Laramie, Wyo. (Dec. 14, 2018) -- On the evening of Friday, Dec. 14, the University of Wyoming Athletics Department held a special reception for its student-athletes who are graduating during 2018 winter commencement ceremonies this weekend. A total of 15 Cowboy and Cowgirl student-athletes are scheduled to graduate this fall, plus one graduate assistant for a combined total of 16 undergraduate and graduate students earning degrees.
Of the 16 graduates: eight were members of the Wyoming Football team, three were members of the swimming and diving team, two were cross country student-athletes, one was a women's soccer team member, one was a Cowgirl volleyball student-athlete and one was a graduate assistant in the UW Athletics Department.
Nine of the 16 individuals earned Academic All-Conference honors during their careers, six were named Mountain West Scholar-Athletes and five earned All-Conference recognition for their athletic achievements.
"To see our student-athletes receive their college degrees is very rewarding, because we know all the hard work that they put into achieving this goal," said
Tom Burman, University of Wyoming Athletics Director. "When these young men and women join Wyoming Athletics they of course bring with them many hopes for succeeding athletically, but they are ultimately here to pursue a college degree that will prepare them for future success once they leave the University of Wyoming.
"It is exciting to see them reach this milestone in their lives, but it is also sad to see their college careers come to an end. This class has provided Cowboy and Cowgirl fans with many memories through their athletic careers. We will miss them, but we wish them well as they move forward into their professional lives."
Winter graduates, members of their families, UW faculty and UW Athletics coaching and administrative staffs were in attendance at Friday's reception, which was held in the Wildcatter Stadium Club and Suites.
Graduating senior football student-athlete
Andrew Wingard from Arvada, Colo., was asked to represent the graduating student-athletes by speaking at the reception.
The tradition of presenting UW student-athlete graduates with graduation stoles at a special reception began with the spring semester of 2014 and has been held every semester since. The graduation stoles are provided to wear along with the graduation stole from each student-athlete's college during graduation.
The UW Athletics' graduation stole is white with the familiar Steamboat Bucking Horse and Rider emblem on the right-hand side of the stole and a W-Club emblem on the left. Each graduating student-athlete will also receive a free W-Club membership for the coming year. The W-Club is the official organization for former Cowboy and Cowgirl student-athletes and coaches.
The 2018 fall commencement ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. in the Arena-Auditorium. Detailed information on the 2018 University of Wyoming winter commencement ceremonies may be found at: http://www.uwyo.edu/commencement/
2018 University of Wyoming Athletics Winter Graduates
Cross Country/Track and Field
Kevin Blackett, Mathematics/Science
Calum Kepler, Criminal Justice
Football
Austin Conway, Management (Has one year of eligibility remaining.)
Marcus Epps, Communication
Austin Fort, Finance
Carl Granderson, Social Science
Tyree Mayfield, Communication
Chavez Pownell Jr., Social Science
Brett Smith, Communication
Andrew Wingard, Management
Soccer
Cristina Salazar, Criminal Justice
Swimming and Diving
Jacob Porter, Mechanical Engineering
Kelly Sheldon, Kinesiology and Health Promotion
Connor Tarver, Chemical Engineering (Honors Program)
Volleyball
Emily Lewis, Business Economics
Graduate Assistant in the Cowboy Joe Club
Chloe Cundall, Master of Business Administration
