softball (Director of Operations), Master of Kinesiology
Jordan Allen, Football, Sports Administration
Roger Anderson, Men’s Tennis, Sports Administration
Raymond DePadua, Men’s Swimming/Diving, Sports Administration
Josh Downs, Football, Sports Administration
Richard Fisher, Men’s Track and Field, Sports Administration
Craig Hamilton, Men’s Swimming/Diving, Sports Administration
Tyler Hanover, Baseball, Sports Administration
Jarrett Hardnett, Football, Sports Administration
Megan Kinneman, Soccer, Sports Administration
Tom Knights, Men’s Tennis, Sports Administration
Mikie Mahtook, Baseball, Sports Administration
Danielle Murphy, Soccer, Kinesiology
Thomas Reinecke, Men’s Track and Field, Kinesiology
Jana Ruimerman, Women’s Swimming/Diving, Kinesiology
Britney Taylor, Gymnastics, Sports Administration
Evan Washington, Football, Sports Administration
Sally Wood, Women’s Swimming/Diving, Kinesiology