ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – As the Fall 2016 commencement ceremonies concluded this past weekend, 19 UCF student-athletes representing nine sports received their diplomas.
"We are very proud of the achievements of these young men and women," UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Daniel J. White said. "The academic culture in our athletics department is second to none, thanks to a shared belief that the most important goals for our student-athletes at UCF should be graduation and preparation for life after college athletics."
Last year, twelve of UCF's 14 programs came in at 90 percent or better in the NCAA's most recent Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report. Within the State of Florida, UCF's overall GSR of 93 is tops among all NCAA Division I institutions (including FBS and FCS).
Additionally, eight UCF squads - football, men's golf, women's cross country/track and field, women's golf, rowing, women's soccer, women's tennis and volleyball - were ranked No. 1 in the American Athletic Conference.
"Our student-athletes work just as hard in the classroom as they do in practice and competition," said Dr. Eric Wood, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services. "It's great to see their efforts rewarded and their smiles as they cross the stage and receive their diplomas."
The following is a list of Knights who graduated this December:
Football
Demeitre Brim (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Chequan Burkett (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Aaron Evans (Entrepreneurship)
Shaquem Griffin (Human Communication)
Shaquill Griffin (Human Communication)
Tate Hernly (Criminal Justice)
Justin Holman (Health Sciences Pre-Clinical)
Nick Patti (Human Communication)
Women's Basketball
Joslyn Massey (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Rowing
Lauren Wasko (Early Childhood Education)
Men's Soccer
Javier Clavijo (Sport and Exercise Science)
Phil Hicks (Accounting)
Women's Soccer
Amanda Wilkin (Sport and Exercise Science)
Ashley Spivey (Accounting)
Softball
Mariah Garcia (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Jessica Ujvari (Hospitality Management)
Spirit
Kevin Delgado (Nursing)
David Eisenberg (Biomedical Sciences)
Joel Wadzinski (Business Administration)
Women's Tennis
Sofia Baptista (Civil Engineering)
Track and Field
Paige Byrnes (Health Sciences Pre-Clinical)