122 Wildcats on First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Student-athletes in their first year at the University of Kentucky combined to earn a total of 122 spots on the 2022-23 Southeastern Conference First-Year Academic Honor Roll, the third-highest number in the league, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Friday.
Kentucky had 10 teams finish among the top three in the SEC in their sports.
- Women’s basketball had the most in the conference with six honorees.
- Women’s soccer had the most in the conference with 13 honorees.
- Men’s golf had the most in the conference with four honorees.
- Rifle had the most in the conference with three honorees.
- Men’s soccer had the second most in the conference with seven honorees.
- Men’s tennis tied the second most in the conference with three honorees.
- Women’s tennis tied the second most in the conference with three honorees.
- Women’s golf tied for the third most in the conference with two honorees.
- Gymnastics tied for the third most in the conference with four honorees.
- Men’s track and field tied for the third most in the conference with seven honorees.
The First‐Year SEC Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2022‐23 academic calendar. Any student‐athlete who participates in a Southeastern Conference championship sport or a student‐athlete who participates in a sport listed on his/her institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form is eligible for nomination to the Academic Honor Roll.
UK’s academic honor roll success continues the trend of strong academic news:
- In November, UK student-athletes tied the school record in the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate with a mark of 92 percent. UK has broken or tied the GSR school record every year since the NCAA began measuring that statistic in 2005. UK’s 92 percent is three points above the Division I national average of 89 percent.
- In May, UK Athletics announced that all of its sports teams surpassed the NCAA cut score in its Academic Progress Rate with 16 teams exceeding or tying the national average in their sports. In addition, UK Athletics’ overall APR was higher than the overall national average.
- Earlier this year, UK Athletics announced that a total of 126 current and former University of Kentucky student-athletes – the largest graduating class in school history – were on track to complete academic requirements in May or in the summer term. Adding the 41 student-athletes who graduated in December, UK Athletics is expected to have 167 graduates during the 2022-23 school year. Included in the graduates are 19 Wildcats who are completing their master’s degrees.
- Most recently, UK announced it surpassed its goal of a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average for 22 straight semesters as Wildcat scholarship student-athletes combined to achieve a GPA of 3.325. That high mark was the second highest semester for UK Athletics, finishing just behind the record set in the spring of 2020, which was fueled in part by the pass/fail policy enacted campus-wide in response to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Individually, 417 Wildcats achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher, including 115 Cats who reached 4.0 for the semester.
- UK had 13 student-athletes – a school record – named to the official Academic All-America teams selected by the College Sports Communicators organization during the 2022-23 school year.
UK Athletics supports the academic success of its student-athletes through CATS – the first academic center of its kind dedicated solely to serving student-athletes. CATS is an important component of UK’s Student-Athlete Experience division, launched as a renewal of the department’s commitment to prepare student-athletes to enter life after UK.
Kentucky – Sport – Major
Carson Applegate – Baseball – Finance
Aaron Blum – Baseball – Management
Seth Chavez – Baseball – Sport, Fitness, and Recreation Management
Kendal Ewell – Baseball – Communication
Ryder Giles – Baseball – Sport, Fitness, and Recreation Management
Hunter Gilliam – Baseball – Sport, Fitness, and Recreation Management
Jackson Gray – Baseball – Finance
Patrick Herrera – Baseball – Communication
Zach Hise – Baseball – Communication
Drew Lafferty – Baseball – Management
Logan Martin – Baseball – Management
Lukas Schramm – Baseball – Management
Grant Smith – Baseball – Biology
Hayden Smith – Baseball – Mathematical Economics
Chase Stanke – Baseball – Public Financial Management
Ryan Waldschmidt – Baseball – Finance
Grant Darbyshire – M Basketball – Finance
Chris Livingston – M Basketball – Undeclared
