A Major League Baseball draft pick, conference titles, gold medals and school records are scattered among the accomplishments of the 40 Northwestern State student-athletes who earned their college diplomas Wednesday and Thursday at Prather Coliseum.
Those 40 individuals graduated either in the summer or fall and were honored in a joint event.
Former NSU pitcher Levi David was drafted in the ninth round by the New York Mets this June after making the All-Southland Conference Team in 2021. His 15.34 strikeouts and 5.02 hits per nine innings ranked third nationally.
David is also the only student-athlete graduate to earn Summa Cum Laude status, graduating with at least a 3.9 GPA. Seven other NSU student-athletes graduated Magna Cum Laude (3.7 GPA or higher) or Cum Laude (3.5 GPA or higher).
Former baseball teammate Tyler Smith, who is ninth in NSU history with 23 home runs, tied the program single-game record with three home runs in a 2019 win against No. 6 Arkansas and was a member of the 2018 NCAA Tournament that won a game in the Corvallis Regional.
Two track athletes also headline this graduating group as Diana Granados and Janiel Moore have combined for seven Southland Conference golds.
Granados has run a leg on three 4×400 and one 4×100 relay championship squads and is poised to be a conference championship threat in two individual sprints as a senior.
Moore will attempt to defend her 60 hurdles conference title this indoor season and add to her pair of relay golds. She ran leg on NSU’s 4×400 indoor record of 3:41.29, which took gold at the 2020 Indoor SLC Championships.
Soccer forward Kalee Williams knows about conference title trophies.
The Southland Conference third teamer played a key role in NSU’s offense and pressure package as the Lady Demons won their second-ever SLC regular season title and third-ever SLC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament Appearance.
The addiction studies and psychology major finished her career with eight goals and 10 assists in three years as an attacker after being a starting defender as a freshman.
A pair of basketball players will finish distinguished careers this spring.
Larry Owens, a general studies graduate who is the first in his family to obtain a college degree, is on pace to eclipse 800 points and 500 rebounds in his career.
LaTerrance Reed, a business administration graduate, is one of the better 3-point shooters in recent NSU history, making 107 at a 37 percent clip.
All-Southland Conference softball outfielder Elise Vincent will pursue a career in the medical field with her applied microbiology degree.
Among the 12 current and former football players graduating, linebacker Kyle Moore tallied 133 tackles and three interceptions in his career.
Football’s 12 graduates led the way with men’s and women’s track combining for 10 graduates.
Total Summer 2021 and Fall 2021 Athletic Department Grads: 40
Summer 2021 Athletic Graduation List (Participating in Fall 2020 commencement) (12)
Baseball (2)
Levi David (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Finance; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
Tyler Smith (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
Football (2)
Damian Thompson (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration
Floyd Turner (Former Student-Athlete; Also participated in Men’s Track): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration
Soccer (2)
Karoline Guidry (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
April Trowbridge (Former Student-Athlete): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology, Clinical (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)
Softball (2)
Baleigh Derouen (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing; Honors: Honor Roll
Elise Vincent (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Applied Microbiology; Concentration: Environmental & Applied Microbiology; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
Men’s Track (2)
Mike Alukunyang (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Honors: Honor Roll
Javin Arrington: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
Administration (2)
Quinton Thibodeaux (Former Graduate Assistant/Football): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
Christian VanBuren (Former Graduate Assistant/Sports Performance; Former Football Student-Athlete): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Health Promotion
Fall 2021 Athletic Graduation List (28)
Baseball (1)
Evan Daigle (Former Student-Athlete): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
Men’s Basketball (2)
Larry Owens: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: P.E., Sport and Leisure Management
LaTerrance Reed: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Marketing; Honors: Honor Roll
Football (10)
Joshua Clarke: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
Braylon Daigle (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Industrial Engineering Technology; Honors: Honor Roll
Cayden Dunn (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Criminal Justice
Shamond (L.C.) Greenwood: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
John Aaron Howell (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
Jacob Logan (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Marketing
John-David May (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Criminal Justice; Honors: Cum Laude
Quinton Mitchell (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science
Kyle Moore: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Industrial Engineering Technology; Honors: Honor Roll
Trevor Morgan (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Honors: Honor Roll
Soccer (4)
Amy Dill (Former Student-Athlete and Student Worker): Master of Education; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Educational Technology Leadership; Concentration: Educational Leadership Technology K-12
Sydney Normand: Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing; Honors: Honor Roll
Kaymi Wheeler: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Honor Roll
Kalee Williams: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Addiction Studies & Psychology; Honors: Cum Laude
Men’s Track (2)
Austin Simoneaux: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Management; Honors: Honor Roll
Cole Spooner: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: History; Minor: Social Science; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
Women’s Track (5)
Nadia Carney (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Concentration: Pre-Physical Therapy; Honors: Cum Laude
Taylor Finley: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Child and Family Studies; Concentration: Child Development & Family Relations; Minor: Social Science; Honors: Honor Roll
Diana Granados: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors: Honor Roll
Janiel Moore: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Honors: Honor Roll
Marlee Paulk (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Minor: Accounting; Honors: Cum Laude
Volleyball (1)
Bryce Potter: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors: Honor Roll
Administration (3)
John “Bud” Denega (Former Graduate Assistant/Sports Information): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
Kyle Jobe (Former Assistant Coach/Soccer): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
James Stanfield (Student Worker/Video): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration: Journalism, Broadcasting, and DM Production; Minor: Photography; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
PHOTO: Chris Reich/NSU Photographic Services
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