Previous page photos caption: MORNING GRADS  (front to back, left to right):  Kelee Roddy (Asst. Academic Coordinator), Carrie Greene (Academic Coordinator), Greg Burke (Directory of Athletics), Jimmy Long (UL System Board Member)  Dr. Randall J. Webb (NSU President), Mark Dotson (m-track & field), Meredith Graf (w-basketball), Ebony Ford (w-basketball), Chelsea Schaefer (w-soccer), Ashley Aldredge (w-track & field), Kenyah McDaniel (w-track & field), Dr. Jim Henderson (NSU President-Elect), Dr. Joseph Biscoe (Athletics Faculty Representative)  Wade Williams (football), Forrest Graham (football), Keland Johnson (football), Gerald Long (La. State Senator), Jay Thomas (Football Head Coach), Sarah Emory (w-track & field), Quianna Griffin (w-track & field), Keona Jackson (w-track & field)  Justin Evans (football), Corey Simmons (football), Wilbur Myers (football), Rico Albert (football), Luke Turner (football)  Deon Simon (football), Gary Artiste (football), Luke Burleson (football), Andrew Bletsch (football), Marion Chapman (football), Imoan Claiborne (football)  Fred Thomas (football), Kenderick Johnson (football)

NATCHITOCHES – Ten All-Southland Conference performers, eight competitors who represented Northwestern State in NCAA Championships and six who won a total of 12 Southland Conference championships were among 45 former and current NSU student-athletes receiving degrees last Friday at the university's annual fall commencement exercises.
 
Five-time Southland Conference hurdles champion Brittany Littlejohn earned her master's in teaching more than a decade after setting the Lady Demons' 100 meter hurdles record (13.13) that still stands. Davon Vinson, who ranks fourth in career total offense and was the quarterback of the Demons' 2004 Southland Conference champion football team, completed his undergraduate degree online, as did Robert Weeks, who holds most of NSU's placekicking records and was a 2008 honorable mention All-American.
 
Five athletes graduated with high honors. Former women's basketball player Ebony Ford was a summa cum laude graduate with a grade point average between 3.90 and 4.0 in addiction studies and psychology. Football's Xavier Jefferson earned magna cum laude honors with a GPA between 3.70-3.89 in business administration, while 2012 Southland Conference javelin champion Ashley Aldredge was one of three cum laude graduates, posting a GPA between 3.50 and 3.69 in general studies/social science. Also earning cum laude honors: former football quarterback Grant Chiasson (general studies/social science) and soccer's Alex Rios (biology).
 
Weeks and Littlejohn were among the 10 All-Southland competitors, and were two of the school record holders, receiving degrees Friday.
Also earning All-Southland accolades and graduating:  football standouts Pat Black, Marion Chapman and Imoan Claiborne, softball's Cali Burke and Kaylee Guidry, and Aldredge, Quiana Griffin and Keona Jackson of the Lady Demon track and field program. Griffin holds the school 400 meter dash mark.
 
Six football players who earned honorable mention All-Southland recognition graduated: linebacker Patrick Black, center Austin Douglas, tight end Corey Simmons, linebacker Tyler Roussel, defensive end Wade Williams (who picked up his master's in psychology), and Vinson.
 
Meredith Graf, who as a graduate student helped the 2013-14 Lady Demon basketball team reach the NCAA Tournament and post 21 wins, picked up her master's in education. The other seven student-athletes who represented NSU in NCAA Championship competition included Burke and Guidry, who helped the Lady Demon softball team into the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Tournament; Vinson, quarterback of NSU's 2004 FCS playoff team; and track and field athletes Keona Jackson, Aldredge, Littlejohn and Griffin.
 
Graf, Burke and Guidry helped their teams win Southland Conference Tournament titles while Aldredge and Littlejohn won individual Southland championships in track and field, and Vinson was a key in the Demon football team's 2004 championship.
 
