More than 80 University of Alabama Student-Athletes Slated for Graduation during Commencement Weekend
5/4/2017 4:12:00 PM | Baseball, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing, Soccer, Women's Tennis, Volleyball, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field, Cross Country
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - More than 80 University of Alabama student-athletes are slated to receive their degrees during the upcoming commencement weekend. That total includes four NCAA champions and more than 20 All-Americans.
"At The University of Alabama, our primary mission is for our student-athletes to make the most of their collegiate careers, both in their academic and athletic endeavors, and to have them graduate prepared to compete at the highest level in the next chapters of their lives," UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne said. "We are very proud and pleased to have such a large and accomplished group of graduates this spring who are ready to do just that."
Former Alabama football player and Director of Athletics Bill Battle will also be recognized during Saturday's 6 p.m. ceremony in Coleman Coliseum with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of Human Environmental Sciences. Battle played football for Paul Bryant in the early 1960s and earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the Capstone in 1963 followed by a master's degree in education from Oklahoma in 1964. In addition to his tenure as an Alabama student-athlete, Battle served as the Crimson Tide's AD from 2013-17.
"I am humbled by this truly amazing honor," Battle said. "To be recognized in this manner is tremendous and I am beyond proud to stand among so many of our student-athletes who are receiving their degrees this weekend."
NCAA champions and All-Americans Katie Bailey (gymnastics), Connor Oslin (men's swimming and diving), Hayden Reed (men's track and field) and Erin Routliffe (women's tennis) will receive their degrees this weekend.
Oslin is also one of four May graduates to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors during their Crimson Tide careers, joining Alex Gholston (women's track and field), Anton McKee (men's swimming and diving) and Krystal Rivers (volleyball).
McKee was recently named the Southeastern Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was the 2016 CoSIDA At-Large Team Academic All-American of the Year. Oslin, Rivers and Danielle Spielmann (women's tennis) were also named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for their respective sports.
In addition to being the SEC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Rivers was also named the SEC Player of the Year this past season, making her the first in league history to be named volleyball's player and scholar-athlete of the year in the same season.
There are 22 All-Americans among the Tide's May graduates, including: Bailey, McKee, Oslin, Reed, Rivers and Routliffe as well as Tony Brown (men's track and field), Vanessa Clerveaux (women's track and field), Kyle Felpel (men's track and field), Justin Fondren (men's track and field), Alex Gholston (women's track and field), Angelo Goss (men's track and field), Alex Gray (men's swimming and diving), Jeremiah Green (men's track and field), Elias Hakansson (men's track and field), Caroline Korst (women's swimming and diving), Antibahs Kosgei (men's track and field/cross country), Tadashi Pinder (men's track and field), Marisa Runyon (softball), Bailey Scott (women's swimming and diving), Brittany Thomas (volleyball) and Joe Williams (men's track and field).
Among the student-athletes going through commencement this weekend, eight earned graduate degrees in May, including Thomas and Williams as well as Corban Collins (men's basketball), Chandler Dare (softball), Cammie Gray (women's golf), Jordan Meier (soccer), Mike Oczypok (baseball) and Robby Prater (men's golf).
There are nine members of the Crimson Tide's most recent College Football Playoff and SEC champion football teams among the May graduates, including starters Tony Brown, Bradley Bozeman and Shaun Dion Hamilton, as well as four members of the men's basketball team, including team captain Jimmie Taylor.
There will be a commencement ceremony on Friday at 4:30 p.m. as well as three on Saturday at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. The ceremonies will be broadcast live at www.ua.edu/commencement and will be archived on the same page for 30 days following the ceremony.
Crimson Tide Athletics news can be found on Twitter and Instagram (@UA_Athletics) and on Facebook (AlabamaAthletics).
May 2017 University of Alabama Graduating Student-Athletes
| Student-Athlete | Sport |
|---|---|
| Katie Bailey | Gymnastics |
| Payton Ballard | Men's Track and Field |
| Bradley Bozeman | Football |
| Hayes Brewer | Men's Tennis |
| Tony Brown | Football |
| Hunter Bryant | Football |
| Vanessa Clerveaux | Women's Track and Field |
| Corban Collins | Men's Basketball |
| Chandler Dare | Softball |
| Tanner DeVinny | Baseball |
| Nick Eicholtz | Baseball |
| Lawrence Erekosima | Football |
| Kyle Felpel | Men's Track and Field |
| Kimberley Ficenec | Women's Track and Field |
| Justin Fondren | Men's Track and Field |
| Scott Fortier | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Kara Fredlock | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Passion Gamble | Women's Track and Field |
| Derrick Garnett | Football |
| Alex Gholston | Women's Track and Field |
| Maggie Gillespie | Rowing |
| Angelo Goss | Men's Track and Field |
| Bo Grant | Football |
| Peyton Grantham | Softball |
| Alex Gray | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Cammie Gray | Women's Golf |
| Jeremiah Green | Men's Track and Field |
| Bria Green | Volleyball |
| Jack Hadjiconstantinou | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Elias Hakansson | Men's Track and Field |
| Shannon Hale | Men's Basketball |
| Shaun Dion Hamilton | Football |
| Amanda Jetter | Gymnastics |
| Preston Jones | Football |
| Nathan Karr | Men's Track and Field |
| Jacob Kelsoe | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Nick King | Men's Basketball |
| Caroline Korst | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Antibahs Kosgei | Men's Track and Field |
| Leah Lawrence | Volleyball |
| McLean Lipschutz | Men's Track and Field |
| Bonnie Macdonald | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Michael Madden | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Abby Marks | Rowing |
| Dani Mazer | Rowing |
| Anton McKee | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Jordan Meier | Soccer |
| Michael Messuri | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Erika Nist | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Mike Oczypok | Baseball |
| Olivia Ortiz | Women's Track and Field |
| Connor Oslin | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Jennifer Parker | Rowing |
| Dominique Pegg | Gymnastics |
| Tadashi Pinder | Men's Track and Field |
| Taylor Poe | Baseball |
| Allie Pospisil | Rowing |
| Robby Prater | Men's Golf |
| Evan Prizy | Men's Track and Field |
| J.J. Pursley | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Hayden Reed | Men's Track and Field |
| Carlo Rezzonico | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Krystal Rivers | Volleyball |
| Erin Routliffe | Women's Tennis |
| Marisa Runyon | Softball |
| Brent Sagert | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Mary Lillian Sanders | Gymnastics |
| Noelle Sanz | Soccer |
| Nicole Sassaman | Women's Track and Field |
| Alec Scott | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Katie Scott | Rowing |
| Bailey Scott | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| William Sellers | Men's Golf |
| Connor Short | Baseball |
| Kyle Simpson | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Danielle Spielmann | Women's Tennis |
| Gabby Sprio | Rowing |
| Kat Stratton | Soccer |
| Jimmie Taylor | Men's Basketball |
| Brittany Thomas | Volleyball |
| Conner Thompson | Men's Track and Field |
| Dakota Toner | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Mackenzie Valentin | Gymnastics |
| Joe Williams | Men's Track and Field |
| Thomas Woods | Football |
Players Mentioned
