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