A record total of 26 football players participated in Friday's morning and afternoon ceremonies, including 15 members of the 2014 Demons' team that broke 30 school records. Seven women's track and field competitors graduated Friday.
Summer 2014 Athletic Graduation List (participating in Fall 2014 commencement)
Baseball

1. Ethan Logan: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: History; Honors: Cum Laude

Football

1. Patrick Black: Bachelor of Science; College: Science, Technology & Business; Major: Business Administration
2. Davon Vinson: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Arts and Communication; Minor: English
3. Robert Weeks: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Arts and Communication; Minor: Social Science

Softball

1. Cali Burke:  Bachelor of Science; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Majors: Addiction Studies & Psychology; Honors: Honor Roll
2. Kaylee Guidry:  Bachelor of Science; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Arts and Communication.

Men's Track

1. Alex Washington: Bachelor of Science; College: Science, Technology & Business; Major: Business Administration

Women's Track

1. Shakemia Johnson: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Administration

1. Kelee Grimes Roddy (Academic Advisor/Former Softball SA): Master of Science; College:  Education & Human Development; Major: Health & Human Performance; Concentration:  Sports Administration

 
Fall 2014 Athletic Graduation List
Baseball

1. Steven Spann: Bachelor of Science; College: Science, Technology & Business; Major: Mathematics; Honors: Honor Roll
2. Robert Underwood: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science

Women's Basketball

1. Ebony Ford: Master of Science; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Majors: Addiction Studies and Psychology; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
2. Meredith Graf: Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sports Administration

Football

1. Rico Albert: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Psychology
2. Gary Artiste:  Bachelor of Science; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Arts and Communication.
3. Andrew Bletsch: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Criminal Justice
4. Luke Burleson: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Criminal Justice
5. Marion Chapman: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
6. Grant Chiasson: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science
7. Imoan Claiborne: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
8. Blayne Cole:  Bachelor of Science; College: Science, Technology & Business; Major: Industrial Engineering Technology; Honors: Honor Roll
9. Austin Douglas: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Psychology
10. Justin Evans: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Arts and Communications; Minor: Art
11. Kevin Garza: Bachelor of Science; College: Science, Technology & Business; Major: Business Administration
12. Forrest Graham: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Criminal Justice
13. Xavier Jefferson: Bachelor of Science; College: Science, Technology & Business; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Finance; Honors: Magna Cum Laude
14. Keland Johnson: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentrations: Social Science, Arts and Communications; Minor: Social Science
15. Kenderick Johnson: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: History; Minor: P.E., Sport and Leisure Management
16. Re'Chard Llorens: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
17. Wilbur Myers: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Psychology; Honors: Honor Roll
18. Tyler Roussel: Bachelor of Science; College: Science, Technology & Business; Major: Business Administration
19. Corey Simmons: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Communication; Minor: Mass Communication
20. Deon Simon: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Criminal Justice
21. Fred Thomas: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science
22. Luke Turner: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Criminal Justice
23. Wade Williams:  Master of Arts; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Counseling; Concentration: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Soccer

1. Alexandria (Alex) Rios: Bachelor of Science; College: Science, Technology & Business; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Cum Laude
2. Chelsea Schaefer: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Majors: Addiction Studies & Psychology; Honors: Cum Laude

Women's Track

1. Ashley Aldredge: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science; Honors: Cum Laude
2. Brittany Littlejohn Bonnaffons: Master of Arts in Teaching; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Secondary Education GR 6-12; Concentration: Secondary Educ. GR 6-12 Prof. St.
3. Sarah Emory : Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Health Promotion
4. Quiana Griffin: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Minor: P.E., Sport and Leisure Management
5. Keona Jackson: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science
6. Kenyah McDaniel: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies; Major: Psychology

Men's Track

1. Mark Dotson: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science

 
Of Note: Andrea Maley, Director of Admissions and NSU Athletics' liaison to that department, also earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology.