Two-Time NCAA Champ Burroughs Heads 63 NU Grads

Lincoln - Two-time NCAA wrestling champion Jordan Burroughs headlined a group of 63 talented student-athletes who earned their bachelor's degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during commencement exercises at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday morning.

Nebraska's 63-member graduating class includes seven individual All-Americans and a pair of academic All-Americans in their respective sports. Burroughs, who won national titles at 165 pounds (2011) and 157 pounds (2009), was a three-time All-American after coming to NU from Sicklerville, N.J., to compete for Coach Mark Manning. Burroughs was joined by fellow wrestlers Tucker Lane, Andy Johnson, James Nakashima, Chris Oliver and Alex Ward in earning their degrees. Lane, a native of Redvale, Colo., is a three-time NCAA qualifier at heavyweight and will compete as a senior in 2011-12 with degree in hand. The six Husker wrestling graduates came to NU from six different states.

Although Nebraska's seven-player list of football graduates does not include an All-American on the field, it does include current NFL member Phillip Dillard from the New York Giants, and 2011 NFL Draft picks DeJon Gomes and Eric Hagg. The group also features 2010 CoSIDA Academic All-American Austin Cassidy, who helped increase NU's overall nation-leading total of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans to 279 across all sports, including a nation's best 99 CoSIDA awards in football. Adi Kunalic, Will Henry and Menelik Holt also represented the Big Red at graduation.

Former Nebraska baseball All-American Luke Gorsett adds to the All-America flavor of the 2011 graduates. The Denver, Colo., native is one of eight current or former NU baseball players who received their diplomas on Saturday, including former professionals Gorsett, Joe Simokaitis and Luke Wertz. The eight Husker baseball graduates, including current pitcher Casey Hauptman from Omaha, Neb., came to play for Nebraska and Coach Mike Anderson from seven different states.

Coach Gary Pepin's NU track and field team adds a trio of All-Americans to the May graduating class, including six-time high jump All-American Epley Bullock. Chantae McMillan, a four-time All-American in the multi-events and long jump, could add to her athletic resume later this season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June. Scott Wims contributed a pair of All-America awards in the sprints and relays for the NU men's team in 2007. Overall, the track and field programs graduated 20 student-athletes, including four members of Coach Jay Dirksen's cross country team.

Lindsey Licht, who completed her senior season by adding to Nebraska's nation-leading total of 70 volleyball All-America awards, earned her degree in elementary education. Licht also helped Coach John Cook's squad to a 12th and final Big 12 Conference title in 2010. Danielle van der Meer added an All-America award of her own while joining teammate and fellow graduate Kayla Stram in helping the Husker bowling team to another top-four finish at the NCAA Championships in 2011.

Former Nebraska softball pitcher Robin Mackin added an academic All-America award for the Huskers in 2010, before completing her psychology degree. She was joined by Whitney Barrett in representing Coach Rhonda Revelle's softball team at commencement.

Coach Pablo Morales' swimming and diving squad added five graduates, while Coach John Walker contributed four members of the NU soccer program to the list of new Husker graduates. Coach Chuck Chmelka's men's gymnastics program pitched in a pair of graduates as well, with Cory Baumgarten and Matthew Forrest claiming their diplomas.

Drake Beranek (men's basketball), David Bendheim (men's tennis), Ryann McGough (rifle), JC (Stevenson) Weaver (women's golf), Abby Buxton (women's tennis) and Kylee Johnson (women's gymnastics) round out impressive collection of NU graduates across all sports.

The 2011 May graduating class provides an exciting mixture of student-athletes who came from near and far to call Nebraska home during their collegiate careers. Nebraska's class came to Lincoln from 21 states, including 16 native Nebraskans. Members of the graduating class also came from four foreign countries, including Canada, Germany, The Netherlands and South Africa.

Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation with an exhausted eligibility graduation rate of 95 percent, while leading the nation in the number of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (279) and NCAA Top Eight Award winners (16) across all sports.

May 2011 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (63)

Student-Athlete (Sport), Hometown (Major)

