Record setters, NCAA Tournament participants highlight NSU Athletics’ 2022 graduates

By: Jason Pugh, Assistant AD for Media Relations

NATCHITOCHES – A school record-holder, NCAA Tournament participants and Southland Conference champions were among Northwestern State’s 42 student-athletes and staff who graduated across four ceremonies Wednesday and Thursday inside Prather Coliseum.

NSU’s fall commencement exercises combined the summer and fall 2022 graduates into two days of celebration that featured seven graduates who earned summa cum laude (3.9-4.0 GPA), magna cum laude (3.7-3.89) or cum laude (3.5-3.69) honors.

Twenty graduates had at least a 3.0 GPA.

Soccer forward Olivia Draguicevich (communication) was one of the cum laude graduates, adding that to a resume that includes three All-Southland Conference selections, the 2021 Southland and Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana Player of the Year awards and three Southland Conference All-Academic Team berths.

A Senior Day hat trick against Southeastern on Oct. 28 helped Draguicevich establish the program’s career goal-scoring record with 37.

Draguicevich was one of three NSU soccer graduates who were part of the program’s 2021 Southland Conference regular-season and tournament championship team.

Twin sisters Natalee and Nicole Henry both earned their degrees in industrial engineering technology after decorated careers.

Nicole Henry finished her career as the first NSU soccer player to earn first-team All-Southland honors four times and was the first Southland player to be named the conference’s Defender of the Year three times in her career. A three-time first-team All-Louisiana selection, Nicole Henry is NSU’s leader in career games played (94) and was part of 38 shutouts.

Natalee Henry was a three-time All-Southland defender and a two-time Academic All-Southland selection who earned SLC Defensive Player of the Week honors four times in her career. She made NSU soccer history in 2021, scoring the program’s first NCAA Tournament goal in a loss at Arkansas.

Former NSU soccer player Brittany Caserma, a two-time first-team All-Louisiana selection in 2017 and 18, earned her degree in psychology as well.

Lady Demon basketball player Candice Parramore, the 2021-22 Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year, is one of three women’s basketball players who completed their degrees in the summer or fall. A second-team All-Southland selection in her first year at NSU, Parramore earned her degree in criminal justice.

Fourteen Northwestern State football players were among the graduates who had degrees confirmed upon them the past two days.

Among the Demon football graduates were five who earned All-Southland distinction at some point in their careers.

Running back Scooter Adams (general studies) earned first-team All-Southland Conference honors in the spring 2021 season when he also was a second-team All-Louisiana selection.

Cornerback Shemar Bartholomew (health and exercise science) is a two-time All-Southland pick.

Offensive linemen Khalil Corbett-Canada (master’s in counseling) and Jakob Sell (business administration) were all-conference honorees in the spring 2021 season.

Safety PJ Herrington (health and exercise science) earned three all-conference honors in his Demon career, including two second-team mentions in 2022 as a defensive back and as a punt returner.

Track standout Erin Wilson (nursing) earned three first-team All-Southland Conference honors in her NSU career and was a two-time All-Louisiana selection, earning those berths primarily as a member of NSU’s 4×400 meter relay teams.

Fellow track graduate Aliyah Carswell (biology with a biomedical concentration) earned first-team All-Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field honors as part of the conference-winning 4×100 relay in 2022. That followed a second-team indoor performance in the 60-meter hurdles.

Summer 2022 Athletic Graduation List (11)

Men’s Basketball (1)

Gavin Scott Sr. (Former Junior Varsity Student-Athlete: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors: Honor Roll

Women’s Basketball (1)

Candice Parramore: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Criminal Justice; Honors: Honor Roll

Football (3)

Evan Gibson (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Computer Information Systems; Concentration: Cyber Security; Honors: Cum Laude

Jakob Sell (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration

Trey Williams: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Minor: Social Science; Concentration: Broadcast & Digital Media Production

Soccer (2)

Brittany Caserma (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology

Jalen Donaldson: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Minor: Addiction Studies; Honors: Honor Roll

Men’s Track (1)

Joshua Riggs (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Women’s Track (2)

Jakiriya Hunter (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Criminal Justice

Erin Wilson (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing; Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Administration (1)

Kellen Haymon (Manager/Men’s Basketball): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Fall 2022 Athletic Graduation List (31)

Women’s Basketball (2)

Kelsey Thaxton: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science; Honors: Honor Roll

Alecia Whyte: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Honors: Honor Roll

Football (11)

Deondre Adams: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Shemar Bartholomew: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health & Exercise Science

Khalil Corbett-Canada (Former Student-Athlete): Master of Arts; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Counseling; Concentration: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Gabriel Ernest (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Electronics Engineering Technology; Concentration: Electronics

Alyzcha Hentz: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: P.E., Sport, and Leisure Management

Shavoke (P.J.) Herrington: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors: Honor Roll

Keenan Leachman: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science

Race Moser: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science; Honors: Honor Roll

John-Alex Perkins (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: English.

Andy Pierre-Antoine: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Management

Curtis Williams (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Unified Public Safety Administration; Concentration: Fire and Emergency Services

Soccer (3)

Olivia Draguicevich: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration: Sports Media; Minor: Business Administration; Honors: Cum Laude

Natalee Henry: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: industrial Engineering Technology; Honors: Honor Roll

Nicole Henry: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: industrial Engineering Technology; Honors: Honor Roll

Softball (3)

Jensen Howell (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Casey Irvin: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science; Honors: Honor Roll

Bronte Rhoden: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Men’s Track (2)

Michael Turner (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Criminal Justice

Xavier Wilson: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Honor Roll

Women’s Track (4)

Aliyah Carswell: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical

Jessamine Parish Kitto (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing; Honors: Honor Roll

Jasmine Roberson (Former Student-Athlete): Master of Education; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Special Education; Concentration: Gifted Education (Perfect 4.0 GPA)

Olivia Slayter (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Liberal Arts; Minors: History, P.E., Sport & Leisure Management and Hospitality, Management and Tourism; Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Volleyball (1)

Addison McDermott: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Cum Laude

Administration (5)

Caroline Bland (Student Assistant/Sports Information): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration: Sports Media; Minor: Photography

Quindarius Bush (Student Assistant/Video Production): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration: Sports Media; Minor: Hospitality, Management and Tourism

Jillian Palmer (Former Graduate Assistant/Athletic Facilities and Event Management: Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)

Sonja Pezant (Director of Football Operations/NFL Liaison): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

Makenzi Weber (Former Graduate Assistant/Sports Medicine): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration