DeKALB, Ill. – Sixty-five current and former Northern Illinois University student-athletes representing 16 Huskie sports programs will officially enter the ranks of NIU alumni this weekend as the university holds commencement ceremonies for spring 2021 graduates at Huskie Stadium.
 
Football (15), baseball (13) and women's cross country/track & field (7) account for more than half of the spring student-athlete graduates with wrestling and volleyball each adding four names to the list. Every NIU team except women's golf saw at least one student-athlete graduate this semester. Six of the 15 football spring graduates – as well as several in the remaining programs, will return to compete for NIU in 2021.
 
Five different colleges and 23 different majors are represented by the student-athlete spring graduates, topped by 25 who are graduating from the College of Business and 20 from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.  The student-athlete Class of 2021 also includes graduates from Health and Human Services (9), Education (7) and Engineering & Engineering Technology (4).
 
Nine student-athletes will earn master's degrees this weekend, including five MBA grads. NIU senior punter Matt Ference, golfers Jordan Less and Michael Mattas and men's tennis' Bor Schweiger Muzar are among that group. Football's Ross Bowers (sport management) and Greg DeLuca (sport & exercise psychology) will also receive their master's degrees as will Russell Matos of men's golf (accountancy) and returning long snapper Erik Abrell (finance).   
 
Another name of note on the grads list is Ashley Tutt of NIU women's cross country/track and field, the NIU and MAC record holder, who is earning her undergraduate degree in history and return to run for the Huskies in 2021-22. Tutt will compete next weekend at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Oregon, completing an impressive 2020-21 competition season during which she led the Huskies to the MAC Cross Country and Indoor Track & Field Championships, ran in the NCAA Cross Country Championships and earned All-America status in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Also expected to return to the mat for NIU in 2021-22 is kinesiology grad Mason Kauffman of wrestling, the first NIU athlete in any sport to win the NCAA's Elite 90 Award as the top student at an NCAA Championship.
 
"We are so happy to see these 65 student-athletes earn their degrees this weekend, and even more excited that they have the opportunity to experience an in-person commencement ceremony at Huskie Stadium," said NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier. "Graduation is always one of my favorite times of the year as we have an opportunity to celebrate this life-changing achievement. On behalf of your NIU Athletics family, congratulations to each of our 2021 Spring graduates! Go Huskies!"
 
Baseball (13)
Ryan Anderson, General Emphasis  
Jake Dunham, Management – Human Resource Management
Brendan Joyce, Finance
Parker Kirkpatrick, Accountancy
Dylan Lonteen, Management – Leadership and Management
Tristan Michaels, Advocacy and Public Communication
Jack Phillips, Business Administration
Wade Rankin, Marketing
Elijah Sanchez , Kinesiology
Kyle Seebach, Computer Science – Computational Software AND Mathematics – Probability & Statistics
Kam Smith, Middle Level Teaching and Learning
Nate Thomas, Kinesiology
Paul Turelli, Finance
 
Men's Basketball (3)
Zaire Mateen, Psychology
Chris Johnson, Advocacy and Public Communication
Nathan Scott, General Emphasis
 
Women's Basketball (1)
* Errin Hodges, Advocacy and Public Communication
 
Cross Country / Track and Field (7)
Remy Amarteifio, Psychology
Brynn Bartlett, Nursing
Mackenzie Callahan, Marketing
Maggie Cavanaugh, Nutrition, Dietetics and Wellness
Nora Finegan, Electrical Engineering
Mercer Mack, Electrical Engineering
* Ashley Tutt, History
 
Football (15)
* Erik Abrell, Finance (M.S.)
Ross Bowers, Sport Management (M.S.)
Jordan Cole, Psychology
* Erin Collins, General Emphasis
Greg DeLuca, Sport and Exercise Psychology (M.S.Ed.)
* Matt Ference, Business Administration (MBA)
Rayshawn Gay , History
Andrew Haidet, Business Administration (MBA)
* Michael Kennedy, Management – Entrepreneurship and Social Responsibility
Weston Kramer, General Emphasis
Vinny Labus, Marketing
Leon Payne, Communication – Media Studies
* Dillon Thomas, Political Science – Politics and Governance
* Cole Tucker, Marketing
Cole Webster, Health Sciences – Pre-Physical Therapy
 
Men's Golf (3)
Jordan Less, Business Administration (MBA)
Russell Matos, Accountancy (M.A.C.)
Michael Mattas, Business Administration (MBA)
 
Gymnastics (3)
Catherine Biddle, Health Sciences – Pre-Physical Therapy
Zoie Schroeder, Nursing
* Gabby Welch, Psychology
 
Men's Soccer (2)
Carlos Valdez, Organizational and Corporate Communication
Alex Welch, Marketing
 
Women's Soccer (3)
Amanda Czerniak, Accountancy
Allie Fullriede, Nursing
Madison Kaufmann, Marketing
 
Softball (2)
Mackenzie Bryan, Rehabilitation and Disability Services
Kira Mickelson , Health Sciences – Pre-Physical Therapy
 
Men's Tennis (3)
Kristopher Ortega, Finance
Bor Schweiger Muzar, Business Administration (MBA)
Victor Spolidorio, Engineering Technology – Industrial Management & Technology
 
Women's Tennis (2)
Maria Potsi, Kinesiology
Paula Veyhle, Management – Leadership and Management
 
Volleyball (4)
Destiny Deyro, Organizational & Corporate Communications
Amanda Rullan Vilanova, Marketing
Kelsy Turskey, Health Sciences – Pre-Physical Therapy
Kennedy Wallace, Management – Human Resource Management

Wrestling (4)
Will Feldkamp, Sociology
Max Ihry, Communication – Media Studies
* Mason Kauffman, Kinesiology
Bryce Thurston, Engineering Technology – Industrial Management & Technology
 
-- NIU --