DeKALB, Ill. – All 17 Northern Illinois University sports programs were represented among the 74 current and former student-athletes who graduated from NIU this past weekend, including 12 Huskies who earned a master's degree. The 74 student-athlete graduates represent one of the largest groups in recent history and a significant portion of NIU's 400+ student-athletes.
"I love seeing this list with all of our programs represented in this spring's NIU graduating class," said NIU Vice President/Director of Athletics and Recreation
Sean T. Frazier. "Their work ethic and competitive spirit, whether on the practice field, in competition or in the classroom, shines through. I'm proud every time I get to attend graduation and see our student-athletes earn the most impactful 'win' of their college careers. Congratulations to these new Huskie alums!"
Twelve graduates were members of the NIU football team, including master's degree recipients
Erik Abrell,
Matt Ference and
Cole Tucker, who returns for his senior campaign in 2022. Returning starters at offensive tackle
Nolan Potter and
Marques Cox earned their undergraduate degrees in marketing and communications, respectively.
The Huskie gymnastics team – ranked as the No. 1 academic team in Division I a year ago - graduated seven student-athletes, while women's soccer, women's track & field, softball and baseball all had six spring 2022 graduates, followed by women's basketball and men's soccer with five each.
Nearly 40 different majors/fields of study were represented among the 74 Huskie grads, from sport management (grad and undergrad) to elementary education, from nursing to engineering technology. Individual MAC Champions
Tara Kofmehl (gymnastics) and
Brit Wilson (wrestling), as well as multiple members of the 2021 NIU football and NIU men's soccer MAC Championship teams, earned their degrees.
The complete list of Spring 2022 NIU student-athlete grads is below.
Baseball
Matt Barnes, Sport Management
Nick Bonk, Sport Management
Paxton Kennedy, Economics
Dylan Lonteen, Business Administration (MBA)
Paddy McKermitt, Management - Human Resource Management
Brandon McPherson, Political Science - Politics and Governance
Men's Basketball
Chinedu Kingsley Okanu, Finance
Chris Osten, General Emphasis
Women's Basketball
Mikayla Brandon, Psychology
Paulina Castro, Sport Management (Master's)
Grace Hunter, Marketing
Ally Lehman, Sport Management (Master's)*
Emily Meinert, Sociology
Football
Erik Abrell, Business Administration (MBA)
Marques Cox, Marketing
Mike DeHaan, Digital Marketing (Master's)
Joshua Earl, Communication - Organizational - Corporate
Matt Ference, Finance (Master's)
Jeffrey Griffin Jr., Communication - Media Studies
Reggie Jennings, Communication - Organizational - Corporate
Zhamaine March, Communication - Organizational - Corporate
Kewan Parker, Communication - Organizational - Corporate
Nolan Potter, Communication - Organizational - Corporate
Cole Tucker, Digital Marketing (Master's)
Rahveon Valentine, Sociology
Men's Golf
Luke DeHaven , Marketing
Tyler McDowell, Finance
Reece Nilsen, General Emphasis
Women's Golf
Sofia Gomez Enriquez, Management and Information Systems (Master's)
Lauren Ingle, Nursing
Caroline Klemp, Finance
Gymnastics
Nicolette DiPrisco, Political Science - Public Law
Morgan Hooper, Marketing
Tara Kofmehl, Accountancy
Kelsey Martz, Kinesiology
Liana Roman, Operations & Information Management
Ciara Ryan, Sport Management
Gabby Welch, Business Administration (MBA)
Men's Soccer
Enrique Banuelos, Business Administration
Miguel Maynez, Finance
Martin Sanchez, Management - Leadership and Management
Pierce Ugarte, Business Administration
Roque Viegas, Communication - Media Studies
Women's Soccer
Sarah Avery, Communicative Disorders
Amanda Czerniak, Accountancy (Master's)
Fiona Fulling, Elementary Education: Reading Teacher
Haley Hoppe, Electrical Engineering: Biomedical Engineering
Julia Lentz, Chemistry-Biochemistry
Jenna Lewey, Rehabilitation and Disability Services
Softball
Kara Apato, Health Sciences: General
Bianca Barone, Psychology and Sociology (Double Major)
Katie Keller, Biological Sciences
Maddie Mackey, Sport Management
Mackenzie Mahy, Nursing
Amberly Rodriguez, Rehabilitation and Disability Services
Men's Tennis
Mikko Malinen, Marketing
Kristopher Ortega, Business Administration (MBA)
Oliver Valentinsson, Business Administration
Women's Tennis
Iuliia Dmitrieva, Operations & Information Management
Fernanda Naves, Political Science - International Politics
Christy Robinson, Advocacy and Public Communication
Paula Veyhle, Finance (Master's)
Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field
Kimone Hines, Business Administration
Syanne Johnston, Health Sciences: General
Kaitlyn Lewis, Biological Sciences
Fatima Stingily, Health Sciences - Pre-Physical Therapy
Women's Track & Field/Cross Country
Kaitlin Miller, Health Sciences - Pre-Physical Therapy
Hannah Ricci, Health Sciences - Pre-Physical Therapy
Volleyball
Grace Balensiefer, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Wellness
Angie Gromos, Business Administration and Marketing (Double Major)
Jasmine Kemp, Public Health - Health Administration
Kennedy Shelley, Elementary Education: Bilingual/ESL
Wrestling
Caleb Brooks, Health Sciences - Pre-Physical Therapy
Brit Wilson, Engineering Technology-Industrial Management and Technology
*former player, member of athletic staff in 2021
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