Ugonna Onyenso – M Basketball – Communication
Cason Wallace – M Basketball – Undeclared
Adebola Adeyeye – W Basketball – Child Welfare Practice
Ajae Petty – W Basketball – Public Health
Cassidy Rowe – W Basketball – Kinesiology
Eniya Russell – W Basketball – Communication
Maddie Scherr – W Basketball – Communication
Zennia Thomas – W Basketball – Public Health
Alex Afari, Jr. – Football – Communication
Kory Albert – Football – Management
Jordan Anthony – Football – Family Sciences
Zion Childress – Football – Communication
Tomiwa Durojaiye – Football – Undeclared
Dylan Gary – Football – Integrated Strategic Communication
Deuce Hogan – Football – Community and Leadership Development
Ramon Jefferson – Football – Kinesiology and Health Promotion
Josh Kattus – Football – Communication
Dane Key – Football – Communication
Cole Lanter – Football – Community and Leadership Development
Jack Monday – Football – Undeclared
Brady Pierce – Football – Finance
Elijah Reed – Football – Communication
Abelardo Reza – Football – Kinesiology
Jordan Robinson – Football – Communication
Jackson Smith – Football – Career and Technical Education
Destin Wade – Football – Marketing
Deone Walker – Football – Undeclared
Angelo Washington – Football – Kinesiology
Oakley Gee – M Golf – Finance
Dhaivat Pandya – M Golf – Finance
Solomon Petrie – M Golf – Communication
Kevin Watts – M Golf – Finance
Ivy Shepherd – W Golf – Sport, Fitness, and Recreation Management
Abigail Sutherland – W Golf – Finance
Bridget Bourque – Gymnastics – Undeclared
Sam Forman – Gymnastics – Human Health Sciences
Megan Sapp – Gymnastics – Political Science
Claire Stippich – Gymnastics – Accounting
Sofia Ceccarello – Rifle – Media Arts and Studies
Anthony Hotko – Rifle – Management
Martin Voss – Rifle – Kinesiology
Christian Baumgartner – M Soccer – Mechanical Engineering
Ryan Jack – M Soccer – Communication
Mason Leeth – M Soccer – Sociology
Max Miller – M Soccer – Management
Casper Mols – M Soccer – Economics
Isaac Walker – M Soccer – Communication
Mathias Yohannes – M Soccer – Finance
Dana Dahm – W Soccer – Marketing
Maddie Eastman – W Soccer – Undeclared
Mya Gerak – W Soccer – Undeclared
Mallory Glass – W Soccer – Psychology
Taylor Hattori – W Soccer – Kinesiology and Health Promotion
Maggy Henschler – W Soccer – Business Administration
Taya Hjorth – W Soccer – Kinesiology
Lesley Kiesling – W Soccer – Kinesiology and Health Promotion
Rafferty Kugler – W Soccer – Social Work
Njeri Lewis – W Soccer – Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Leah Raley – W Soccer – Architecture
Taylor Rinzel – W Soccer – Finance
Hadley Williams – W Soccer – Marketing
Lauryn Borzilleri – Softball – Communication
Karissa Hamilton – Softball – Agricultural Economics
Taylor Hess – Softball – Finance
Grace Lorsung – Softball – Biology; Communication
Chelsea Mack – Softball – Clinical Leadership and Management
Keanan Dols – M Swim & Dive – Supply Chain Management
Drew Johnson – M Swim & Dive – Journalism
Sean Mackey – M Swim & Dive – Undeclared
Brady McInerney – M Swim & Dive – Marketing
Ryan Merani – M Swim & Dive – Health Promotion
Levi Sandidge – M Swim & Dive – Computer Science
Jodi Cobb – W Swim & Dive – Marketing
Grace Frericks – W Swim & Dive – Management
Breckin Gormley – W Swim & Dive – Accounting
Lydia Hanlon – W Swim & Dive – Digital Media Design
Paige Taber – W Swim & Dive – Communication
Alafia Ayeni – M Tennis – Diversity and Inclusivity Awareness
Christophe Clement – M Tennis – Finance
Charlelie Cosnet – M Tennis – Finance; Marketing
Zoe Hammond – W Tennis – Economics
Makayla Mills – W Tennis – Economics
Ellie Myers – W Tennis – Accounting
Alex Alston – M Track & Field – Marketing
Miles Brush – M Track & Field – Psychology
Blake Byer – M Track & Field – Neuroscience
Cade Byer – M Track & Field – Mechanical Engineering
Brandon Miller – M Track & Field – Kinesiology
Brandon Nyandoro – M Track & Field – Accounting
Gabriel Robinson – M Track & Field – Management
Kaitlyn Cain – W Track & Field – Human Health Sciences
Tamiia Fuller – W Track & Field – Journalism
Katelyn Hutchison – W Track & Field – Kinesiology and Health Promotion
Ally Kruger – W Track & Field – Kinesiology
Amya Livingston – W Track & Field – Kinesiology
Mallory Mullen – W Track & Field – Media Arts and Studies
Kate Powers – W Track & Field – Human Health Sciences
Timika Scarlett – W Track & Field – Accounting
Sydney Steely – W Track & Field – Kinesiology and Health Promotion
Kiera White – W Track & Field – Undeclared
Kelly Franxman – Volleyball – Business Administration
Lane Jenkins – Volleyball – Management; Marketing
Haley Melby – Volleyball – Elementary Education
Audrey Whitworth – Volleyball – Undeclared