• Anderson, Erik (Baseball), Prairie Village, Kan. (Political Science)
• Barrett, Whitney (Softball), Wetumpka, Ala. (Animal Science)
• Baumgarten, Cory (Men's Gymnastics), Plano, Texas (Physics)
• Bendheim, David (Men's Tennis), Frankfurt, Germany (Finance)
• Beranek, Drake (Men's Basketball), Ravenna, Neb. (Communication Studies)
• Brandt, Aaron (Track & Field), Wahoo, Neb. (Nutrition Science)
• Bubak, Kyle (Baseball), Layton, Utah (Business Administration)
• Bullock, Epley (Track & Field), Allen, Texas (Business Administration)
• Burroughs, Jordan (Wrestling), Sicklerville, N.J. (Sociology)
• Butler, Rachel (Track & Field), Mechanicsville, Va. (Textiles, Clothing & Design)
• Buxton, Abby (Women's Tennis), Eden Prairie, Minn. (Economics/Marketing)
• Cassidy, Austin (Football), Lincoln, Neb. (Psychology)
• Conahan, Matt (Cross Country/Track & Field), Omaha, Neb. (Criminology & Criminal Justice)
• Criss, Karen (Swimming & Diving), Omaha, Neb. (Women's Gender Studies)
• Criss, Colleen (Swimming & Diving), Omaha, Neb. (Speech-Language Pathology)
• Dean, Hailey (Swimming & Diving), San Diego, Calif. (Psychology)
• Dillard, Phillip (Football), Tulsa, Okla. (Sociology)
• Eades, Nikita (Track & Field), Aurora, Colo. (Psychology)
• Forrest, Matthew (Men's Gymnastics), Olathe, Kan. (Forensic Science)
• Gomes, DeJon (Football), Hayward, Calif. (Psychology)
• Gorsett, Luke (Baseball), Denver, Colo. (Communication Studies)
• Hagg, Eric (Football), Peoria, Ariz. (Ethnic Studies)
• Hannon, Erin (Track & Field), Bradford, Pa. (Psychology)
• Hauptman, Casey (Baseball), Omaha, Neb. (Business Administration)
• Henry, Will (Football), El Paso, Texas (Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science)
• Holt, Menelik (Football), San Diego, Calif. (Sociology)
• Hutchinson, Mariah (Swimming & Diving), Topeka, Kan. (Broadcasting)
• Johnson, Andy (Wrestling), Yankton, S.D. (Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science)
• Johnson, Kylee (Women's Gymnastics), Lincoln, Neb. (Psychology)
• Kunalic, Adi (Football), Fort Worth, Texas (Advertising)
• Lane, Tucker (Wrestling), Redvale, Colo. (Communication Studies)
• Lanier, Brittney (Soccer), Carrollton, Texas (Classics & Religious Studies)
• Latsch, Amanda (Track & Field), Lincoln, Neb. (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
• Licht, Lindsey (Volleyball), Aurora, Colo. (Elementary Education)
• Luebbe, Ethan (Cross Country/Track & Field), Waco, Neb. (Mechanical Engineering)
• Lund, Eric (Track & Field), Milford, Neb. (Horticulture)
• Mackin, Robin (Softball), Newmarket, Ontario, Canada (Psychology)
• Makukutu, Nick (Track & Field), Houston, Texas (Communication Studies)
• McGough, Ryann (Rifle), LaPorte, Colo. (Psychology)
• McMillan, Chantae (Track & Field), Rolla, Mo. (Middle Grades Education)
• Mills, Jessica (Soccer), Houston, Texas (Biological Systems Engineering)
• Nakashima, James (Wrestling), Dwight, Ill. (Political Science)
• Oberle, Anthony (Cross Country/Track & Field), Sioux City, Iowa (Biological Sciences)
• Oliver, Chris (Wrestling), Omaha, Neb. (Communication Studies)
• Peetz, Carly (Soccer), Lincoln, Neb. (Advertising)
• Rose, Eric (Baseball), Billings, Mont. (Psychology)
• Schilling, Matt (Track & Field), Omaha, Neb. (Business Administration)
• Schmidt, Erwin (Track & Field), Benoni, South Africa (Advertising)
• Sheppard, Brandon (Track & Field), Danville, Calif. (Nutrition Science)
• Simokaitis, Joe (Baseball), St. Louis, Mo. (Communication Studies)
• Stram, Kayla (Bowling), Grand Rapids, Minn. (Veterinary Science/Biochemistry)
• Thompson, Cade (Baseball), Eatonville, Wash. (Business Administration)
• Ubel, Kayla (Track & Field), Overland Park, Kan. (Psychology)
• van der Meer, Danielle (Bowling), Hilversum, Netherlands (Sociology)
• Ward, Alex (Wrestling), Davidsonville, Md. (Communication Studies)
• Wasem, Carter (Track & Field), Aurora, Neb. (Criminology & Criminal Justice)
• Weaver (Stevenson), JC (Women's Golf), Grand Island, Neb. (Elementary Education/Coaching)
• Webers, Jen (Cross Country/Track & Field), Conifer, Colo. (Nutrition Science)
• Wertz, Luke (Baseball), Parker, Colo. (Business Administration)
• White, Anna (Soccer), Warrensburg, Mo. (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
• Wims, Scott (Track & Field), Fort Wayne, Ind. (Communication Studies)
• Ziegelmann, Sarah (Swimming & Diving), Fargo, N.D. (Management)
• Zimmerman, Victoria (Track & Field), Arlington Heights, Ill. (Biological Sciences/Spanish)