The Seattle University athletics department was well-represented at KeyArena at Seattle Center Sunday morning, as 63 student-athletes received their bachelor's degrees during the 93rd Seattle University Commencement.
Scott Greenburg (B.A. - Economics) of the men's soccer team graduated with summa cum laude honors, as did Lauren Munechika (B.S. - Nursing) of the women's soccer team and Rachel Vranizan (B.S. - Civil Engineering), a student manager for the track and field team. Ian Dahl (B.A. - History) graduated with both departmental honors as well as magna cum laude honors.
Swimmer Keith Andrews (B.S. - Sport and Exercise Science), the 2012 Seattle U Athletics Male Student-Athlete of the Year, earned magna cum laude honors. Other Redhawk student-athletes graduating magna cum laude include Elena Collins (B.S. - Nursing) and Ariel Johnson (B.A. - Business Administration/Accounting) of the track and field team, Jamie Johnson (B.A. - Business Administration/International Business) and Talisa Rhea (B.S. - Sport and Exercise Science) from the women's basketball team, Paul Pavlos (B.A. - Business Administration/Finance) of the men's golf team, and Connie Rae Shobaken (B.A. - Business Administration/Management) from the swim program.
Golfer Caitlin McCleary (B.S. - Mechanical Engineering), the 2012 Bill Fenton 101 Club Female Athletes of the Year, graduated with cum laude honors. Four student-athletes all received Bachelor of Science degrees in sport and exercise science with cum laude honors: John Bardwell of the men's soccer team, Ashley Dalton from the cross country and track and field squads, Casey Hoffman of the women's swim team, and Mikaela Peterson from the women's tennis team.
Carley Butcher (B.A. - Strategic Communications) of the women's basketball team also graduated cum laude, as did Brandon Hamer (B.S. - Computer Science) of the men's soccer team, John Payton (B.A. - Business Administration/Accounting) from the 2010-11 men's golf team and Renee Vandermause (B.S. - Civil Engineering) of the women's soccer team.
Female Student-Athlete of the Year Katrina Schwab (B.S. - Civil Engineering) and Bill Fenton 101 Club Male Athlete of the Year Aaron Broussard (Bachelor of Criminal Justice) earned their degrees. Broussard was joined in the procession by teammate Cervante Burrell (B.A. - Sociology), while Schwab received her degree alongside fellow tennis players Simon Meske (B.A. - Business Administration/Marketing), Nicole Nakaoka (B.S. - Civil Engineering), Ariel Ohno (B.S. - Nursing), and Aya Sugimoto (B.A. - International Studies).
Five baseball players, along with volleyball player Kaytlyn Dill, received Bachelor of Arts degrees in liberal studies: Bryan Dalton, Arlo Evasick, Jace Sloan, Michael Tevlin, and Max Whieldon. Bryndon Ecklund (B.A. - Business Administration/Accounting), Marcelino Morales (B.A. - Psychology), Trent Oleszczuk (B.A. - Business Administration/Business Economics), and Riley Tompkins (B.A. - Business Administration/Management) also represented the baseball team at graduation.
Megan Augustavo (Bachelor of Criminal Justice), Jordan Keller (B.A. - Strategic Communications), Cristin Richards (B.A. - Sociology), and team manager Jeremy Supnet (B.S. - Environmental Science) participated in the volleyball program. Women's basketball players Amani Butler and Elle Kerfoot received Bachelor of Arts degrees in strategic communications, as did Madison Goverde from the women's soccer team. Monica Nevi, a student manager for the women's basketball team, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in sport and exercise science, while fellow manager Bianca Williams received a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.
Ivan Dizdar (B.A. - History) received his degree after completing his time on the men's soccer team in 2010, as did 2011 men's soccer participants Kevin Cook (B.S. - Civil Engineering), Tyler Hanson (B.A. - Business Administration/Management), Marshall Kosaka (B.S. - Civil Engineering), Elliot Richards (B.A. - Psychology), and Demaci Roussos (B.A. - Public Affairs). The women's soccer team was represented by Taylor Fannin (B.A. - Biology), Kassandra Riozzi (B.A. - Business Administration/Marketing), Jordan Salisbury (B.A. - Humanities for Teaching), and Brynn Watanabe (B.S. - Civil Engineering).
Swimmers who graduated Sunday include Jordan Anderson (B.A. - Business Administration/Business Economics), Hanna Basler (B.A. - Political Science), Alexis Morehouse (B.A. - Business Administration/Accounting), Tina Nguyen (B.A. - Business Administration/Marketing), Garrett Nugent (B.A. - Business Administration/International Business), Erin Warren (B.A. - Visual Art), and James White (B.A. - Philosophy).
Chris Auld (B.A. - Biology), Dan Auld (B.A. - Biology), Sarah Bolce (B.S. - Nursing), and Alyssa Lout (B.S. - Psychology) represented the cross country/track and field program, and Michelle Grome (B.S. - General Science) completed her degree after four years on the women's golf team.
Three members of the Seattle U cheer and dance team also received their degrees during the commencement ceremony: Taylor Hinderer (B.S. - Psychology), Kelsey Peck (B.A. - Political Science), and Emma Pirie (B.A. - Art History). Peck graduated magna cum laude, while Hinderer and Pirie both earned cum laude honors.
The Seattle University athletics department is about to complete the transition to NCAA Division I status. The department will see 17 of its 20 sports move into the Western Athletic Conference July 1, 2012, with the men's soccer and men's swimming programs remaining in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the new women's rowing program competing as a Division I independent in 2012-13.