BATON ROUGE, La. – With the semester coming to a close last weekend, LSU held its December Commencement Ceremonies throughout campus Friday in Baton Rouge, as 19 student-athletes representing nine intercollegiate sports earned their degrees.
Leading the pack with eight degree recipients was the Tiger football team, followed by track & field with four graduates. Baseball was the final sport with multiple graduates with two, as men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s swimming & diving, women’s tennis and softball each had one.
“We, at the Cox Communications Academic for Student-Athletes, are extremely proud of this class of student-athlete graduates. They have thought the unthinkable and achieved the unimaginable,” Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Executive Director of the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes Kenneth O. Miles said. “There are many things in this world that money can buy; however, you cannot place an amount on the experiences that they have undergone here at LSU nor the value of their degree.”
After finishing the regular season third on the team in rushing yards with 431 and second in touchdowns with six, running back Kenny Hilliard was one of the six on the football team to receive his degree on Friday, as he will finish his LSU career with over 1,500 total yards 25 scores during his career. At the team banquet he was one of the recipients of the Butch Duhe Award at the team banquet, which personifies the idea of unselfishness, dependability and commitment to the team.
On the defensive side, the Jermauria Rasco finished fifth on the team in tackles with 63 from the defensive end spot in 12 games for LSU in 2014. The Percy E. Roberts Outstanding Defensive Player co-winner at the team banquet led the team in sacks for the second consecutive year, while also breaking up two passes with a fumble recovery.
LSU track had two graduates from both the men’s and women’s teams, anchored on the men’s side by three-time All-American, two-time All-SEC and conference title holder Shermund Allsop, while the women had four-time All-American hurdler and runner Nikita Tracey among the pack.
Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the third round in 2010, former national champion and repeat All-American catcher Micah Gibbs earned his degree while continuing his professional career as he played in 52 games for Northwest Arkansas, the AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Jordy Snikeris was the other, a 2011 and 2012 selection on the SEC Academic Honor Roll, who earned his master’s degree on Friday.
From the golf course, representing men’s golf was Landon Lyons, a 2013 U.S. Amateur Qualifier who finished his LSU career with two top-five and four top-ten finishes during his career, while Lindsay Gahm earned her degree after completing her tenure as a Tiger with three top-ten finishes and a tournament championship to her credit.
Alex Boulet of the LSU softball team was an NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete after competing in 148 games for the Tigers during her career, earning 44 stolen bases on 53 attempts during that time. Kevin Leong of the swimming & diving team qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Meet in each of his final three seasons, while being a 2014 SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, while Ariel Morton earned more than 20 victories in both singles and doubles play on the tennis court as she was a 2013 SEC honor roll pick.
The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes is a 54,000 square foot facility comprised of academic affairs, student affairs and an information technology teams, serving more than 530 student-athletes. The purpose is to provide an all-inclusive, student-centered support structure for all student-athletes from matriculation, through graduation and life beyond.
E.J. Ourso College of Business (6)
Travis Dickson, Football, General Business
Lindsay Gahm, Women’s Golf, Marketing
Kevin Leong, Men’s Swimming & Diving, General Business
Jordy Snikeris, Baseball, Master of Science/Finance
Tre’ Sullivan, Football, General Business
D.J. Welter, Football, General Business
College of Human Sciences & Education (6)
Micah Gibbs, Baseball, Sports Administration
Josh Jasper, Football, Sports Administration
Landon Lyons, Men’s Golf, Sports Administration
Myles O’Brien, Football, Sports Administration
Jermauria Rasco, Football, Sports Administration
Nikita Tracey, Women’s Track & Field, Sports Administration
College of Humanities & Social Sciences (6)
Shermund Allsop, Men’s Track & Field, Interdisciplinary Studies
Tiffany George, Women’s Track & Field, Sociology
Kenny Hilliard, Football, Interdisciplinary Studies
Sammy Joseph, Football, Interdisciplinary Studies
Ariel Morton, Women’s Tennis, Interdisciplinary Studies
Kelly Willie, Men’s Track and Field, Communication Studies
College of Science (1)
Alex Boulet, Softball, Mathematics