Fifty-Six Memphis Student-Athletes Graduate over Weekend, 28 with Honors

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Fifty-Six Memphis Student-Athletes Graduate over Weekend, 28 with Honors

May 08, 2023 | Baseball, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Rifle, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Men's Track and Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis, Women's Track and Field, Women's Volleyball

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Fifty-six Memphis Tiger student-athletes participated in spring commencement ceremonies at FedExForum Saturday, with 28 graduating with honors.

The 56 graduating student-athletes completed 27 different programs, including nine finishing master's degrees and four earning graduate certificates. Four student-athletes had double majors (Hannah Anderson, Women's Track, Biomedical Engineering & Mathematical Sciences; Aran Teixido Garcia, Women's Tennis, Journalism & Strategic Media and Creative Mass Media; Robin Nool, Men's Track, Data Science Mathematics & Physics; Sonsoles Martin Rodriguez, Women's Track, Journalism & Strategic Media and Political Science).

Degrees conferred include biology, civil engineering, computer science, criminal justice, data science mathematics & physics, finance, marketing management, and mechanical engineering, among many others.

After spring semester grades were finalized, the athletic department boasted a cumulative grade point average of 3.303, the highest non-COVID GPA in school history. A total of 270 student-athletes earned a 3.0 O GPA or higher, while 61 earned a spot in the 4.0 GPA Club.

Additionally, men's tennis posted the highest men's team GPA with a 3.58, while women's soccer set an all-time high GPA of 3.85.

"We could not be more proud of these amazing student-athletes who graduated this weekend," University of Memphis Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Laird Veatch said. "It is extremely impressive to see so many challenge themselves with double majors and graduate degrees, all while competing at the highest levels athletically. With 28 student-athletes graduating with honors as well, this year is another true example of how our coaches and our Center for Athletic Academic Success place a high emphasis on academics and the holistic development of our student-athletes."

In the NCAA's latest Academic Progress Rate report, encompassing the 2018-19 through 2021-22 academic years, a department record-tying 10 teams earned a perfect single-year APR score of 1,000 in 2021-22, marking the second time in the last three years and third time overall Memphis saw 10 teams earn a perfect single-year 1,000. Additionally, four programs earned a perfect multi-year APR score of 1,000. Memphis has had a department record-tying four teams score a perfect multi-year score in back-to-back years and three times overall.

In the fall 2022 semester, Memphis student-athletes boasted a cumulative grade point average of 3.25, its second-highest non-COVID GPA in school history, and a record 65 student-athletes earned a spot in the 4.0 GPA Club in the fall semester. Also in December, Memphis' Graduation Success Rate for 2012-15 was 93 percent, and six Memphis teams led or tied the lead for the highest GSR in the American Athletic Conference amongst their sport.

