Photo by: Auburn Sage
Memphis Athletics Celebrates 28 Graduates at Fall Commencement
Dec 15, 2024 | Baseball, Football, General, Men's Soccer, Men's Track and Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Women's Track and Field
MEMPHIS, Tenn. –  Twenty-eight University of Memphis student-athletes participated in the fall commencement ceremonies at FedExForum on Sunday, with 15 Tigers graduating with honors distinction. The University held two ceremonies for their fall graduates, one at noon and one at 4 p.m. at the home of the Memphis men's basketball team. In addition, a graduation reception was held for the student-athletes on Friday to recognize their success and accomplishment.
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The 28 student-athletes represented eight different sport programs. Degrees conferred included 23 undergraduate degrees and five master's degrees or certificates in the fields of health sciences, marketing, business administration, psychology, and international business, among others.
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"The entire athletic department would like to congratulate our fall graduates on their monumental achievement," University of Memphis Senior Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ed Scott, Ph.D. said. "Graduating student-athletes is a primary goal of our mission as a department and we are extremely proud of our student-athletes who have thrived under the guidance of our support systems, coaches and academic staff. We are excited to see what our outstanding student-athletes accomplish following their time at Memphis and wish them the best of luck in their next journey."
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Additionally, in the NCAA's latest Graduation Success Rate report for the most recent 2017 cohort (2014-17), which calculates the rate at which student-athletes graduated within six years, Memphis' overall 92 percent GSR is above the Division I average of 91 percent. The football program established a record-high GSR of 94 percent which tied Navy for the highest mark in the American Athletic Conference. Eight programs overall led the AAC in GSR with six earning perfect 100 percent marks. Memphis has now recorded a department GSR of at least 90 percent in seven straight cohorts (2011-17).
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Graduating Summa Cum Laude (3.8-4.0 GPA):
Jackson Kim – Men's Soccer
Kaylie Bierman – Women's Soccer
Sarah Hagg – Women's Soccer
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Graduating Magna Cum Laude (3.5-3.79 GPA):
Cade Davis – Baseball
Luke Ellis – Baseball
Brendon Doyle – Football
Tanner Gillis – Football
Mans Roos – Men's Track
Madison Berner – Softball
Momo Nakao – Women's Soccer
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Graduating Cum Laude (3.25-3.49 GPA):
Caden Costa – Football
Greg Rubin – Football
Alasia Smith – Women's Basketball
Poorna Raorane – Women's Track
Riley Simmons – Women's Track
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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.
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The 28 student-athletes represented eight different sport programs. Degrees conferred included 23 undergraduate degrees and five master's degrees or certificates in the fields of health sciences, marketing, business administration, psychology, and international business, among others.
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"The entire athletic department would like to congratulate our fall graduates on their monumental achievement," University of Memphis Senior Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ed Scott, Ph.D. said. "Graduating student-athletes is a primary goal of our mission as a department and we are extremely proud of our student-athletes who have thrived under the guidance of our support systems, coaches and academic staff. We are excited to see what our outstanding student-athletes accomplish following their time at Memphis and wish them the best of luck in their next journey."
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Additionally, in the NCAA's latest Graduation Success Rate report for the most recent 2017 cohort (2014-17), which calculates the rate at which student-athletes graduated within six years, Memphis' overall 92 percent GSR is above the Division I average of 91 percent. The football program established a record-high GSR of 94 percent which tied Navy for the highest mark in the American Athletic Conference. Eight programs overall led the AAC in GSR with six earning perfect 100 percent marks. Memphis has now recorded a department GSR of at least 90 percent in seven straight cohorts (2011-17).
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| Sport | Student-Athlete | Degree |
| Baseball | Cade Davis | Exercise, Sport, and Movement Sciences |
| Baseball | Luke Ellis | Sport and Leisure Management |
| Football | Demeer Blankumsee | Communications |
| Football | Jamauri Chislom | Sport and Leisure Management |
| Football | Caden Costa | Marketing Management |
| Football | Brendan Doyle | Psychology |
| Football | Tanner Gillis | Management |
| Football | Xavier Hill | Interdisciplinary Studies |
| Football | Matt Hudson | Master's, Sport and Hospitality Management |
| Football | Kourtlan Marsh | Interdisciplinary Studies |
| Football | Calvin McMillian | Interdisciplinary Studies |
| Football | Greg Rubin | Sport and Leisure Management |
| Football | Jyaire Shorter | Master's, Sport and Hospitality Management |
| Football | Keveionta Spears | Management |
| Football | Roc Taylor | Interdisciplinary Studies |
| Football | Brandon Thomas | Sport and Leisure Management |
| Football | Tristian Vandenberg | Master's Business Administration |
| Men's Soccer | Dominic Foster | Master's Business Administration |
| Men's Soccer | Jackson Kim | Exercise, Sport, and Movement Sciences |
| Men's Track    | Mans Roos | International Business |
| Women's Basketball | Alasia Smith | Physical Education Teacher Education (Sport Coaching) |
| Women's Soccer | Kaylie Bierman | Physical Education Teacher Education (Sport Coaching) |
| Women's Soccer | Sarah Hagg | Management |
| Women's Soccer | Camber Hayes | Population Health Graduate Certificate |
| Women's Soccer | Momo Nakao | Sport and Leisure Management w/ Nutrition, Health, and Wellness Minor |
| Softball    | Madison Berner | Health Sciences |
| Women's Track | Poorna Raorane | International Business |
| Women's Track | Riley Simmons | Interdisciplinary Studies |
Graduating Summa Cum Laude (3.8-4.0 GPA):
Jackson Kim – Men's Soccer
Kaylie Bierman – Women's Soccer
Sarah Hagg – Women's Soccer
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Graduating Magna Cum Laude (3.5-3.79 GPA):
Cade Davis – Baseball
Luke Ellis – Baseball
Brendon Doyle – Football
Tanner Gillis – Football
Mans Roos – Men's Track
Madison Berner – Softball
Momo Nakao – Women's Soccer
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Graduating Cum Laude (3.25-3.49 GPA):
Caden Costa – Football
Greg Rubin – Football
Alasia Smith – Women's Basketball
Poorna Raorane – Women's Track
Riley Simmons – Women's Track
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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.
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Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
GK
/ Women's Soccer
WR
/ Football
TE
/ Football
K
/ Football
RHP
/ Baseball
TE
/ Football
LHP
/ Baseball
DEF
/ Men's Soccer
P/K
/ Football
D
/ Women's Soccer
MF/D
/ Women's Soccer
OL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DEF
/ Men's Soccer
DB
/ Football
MF
/ Women's Soccer
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
F
/ Women's Basketball
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
K
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