FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The University of Alaska Fairbanks held its 94th commencement ceremony on Sunday (May 8), honoring the class of 2016 at the Carlson Center. The university handed out 1,460 degrees to some 1,367 students which included 820 women, 547 men and 21 Alaska Nanook student-athletes.
"Commencement is always an exciting time on campus, and it is particularly exciting this year with 21 Alaska Nanook student-athletes graduating," Alaska Nanooks Athletic Director Dr. Gary Gray said on Monday. "We are extremely proud of each one who has dedicated his or her time to pursuing academic excellence, in addition to athletic excellence."
Seven of the 10 sports offered at the University were represented by at least one graduating senior, with men's and women's cross country running and women's Nordic ski returning their upperclassmen next season. Men's ice hockey led all Nanook teams in graduating student-athletes, sending six seniors off in the class of 2016.
The commencement ceremony was highlighted by men's basketball's redshirt senior Joe Slocum, who was selected as the student speaker for the event. Slocum, a five-year student at Alaska and men's basketball captain this past season, was one of two Nanook student-athletes (235 people total) to receive master's degrees on Sunday.
"To be naturally inspiring, you must have determination," Slocum said in his speech. "Determination is what got us to this moment here today … Remember all the hard times and know that your determination got you through all of them. And know that these situations helped make you the competent person you are today … Our class will go on to inspire the world."
In addition to Slocum, the Alaska Nanooks' class of 2016 also featured rifle's Alexis Nardone, who was recently named the 2016 Most Outstanding Student for Business Administration within the School of Management. Additionally, Alaska Swimming's Linnea Doumas graduated Magna Cum Laude while receiving her degree in Foreign Language.
The Alaska Nanooks 2016 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year Nolan Huysmans (hockey) was also a graduate on Sunday, receiving his undergraduate degree in Accounting. Huysmans was selected as the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year by the Nanook Athletic Advisory Committee and honored at the UAF Honors Breakfast last month, alongside Nardone.
Of the 21 graduating student-athletes, three (Slocum, Doumas and Huysmans) were selected as the Dr. William Wood Scholar Athlete award winners for their respected sport. Volleyball's Sam Harthun, who was named the 2016 Alaska Nanooks' Most Outstanding Female Athlete last month, was also a graduate on Sunday, receiving her undergraduate degree in Art.
"We are confident each of our graduated will continue to excel in his or her chosen field. We are proud that each one will represent us well as a Nanook alum," Gray concluded.
In addition to the 21 student-athletes who made up the class of 2016, the Alaska Nanooks athletic department also had one administrator in the mix, as Assistant Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Academic Services and Senior Woman Administrator Andrea Schmidt also received her master's degree in Business Administration, alongside Slocum and hockey's John Keeney.
The full list of Alaska's 21 graduating student-athletes is listed below:
Men's Basketball
Alex Duncan – Bachelor's Degree in Psychology/Communications
Almir Hadzisehovic – Bachelor's Degree in Communication
Joe Slocum – Master's Degree in Business Administration
Women's Basketball
Brianna Kirk – Bachelor's Degree in Communication
Heidi Pichler – Bachelor's Degree in Accounting
Hockey
Josh Atkinson – Bachelor's Degree in Accounting
Alec Hajdukovich –Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration (Finance)
Nolan Huysmans – Bachelor's Degree in Accounting
John Keeney – Master's Degree in Business Administration
Tyler Morley – Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration (Finance)
JD Peterson – Bachelor's Degree in Communication
Rifle
Jaimie Barnes – Bachelor's Degree in Justice
Soren Butler – Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration (Marketing)
Alexis Nardone – Bachelor's Degree In Business Administration
Lorelie Stanfield – Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences
Men's Nordic Ski
Isaac Lammers – Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering
Swimming
Linnea Doumas – Bachelor's Degree in Foreign Languages (Magna Cum Laude)
Nina Mullins – Bachelor's Degree in Biological Services
Volleyball
Miranda Grieser – Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
Sam Harthun – Bachelor's Degree in Art
Samantha Hesterman – Bachelor's Degree in Social Work
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks, follow @AlaskaNanooks on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks page on Facebook.