Sport	Student-Athlete	Degree
Baseball	Austin Baskin	Interdisciplinary Studies
Baseball	Brennan DuBose	Civil Engineering
Baseball	Drew Edwards	Exercise, Sport, and Movement Sciences
Baseball	Anthony Hansen	Graduate Certificate: Athletic Administration
Baseball	Cade Hennemann	Civil Engineering
Baseball	Dalton Kendrick	Organizational Leadership
Baseball	Chase Kessinger	Graduate Certificate: Athletic Administration
Baseball	Xavier Lovett	Interdisciplinary Studies
Baseball	Hudson Ross	Sport and Leisure Management
Baseball	Carson Stinnett	Graduate Certificate: Sport, Nutrition & Dietary Supplement
Baseball	Dexter Swims	Interdisciplinary Studies
Baseball	David Warren	Sport and Leisure Management
Baseball	Braden Webb	Management
Men's Basketball	Malcolm Dandridge	Child Development & Family Studies
Men's Basketball	Jayden Hardaway	Master of Science - Sport Commerce
Men's Basketball	Damaria Franklin	Interdisciplinary Studies
Men's Basketball	Jahmar Young Jr.	Interdisciplinary Studies
Men's Basketball	Kendric Davis	Interdisciplinary Studies
Men's Basketball	Keonte Kennedy	Graduate Certificate: Athletic Administration
Football	Jonah Gambill	Sport and Leisure Management
Men's Golf	James Morgan	Organizational Leadership
Men's Golf	Phuripon Namkang	Finance
Men's Golf	Ryan van der Klis	Organizational Leadership
Men's Soccer	Jovan Prado	Communication Studies
Men's Soccer	Cam Weston	Management
Men's Tennis	Jeremy Taylor	Master of Science - Sport Commerce
Men's Tennis	David Stevenson	Master of Science - Sport Commerce
Men's Tennis	Oscar Cutting	Sport and Leisure Management
Men's Track	Braam Bisschop	Master of Science - Sport Commerce
Men's Track	Payton Gleason	Sport Coaching
Men's Track	Iason Machairas	Exercise, Sport, and Movement Sciences
Men's Track	Anton Michna	Computer Science
Men's Track	Robin Nool	Data Science Mathematics & Physics (Double Major)
Men's Track	Drew O'Connor	Accounting
Men's Track	Cole Riddle	Master of Science - Sport Commerce
Men's Track	Adam Yakobi	Exercise, Sport, and Movement Sciences
Women's Basketball	Lanyce Williams	School Physical Education
Women's Golf	Brooke Veres	Biology
Softball	Meagan Chism	Biology
Softball	Sam Ibison	Health Sciences
Women's Soccer	Mya Jones	Health Sciences
Women's Soccer	Eef Kerkhof	Master of Science - Sport Commerce
Women's Soccer	Allie Rathbun	Master of Public Administration - Public & Nonprofit Administration
Women's Soccer	Haylee Spray	Marketing Management
Women's Soccer	Claire Wyville	Exercise, Sport, and Movement Sciences
Women's Tennis	Aran Teixido Garcia	Journalism & Strategic Media and Creative Mass Media (Double Major)
Women's Tennis	Monique Woog	Exercise, Sport, and Movement Sciences
Women's Track	Hannah Anderson	Biomedical Engineering & Mathematical Sciences (Double Major)
Women's Track	Mi'Asia Bergmann	Sport and Leisure Management
Women's Track	Brooke Calvo	Mechanical Engineering
Women's Track	Samantha Lenton	Criminal Justice
Women's Track	Sonsoles Martin Rodriguez	Journalism & Strategic Media and Political Science (Double Major)
Women's Track	Alyssa Morello	Master of Science - Sport Commerce
Women's Track	Heather Stephenson	Exercise, Sport, and Movement Sciences
Volleyball	Gigi Crescenzo	Biology
Volleyball	Andrea O'Connor	Master of Science - Sport Commerce

Graduating Summa Cum Laude (3.8-4.0 GPA):
Brooke Calvo – Women's Track
Gigi Crescenzo – Volleyball
Aran Teixido Garcia – Women's Tennis
Payton Gleason – Men's Track
Mya Jones – Women's Soccer
Anton Michna – Men's Track
Phuripon Namkang – Men's Golf
Robin Nool – Men's Track
Drew O'Connor – Men's Track
Sonsoles Martin Rodriguez – Women's Track
Haylee Spray – Women's Soccer
Heather Stephenson – Women's Track
Lanyce Williams – Women's Basketball
Monique Woog – Women's Tennis
Claire Wyville – Women's Soccer
Adam Yakobi – Men's Track

Graduating Magna Cum Laude (3.5-3.79 GPA):
Hannah Anderson – Women's Track
Brennan DuBose – Baseball
Cade Hennemann – Baseball
Sam Ibison – Softball
Hudson Ross – Baseball
Brooke Veres – Women's Golf
Cam Weston – Men's Soccer

Graduating Cum Laude (3.25-3.49 GPA):
Meagan Chism – Softball
Drew Edwards – Baseball
Iason Machairas – Men's Track
James Morgan – Men's Golf
Ryan van der Klis – Men's Golf

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Athletics, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the department's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.