Lincoln - A
solid class of 11 Husker student-athletes will earn their bachelor's degrees
from the University of Nebraska during summer commencement exercises at the Bob
Devaney Sports Center on Saturday morning.
Kayla Banwarth will
earn her bachelor's degree as an English major following an outstanding career
for Coach John Cook's volleyball team. Banwarth, who owns Nebraska's career
digs mark, was an All-Big 12 choice on the court and in the classroom.
Madeleine Geibert,
who completed her career in 2012 as Nebraska's all-time wins leader in women's
tennis, will receive her degree as a biological sciences major. Geibert, a
native of Ludwigshafen, Germany, helped the Huskers to their best season in
school history in 2012. She is joined in Nebraska's class of graduates by
fellow women's tennis senior Jennifer Holmberg from Tampere, Finland. The two
seniors from Coach Scott Jacobson's women's team will be joined by men's tennis
player Benedikt Lindheim from Coach Kerry McDermott's squad.
The Nebraska baseball
team adds a pair of graduates with Matt Freeman and Nate Kerkhoff both picking
up their degrees on Saturday, while the Husker track and field program will
contribute a pair of graduates with Samantha Musil and Menghia Lorena.
Nikki Haget, who
earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship following a standout career
for Coach Rhonda Revelle's softball team, will also receive her diploma. Haget,
a native of Elkhorn, Neb., majored in forensic science at Nebraska.
Bo Spencer, a
starting guard on the 2011-12 men's basketball team, will earn his degree,
while Layne Reeves from Coach Connie Yori's women's basketball program will
also receive her diploma.
The Husker graduating
class provides a diverse mix of student-athletes who came from near and far to
call Nebraska home during their collegiate careers. The 2012 August graduates
came to Nebraska from five states, while featuring a trio of Nebraska natives.
Four international student-athletes from three countries (Germany, Finland,
Romania) are also in the group.
The Huskers continue
to lead the nation in the number of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (299) and
NCAA Top Eight Award winners (16) across all sports.
