Multiple conference champions and NCAA Tournament performers as well as a reigning Southland Conference Player of the Year highlighted the Northwestern State student-athletes and athletic staff members who graduated across three ceremonies Wednesday and Thursday.
All told, 50 current and former student-athletes and staff members completed degree requirements in both undergraduate and graduate fields.
Four members of the 2021 Southland Conference regular-season and tournament championship soccer teams collected their undergraduate degrees, headlined by two-time first-team All-Southland Conference selection Hallie Field, who posted a perfect 4.0 grade point average while double majoring in accounting and business administration. Field earned all-conference honors in all four of her seasons, including third-team honors as a freshman in 2019 and second-team acclaim as a senior.
She also was a three-time, Academic All-Southland Conference first-team selection.
Field was one of two multi-time all-conference picks from the 2021 championship team who graduated this week, joining Jayme Haynes, who earned third-team honors as a junior in 2021 and second-team All-Southland acclaim as a senior in 2022.
Goalkeeper Chloe DeShazer gave the soccer program a trio of all-conference graduates, earning second-team honors in 2022, her lone season in Natchitoches.
Three members of the 2022 Southland Conference regular-season women’s tennis championship squad earned degrees with one picking up a second NSU degree.
Patrycja Polanska collected her master’s degree in clinical psychology, graduating with a 4.0 GPA while Mariella Minetti (summa cum laude) and Dorota Szcygielska (cum laude) both earned degrees in business administration with concentrations in finance.
The reigning Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year DeMarcus Sharp finished his degree in general studies with a concentration in social science. He graduated alongside teammate and second-team All-Southland honoree Ja’Monta Black, who graduated with the same degree.
Softball’s Makenzie Chaffin earned her degree, graduating with a 4.0 GPA in biology with a biomedical concentration, just days after being named to the All-Southland Conference second team.
A pair of all-conference selections – left-handed pitcher Cal Carver (business administration) and second baseman Daunte Stuart (electronics engineering technology) — were among the 11 Northwestern State baseball players who earned their degrees in the spring semester.
A trio of Northwestern State track student-athletes added the title graduate to a plethora of all-conference honors, headlined by 10-time All-SLC honoree Destine-Unique Scott, who owns a pair of first-team All-SLC awards as well as five second-team and four third-team nods. Aarika Harding-Lister is a two-time all-conference honoree with one being a first-team selection. Alexus Harris, a member of NSU’s first-team 4×400 relay squad, rounded out the so-honored graduates.
Of the 50 athletic department personnel honored this week, 26 graduated with at least a 3.0 GPA.
Spring 2023 Athletic Graduation List (50)
Baseball (11)
- Cal Carver: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration
- Gabe Colaianni: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Honors: Honor Roll
- Augustus (Gus) Collins: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
- Andrew Cossio: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minors: P.E., Sport and Leisure Management and Social Science
- Dawson Flowers: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
- Ethan Francis: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Finance; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
- Jake Haze: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Finance; Minor: Accounting; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
- Broch Holmes: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Liberal Arts; Minor: Business Administration; Honors: Honor Roll
- Cole Horton: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors: Honor Roll
- Alexander Makarewich: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Industrial Engineering Technology; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
- Daunte’ Stuart: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Electronics Engineering Technology; Concentration: Electronics; Honors: Honor Roll
Men’s Basketball (5)
- JaMonta Black: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
- Cedric Garrett: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology
- Demarcus Sharp: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
- Devin White (former student-athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Computer and Natural Science; Minor: Social Science
- Eden Zelenbaba: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Computer Information Systems; Concentration: Cyber Security; Honors: Cum Laude
Women’s Basketball (1)
- Sharna Ayres: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology
Football (9)
- Cedric Anderson (former student-athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science
- Javon Antonio: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
- Johnathan Daigle: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Concentration: Pre-Physical Therapy; Honors: Cum Laude
- James Patrick Heard (former student-athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Concentration: Pre-Physical Therapy; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
- Garrison Johnson: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
- Jacob Kiser (former student-athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
- Gakerreon McDonald (former student-athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Criminal Justice
- Matthew Pajinag (former student-athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Minor: Chemistry; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
- Teeshaun Turpin (former student-athlete): Master of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Homeland Security
Soccer (5)
- Chloe Deshazer: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
- Hallie Field: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Accounting and Business Administration; Minor: Computer Information Systems; Honors: Summa Cum Laude (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)
- Samantha Hanking: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
- Jayme Haynes: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Cum Laude
- Madeline Scott: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Concentration: Pre-Physical Therapy; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
Softball (2)
- Makenzie Chaffin: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Minor: Chemistry; Honors: Summa Cum Laude (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)
- Kathryn Marshall: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Finance; Honors: Honor Roll
Tennis (3)
- Mariella Minetti: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Management; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
- Patrycja Polanska (former student-athlete): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Clinical Psychology (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)
- Dorota Szczygielska: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Management; Honors: Honor Roll
Men’s Track (4)
- Keagan Broussard: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
- Seonghyun Park: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Honors: Honor Roll
- Destine-Unique Scott: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: P.E., Sport, and Leisure Management; Honors: Honor Roll
- Kavacion Webster: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: P.E., Sport, and Leisure Management
Women’s Track (4)
- Aarika Harding-Lister: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical
- Alexus Harris (former student-athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Cum Laude
- Portia Harris (former student-athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
- Akira Phillip: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Honors: Honor Roll
Volleyball (1)
- Riley Daniel: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
Administration (4)
- Marc-Ale Augustin (Graduate Asst./Sports Medicine): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Health Promotion
- Breah Hurd (Graduate Asst./Sports Medicine): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
- Marcos Morello Desanzo (Asst. Coach/Women’s Tennis): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration
- Thomas Taylor (Director of Operations/Baseball): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Science; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
- Colin Vedros (Student Worker/Sports Information and Marketing): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Science; Major: Communication
