Lincoln – A total of 13 current and former Husker student-athletes across all sports will earn their degrees during UNL Summer Commencement ceremonies at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Friday, Aug. 13 at 3 p.m. (Graduate) and Saturday, Aug. 14 at 9 a.m. (Undergraduate).
The events also will be streamed at http://www.commencement.unl.edu.
The Nebraska men’s basketball program headlines the collection of Husker graduates with a pair of notable former players, led by current NBA starter Isaiah Roby (Dixon, Ill.). A management major at Nebraska, Roby was a three-year contributor for the Big Red from 2016-17 through 2018-19, appearing in 97 games with 52 starts as a Husker. As a junior, he averaged 11.8 points and 6.9 rebounds before being selected with the 45th pick overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. Roby averaged 8.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 61 games with 34 starts for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020-21.
Another noteworthy former Husker and former NBA player earning his degree is Eric Johnson. A senior guard for the Big Red in 1988-89, Johnson started 57 games in his two-year Nebraska basketball career. He averaged 11.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals. His 68 total steals as a senior ranked as one of the top 10 totals in school history. Johnson came to Nebraska after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Baylor. Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Johnson played in 48 games with two starts in helping the Utah Jazz to the NBA playoffs in 1989-90. He continued to play professionally in the Continental Basketball Association until 1995, while also competing in Europe and South America until 2003.
The Nebraska football program will be represented by four graduates, including Kanawai Noa (Honolulu, Hawaii), who will earn his master’s degree from UNL. Christian Banker (Omaha, Neb.), Deontre Thomas (Mustang, Okla.) and Travis Vokolek (Springfield, Mo.) will add bachelor degrees for the Big Red.
The Husker women’s track and field program will feature three graduates in the August class, including Emma (Baynes) Algarin (Mankato, Minn.), Izzabella Guerrero (Dripping Springs, Texas) and Michaela Peskova (Trnava, Slovakia).
The Nebraska men’s gymnastics team adds a pair of Canadian graduates with Mitch Tyndall (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) and Jonathan Scripnick (Milton, Ontario), while soccer player Adriana Maldonado (Fresno, Calif.) and bowler Alexa Fernandez (San Jose, Costa Rica) round out an extraordinarily diverse collection of Husker summer graduates.
Overall, the 13 Husker graduates in August came to Nebraska from nine states and three foreign countries. Over the last three graduations (December 2020, May 2021, August 2021), a total of 113 Husker student-athletes from 25 states and eight foreign countries have earned their degrees from the University of Nebraska.
Nebraska continues to feature one of the highest graduation rates in the nation, while leading the nation in the number of CoSIDA NCAA Division I Academic All-Americans (347) and NCAA Today’s Top Ten Award winners (18) across all sports. More than 100 Nebraska student-athletes all time have earned prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, including four during the 2020-21 academic year.
August 2021 Nebraska Student-Athlete Graduates (13)
Student-Athlete (Sport) Hometown (Major)
Emma (Baynes) Algarin (Track & Field) Mankato, Minnesota (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Christian Banker (Football) Omaha, Nebraska (Nutrition & Health Sciences)
Alexa Fernandez (Bowling) San Jose, Costa Rica (Chemistry/Geology)
Izzabella Guerrero (Track & Field/Cross Country) Dripping Springs, Texas (Nutrition & Health Sciences)
Eric Johnson (Men’s Basketball) Brooklyn, New York (Communication Studies)
Adriana Maldonado (Soccer) Fresno, California (Psychology)
Kanawai Noa (Football) Honolulu, Hawaii (Child, Youth & Family Studies – Master’s)
Michaela Peskova (Track & Field) Trnava, Slovakia (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
Isaiah Roby (Men’s Basketball) Dixon, Illinois (Management)
Jonathan Scripnick (Men’s Gymnastics) Milton, Ontario, Canada (Marketing)
Deontre Thomas (Football) Mustang, Oklahoma (Criminology & Criminal Justice)
Mitch Tyndall (Men’s Gymnastics) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Criminology & Criminal Justice)
Travis Vokolek (Men’s Basketball) Springfield, Missouri (Child, Youth & Family Studies)
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