Picture ID (bottom to top, left to right)

Row 1

Greg Burke (Athletics Director), Joseph Biscoe (Faculty Athletic Representative, Betsy Nohavitza (Asst. Academic Coordinator), Kelee Roddy (Academic Coordinator), Janelle Perez (w-basketball), Cassandra Briscoe (soccer), Hannah Richardson (marketing), Geraldine Lacour Rachal (athletic services), Dr. Jim Henderson (University President), Mike McConathy (Head Coach - basketball)

 

Row 2

Daniel Taylor (football), Chris Forestier (Graduate Assistant-football), Jeremy Elliot (cross country/track & field), Natalie Pena (soccer), Kateryna Piatakova (tennis), Patric DuBois (Asst. Athletics Director), Olga Bazhanova (Head Coach – tennis)

 

Row 3

Megan Steen (Graduate Assistant – Athletic Trainer), Baylee Gray (softball), Shelby Balmer (soccer), Meghan Cross (w-basketball), Natayla Krutova (tennis)

 

Row 4

Jahvez Barnes (football), Sylvester Grimble (football), Delryn Wilson (football), Thomas Moore (football/track & field), Jalan West (basketball)

 

Row 5

Devonte Allen (football), JeMarcus Marshall (football), Okezie Adim-Madumere (football), Will Poole (basketball), Ta'Jon Welcome (basketball)

NATCHITOCHES – NCAA basketball assists leader Jalan West, All-American triple jumper Aaron Williams, retired NFL cornerback Kenny Wright, incomparable Lady Demon basketball point guard Janelle Perez and one of NSU's all-time tennis greats, Natalya Krutova, were among 51 athletic graduates in the spotlight Friday at Northwestern State's spring commencement exercises at Prather Coliseum.
 
Krutova was among three student-athletes graduating summa cum laude with grade point averages between 3.9 and a perfect 4.0, which she recorded. Perez was one of four magna cum laude grads representing athletics, posting GPAs between 3.70-3.89.
 
West, who led the NCAA in assists and ranked 16^th in scoring in 2014-15, introduced the commencement speakers at both the morning and afternoon ceremonies, including Louisiana Gov. Jon Bel Edwards in the morning session that drew an overflow crowd to 5,000-seat Prather Coliseum.
 
Williams was among nine track and field and baseball graduates who received their degrees last Sunday evening in an early graduation ceremony since they are competing on the road this weekend. Also honored last Sunday and officially graduating Friday were five-time Southland Conference women's triple jump champion Por'sha Thomas, and cum laude graduate Nathan Aultman, a baseball pitcher with a GPA between 3.50-3.69.
 
Along with Krutova, the summa cum laude graduates representing athletics were Lady Demon basketball player Meghan Cross and former Lady Demon tennis player Linda Gamo Gouge.
 
Perez was among five student-athletes graduating magna cum laude, joined by soccer's Natalie Pena, former track and field competitor Holli Conway and former football player Micah Arbuckle.
 
Graduating with cum laude high honors, along with Aultman, were track and field distance runner Jeremy Elliott and former football player Wesley Spigener.
 
Also among the standout athletes graduating Friday were record-shattering football quarterback (2013-14) Zach Adkins; pitcher Joe Scanio, a 16th-round Major League Baseball Draft choice of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012; and current outfielder Bret Underwood, chosen in the 20^th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by San Francisco.
Wright, a Ruston native, completed his degree following a nine-year NFL career with five teams. He was a fourth-round 1999 NFL Draft pick of Minnesota.
 
A total of eight competitors graduating Friday combined to help NSU reach eight NCAA Tournaments, along with Williams, 14^th at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships in the triple jump. Perez and teammate Meghan Cross helped the Lady Demon basketball team to the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Tournament, while Krutova and Kateryna Piatkova were on Lady Demon tennis teams reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2015, and Gouge played on the 2013 team. Former softballer Bailey Gray played on a 2013 NCAA Tournament entry, a couple of months after West helped the Demon basketball team to March Madness. Wright was a standout on NSU's 1997 and 1998 FCS playoff teams, helping the 1998 Demons finish ranked No. 3 nationally after a run to the semifinals.
 
Four helped NSU teams win Southland Conference regular-season championships: Krutova and Piatkova on the 2014 women's tennis winners, Gray on the 2015 softball champs, and Wright on the 1997 and 1998 Southland football titlelists.

Defensive end JeMarcus Marshall, who is returning for his senior season this fall, was a 2013 Freshman All-American.

High jumper Quinton Helaire claimed the 2013-14 Southland Conference Steve McCarty Citizenship Award.
 
Longtime NSU team physician Dr. Jim Knecht, who has served in that role since 1980, was conferred an honorary doctorate by university president Dr. Jim Henderson.
Veteran athletic services administrative assistant Gerri Rachal Lacour received her bachelor's degree 29 years and seven children after entering NSU. She resumed her studies two years ago.
 
The student-athletes graduating Friday contributed to NSU's record 3.06 GPA for athletics last fall, and helped the university remain penalty and warning-free in the 11-year history of the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate reports.
 
There were 15 football players among the 51 graduates, another sign of the academic progress shown by the Demons under fourth-year coach Jay Thomas. NSU football posted a record high APR score last month.
 
Spring 2016 Athletic Graduation List (51)
Baseball (4)
1.  Nathan Aultman: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration:  Biomedical; Honors: Cum Laude
2.  Joe Scanio (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Honors:  Honor Roll
3.  Jeffrey Stovall: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration:  Mass Communications; Minor: Social Science
4.  Bret Underwood:  Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration: Organizational Communication; Minor:  Business Administration
 
Men's Basketball (3)
1.  Wil Poole: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Mathematics
2.  Ta'Jon Welcome: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration:  Mass Communications; Minor: Social Science
3.  Jalan West: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration:  Arts and Communications; Minor:  Social Science
 
Women's Basketball (2)
1.  Meghan Cross: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
2.  Janelle Perez: Bachelor of Science College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors:  Magna Cum Laude
 
Football (15)
1.  Okezie Adim-Madumere: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration:  Social Science; Minors:  Physical Education and P.E., Sport & Leisure Management; Honors:  Honor Roll
2.  Zach Adkins (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration:  Arts and Communications; Minors:  Communication and Social Science
3. Devonta' Allen: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Mathematics
4. Will Anglin (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors:  Honor Roll
5.  Micah Arbuckle (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Honors:  Magna Cum Laude
6.  Jahvez Barnes: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration:  Social Science; Minor:  Social Science
7.  Matthew Flores: Bachelor of Science College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Honors:  Honor Roll
8.  Sylvester Grimble: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentrations:  Social Science and Arts & Communications; Minor:  Social Science
9.  Daniel Hazlewood (Participated in Men's Basketball as well): Bachelor of Science College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Honors:  Honor Roll
10.  JeMarcus Marshall: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Minor: Addiction Studies
11.  Jacob Merriman: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Criminal Justice
12.  Thomas Moore (Former Student-Athlete; Participated in Men's Track as well): Bachelor of Arts; College: Louisiana Scholars' College; Major: Liberal Arts; Honors: Honor Roll
13.  Wesley Spigener (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Cum Laude
14.  Delryn Wilson: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration:  Arts and Communications; Minor:  Social Science
15.  Kenny Wright (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration:  Social Science; Minors:  Social Science and Criminal Justice
 
 
 
Soccer (3)
1.  Shelby Balmer: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Honor Roll
2.  Cassandra Briscoe: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration: Mass Communications; Minor: Psychology; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
3.  Natalie Pena: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Majors: Addiction Studies and Psychology; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
 
Softball (1)
1.   Baylee Gray (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Honor Roll
 
Tennis (3)
1.  Linda Gamo Gougue (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Electronics Engineering Technology; Concentration: Electronics; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
2.  Natalya Krutova: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
3.  Kateryna (Kate) Piatakova (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration:  Social Science; Minor:  P.E., Sport & Leisure Management
 
Men's Track (6)
1.  Miles Brown: Bachelor of Science College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Honors:  Magna Cum Laude
2.  Jeremy Elliott: Bachelor of Science College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors:  Cum Laude
3.  Quinton Helaire: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Computer Information Systems; Minor: Business Administration; Honors:  Honor Roll
4.  Mitchell Landry: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Industrial Engineering Technology; Honors:  Honor Roll
5.  Aaron Williams: Bachelor of Science College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science
6.  Troy Christian Willis: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Electronics Engineering Technology; Concentration: Electronics; Minor:  Computer Information Systems
 
Women's Track (4)
1. Holli' Conway (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Theatre; Concentration: Musical Theatre Performance; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
2.  Breann Denson: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology
3.  Keshira McKnight: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology
4.  Por'sha Thomas: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Forensic Science; Honors: Honor Roll
 
Administration (10)
1.  Nick Ammirati (Volunteer Coach/Baseball): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
2.  Ben Baker (Graduate Assistant/Football & previously Athletic Facilities): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
3.  Adam Braun (Former Graduate Assistant/Equipment Room): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
4.  Cole Cleveland (Former Graduate Assistant/Men's Basketball): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
5.  Chris Forestier (Graduate Assistant/Football): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
6.  Geraldine (Ms. Gerri) Rachal Lacour (Administrative Assistant/Athletic Services): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration:  Computer and Natural Science; Minor:  Computer Information Systems
7.  Emily Morphitis (Assistant Coach/Soccer): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
8.  Hannah Richardson (Student Worker/Marketing): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration: Mass Communications; Minor:  Psychology
9.  Meagan Steen (Graduate Assistant/Athletic Trainer): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Health Promotion
10.  Eric Tilmont (Former Assistant Coach/Women's Basketball): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration