Virtual commencement will be available on the USF Commencement website beginning Saturday at 10 a.m.
Football standouts Atterbury, Reaves and Sawtelle receiving master’s degrees
TAMPA, MAY 8, 2020 – USF Athletics congratulates another outstanding group of student-athletes slated to receive their degrees during the University’s virtual commencement ceremonies that will begin streaming Saturday morning on USF.edu.
Sixty Bulls student-athletes are projected to receive their degrees this spring, increasing USF Athletics’ total number of graduates to nearly 350 since the 2016-17 school year. Heading into the spring term, the Bulls had posted an overall annual department grade-point average in excess of 3.0 for a program record five consecutive years and 10 straight semesters.
“We are so proud of our 60 student-athletes earning degrees this spring,” Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly said. “Though they are not able to receive their diplomas in person, our thoughts and hearts are with them and we thank them for their academic excellence that contributed to a program record 10 straight semesters of a combined grade-point average over 3.0, which we anticipate will soon be 11. We are so proud of their contributions to our University in and out of competition and wish them the best of luck as they pursue careers and make positive impacts in communities all over the world.”
Among the student-athletes slated to be recognized during the University’s virtual commencement are eight members of the football program, now being led by new head coach Jeff Scott. Offensive lineman William Atterbury (Clearwater, Fla.), defensive end Greg Reaves (Bradenton, Fla.) and linebacker Nico Sawtelle(Jensen Beach, Fla.) are receiving their respective master’s degrees. All three were honored multiple times on the conference’s All-Academic Team during their careers.
Atterbury earned his Master of Science degree in entrepreneurship & applied technologies and was recognized by the USF Muma College of Business 25 Under 25 program last month. He started 39 games on USF’s offensive line from 2016-19 and helped pave the way for Bulls rushers to produce three 1,000-yard seasons.
Women’s soccer midfielder Andrea Hauksdottir and defenders Rebekah Anderson (Valrico, Fla.) and Brianna Blethen (Bradenton, Fla.) are all crossing the academic finish line. During the 2019 season, the trio helped No. 12 USF women’s soccer tally a school record 16 wins, capture a conference title for the third straight year and advance to the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in management, Hauksdottir shined in competition and the classroom as a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American. On the field, the Kopavogur, Iceland native earned American Athletic Conference Midfielder of the Year honors for the second straight season and was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region First Team after tying for second on the USF squad with 17 points (four goals, nine assists) in 2019.
Men’s basketball seniors Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Antun Maricevic (Zagreb, Croatia) also are projected to receive their degrees after serving as important members of head coach Brian Gregory’s program-building project the past two seasons, both double-digit win campaigns.
Rideau, a star guard, started 65 games as a Bull and averaged 13.0 points in his productive USF career that included AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in the 2018-19 season. Now preparing for the pros, Rideau ranked second in the league and 10th in the NCAA with 2.5 steals per game this past season.
Projected spring graduates Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.), Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.) and Enna Pehadzic (Horsens, Denmark) all helped USF women’s basketball increase its streak of 19-plus wins to nine straight seasons during the shortened 2019-20 campaign. The Bulls also continued their tradition of appearing in The American Women’s Basketball Championship semifinals for the seventh consecutive season.
Seven members of the USF softball team are expected to graduate, including standout center fielder AnaMarie Bruni, who led The American with a .476 batting average this season. The Schwenksville, Pa., native was an all-conference first team selection last season who played a key role for the Bulls in their successful conference regular-season title defense in 2019.
Fifteen Bulls from the USF track and field/cross country program are projected to receive their degrees this spring. Among the group is Adriana Janic (Malmo, Sweden), who broke USF indoor records in the 60-meter hurdles (8.29) and pentathlon (3,906 points) and won nine different events this spring. Stephanie Lambeth (Frankenmuth, Mich.) caps off her memorable semester with a college degree after capturing the pole vault title at the AAC Indoor Championship.
Virtual commencement will be available on the USF Commencement website beginning Saturday at 10 a.m. The Ceremony video will be archived and available for replay in the future. Spring 2020 grads also will have the opportunity to participate in summer commencement ceremonies tentatively planned for Aug. 6-9.
| USF Athletics Projected Spring 2020 Graduates | |
| Name | Sport |
| Pat Doudican | Baseball |
| JD Dutka | Baseball |
| Ben Koff | Baseball |
| Matt Marini | Baseball |
| Andres Perez | Baseball |
| Carson Ragsdale | Baseball |
| Collin Sullivan | Baseball |
| Tamara Henshaw | Women’s Basketball |
| Shae Leverett | Women’s Basketball |
| Enna Pehadzic | Women’s Basketball |
| Zoe Areford | Women’s Cross Country |
| Nicole Bello | Women’s Cross Country |
| Joy Jackson | Women’s Cross Country |
| William Atterbury | Football |
| McArthur Burnett | Football |
| DeVontres Dukes | Football |
| Christion Gainer | Football |
| Mike Hampton | Football |
| Jernard Phillips | Football |
| Greg Reaves | Football |
| Nico Sawtelle | Football |
| Kyle Flexsenhar | Men’s Golf |
| Emily Cardella | Women’s Golf |
| Sadie Dewinton-Davies | Women’s Golf |
| Mariale Merchan | Women’s Golf |
| Jessica Whitting | Women’s Golf |
| Olivia Balistreri | Sailing |
| Delaney Brown | Sailing |
| Nicole Cardi | Sailing |
| Madeline Gallio | Sailing |
| Kela Nelson | Sailing |
| Virginia Ware | Sailing |
| Rebekah Anderson | Women’s Soccer |
| Brianna Blethen | Women’s Soccer |
| Andrea Hauksdottir | Women’s Soccer |
| AnaMarie Bruni | Softball |
| Riley Gore | Softball |
| Brooke Hartman | Softball |
| Jasmine Haynes | Softball |
| Bethaney Keen | Softball |
| Kelsey Lay | Softball |
| Kyndall Williams | Softball |
| Janvhi Clark | Women’s Tennis |
| Jonah Daniels | Men’s Track and Field |
| Jimmy Enobabor | Men’s Track and Field |
| Joe Fogarasi | Men’s Track and Field |
| Yohance Haynes | Men’s Track and Field |
| Luke Lafferty | Men’s Track and Field |
| Derwin Moultrie | Men’s Track and Field |
| Taquon Terry | Men’s Track and Field |
| Shenica Bazile | Women’s Track and Field |
| Destiny Fairley | Women’s Track and Field |
| Adriana Janic | Women’s Track and Field |
| Brittany Krug | Women’s Track and Field |
| Stephanie Lambeth | Women’s Track and Field |
| Claire Embry | Volleyball |
| Nyemba Musemuna | Volleyball |
| Jac’cara Walker | Volleyball |
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 54th season in 2019-20. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 19 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 120 conference titles overall. Eleven USF programs reached national postseason competition in the 2018-19 season and six were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the fourth straight year in 2018-19 and have posted a program record 10 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had nearly 350 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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