NATCHITOCHES – While Northwestern State's graduations may be socially distanced (five ceremonies over two days instead of the usual two ceremonies), student-athlete graduates with significant accomplishments remain plentiful.
 
A total of 37 current and former NSU student-athletes earned degrees Thursday and Friday in the first in-person graduations since the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Those 37 individuals graduated either in the summer or fall and were honored in a joint event.
 
The batch of graduates include NSU and Southland Conference record holders, players of the year, an All-American and a professional draftee.
 
Sprinter Natashia Jackson is the reigning Southland Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Year who owns two NSU records and one conference record. Her 16 gold medals at SLC Championships is the third-most in league history with one more outdoor season still remaining.
 
The psychology graduate is an honor roll member as one of 16 student-athlete graduates with at least a 3.0 GPA.
 
Volleyball outside hitter Hannah Brister was the program's first SLC and Louisiana Player of the Year after setting a program single-season record with 539 kills as a junior. In just three seasons, Brister (cum laude graduate in health and exercise science) ranks second all-time on NSU's kills list with 1,122.
 
Football safety Hayden Bourgeois earned HERO Sports Sophomore All-American honors in 2018 after forcing seven turnovers before his career ended prematurely because of injury.
 
Quan Shorts is part of a successful pipeline of transfer receivers, setting NSU's single-season mark with 100 catches as a senior.
 
Baseball shortstop Caleb Ricca, a member of NSU's first baseball SLC Tournament Championship team in 2018, was drafted in the 23^rd round by the Seattle Mariners.
 
Football offensive lineman Chris Zirkle not only impressed on the fields and courts (all-conference) but was recognized regionally and nationally for his academics, leadership and community service.
 
Zirkle, who earned his master's in homeland security, was selected to the FCS Athletics Directors Association's 22^nd Academic All-Star Team and was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
 
Zirkle recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA, joining teammate lineman Eduardo Balderas (masters in clinical mental health counseling), women's basketball forward Victoria Miller (masters in sports administration) and men's basketball guard Marvette Williams Jr. (masters in homeland security).
 
These four summa cum laude graduates were accompanied by one magna cum laude honoree (3.7-3.89 GPA) in softball's Codi Vernace and two cum laude designees (3.5-3.69 GPA) in football's McKane Kinchen and Brister.
 
 
Total Summer 2020 and Fall 2020 Athletic Department Grads:  37
 
Summer 2020 Athletic Graduation List (Participating in Fall 2020 commencement) (14)
 
Men's Basketball (1)

1. Chudier Bile: Bachelor of General Studies; College:  Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science

Women's Basketball (1)

1. Samantha (Gabby) Bell: Master of Arts; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Adult Learning & Development; Concentration: Adult & Workforce Development

Football (5)

1. Hayden Bourgeois: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration
2. D'Ronne Littleton: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Child and Family Studies; Concentration: Child Development & Family Relations; Minor: Social Science
3. Quan Shorts: Bachelor of General Studies; College:  Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science
4. Charles Vaughn (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College:  Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science
5. Chris Zirkle: Master of Science; College:  Arts and Sciences; Major: Homeland Security (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)

Men's Track (2)

1. Retsel Jackson (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Criminal Justice
2. Quindarrius Thompson: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Criminal Justice

Women's Track (3)

1. Natashia (Speedy) Jackson: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Concentration: Substance Abuse; Honors: Honor Roll
2. Destiney Myers (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Minor: Biology
3. Cori Runnels: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Hospitality, Management and Tourism; Concentration: Hospitality Services; Minor: Business Administration

 
Administration (2)

1. Darius Ardoin (Facilities and Event Management Student Worker): Bachelor of General Studies; College:  Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
2. Kenan Carroll (Facilities and Event Management Student Worker): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Minor: Criminal Justice

 
Fall 2020 Athletic Graduation List (23)
Baseball (1)

1. Caleb Ricca (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Honors: Honor Roll

Men's Basketball (2)

1. Devante George (Former JV Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Marketing; Honors: Honor Roll
2. Marvette Williams Jr. (Former JV Student-Athlete): Master of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Homeland Security (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)

Women's Basketball (1)

1. Victoria Miller (Former Student-Athlete): Master of Science; College:  Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)

 Football (8)

1. Eduardo Balderas (Former Student-Athlete): Master of Arts; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Counseling; Concentration: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)
2. Samuel Forest (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science
3. Daniel Justino: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Hospitality, Management and Tourism; Concentration: Hospitality Services; Minor: Business Administration
4. McKane Kinchen: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Honors: Cum Laude
5. Travis Mitchell (Former Student-Athlete and Sports Information Student Worker): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration: Journalism, Broadcasting, and Digital Media Production; Minor: Industrial Engineering Technology; Honors: Honor Roll
6. Nicholas Pierotti (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors: Honor Roll
7. William Bryce Rivers: Bachelor of General Studies; College:  Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
8. Darius Whitfield: Bachelor of General Studies; College:  Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Softball (3)

1. Hayley Barbazon:  Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing and School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing-BSN; Honors: Honor Roll
2. Sidney Harris (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration
3. Codi Vernace: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Magna Cum Laude

 Men's Track (1)

1. Brad Alexander (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Computer and Natural Science; Minor: Mathematics; Honors: Honor Roll

 Women's Track (3)

1. Tia Elmore (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College:  Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
2. Kimanie Evans (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Addiction Studies
3. Keionne Octave (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Honor Roll

 Volleyball (2)

1. Hannah Brister: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors: Cum Laude
2. Cayman Sutton (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education and Human Development; Major: Child and Family Studies; Concentration: Child Development and Family Relations; Minor: Social Science; Honors: Honor Roll

 Administration (2)

1. Nathan Farber (Assistant Coach/Football): Master of Science; College:  Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
2. Desiree Milton (Former Sports Information Student Worker): Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing-BSN