50 Wildcats on SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A total of 50 University of Kentucky student-athletes earned a place on the 2024-25 Winter Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll, announced Wednesday by league commissioner Greg Sankey.
The 2024-25 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll includes the sports of basketball, equestrian, gymnastics, and swimming & diving. It is based on grades from the 2024 spring, summer, and fall terms. UK had one representative from men’s basketball and women’s basketball, seven from rifle, 11 from gymnastics and men’s swimming and diving and 19 from women’s swimming and diving.
Among other qualifications, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding academic year or a cumulative 3.0 GPA to be named to the list.
Earlier this year, UK Athletics revealed that the 2024 fall semester marked the department’s 25th consecutive term with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Wildcat scholarship student-athletes collectively earned a 3.27 GPA. Leading the department, the women’s golf team achieved a remarkable 3.92 GPA, setting the highest mark among all 23 varsity teams and establishing a new department record. The co-ed rifle team followed in second place with a 3.728 GPA, while men’s tennis secured third with a 3.721.
UK’s high marks in the fall semester add yet another milestone of academic success for UK student-athletes. Recently, UK had 33 current or former Wildcat student-athletes graduate in 2024 December Commencement. Adding the 122 student-athletes who graduated in May, UK Athletics had 155 graduates during the 2024 calendar year. Recently, UK tied the school record for its NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 92 percent, two points above the national average of 90 percent while all of UK’s teams surpassed the mandatory score for the NCAA Academic Progress Rate. UK’s overall APR rate was higher than the overall national average.
In addition to academic success, Kentucky teams also excelled on the fields and courts of competition in the winter. Men’s and women’s basketball both made the NCAA Tournament with men’s basketball advancing to the Sweet 16. Gymnastics had a great season, advancing to a NCAA Regional final, while rifle hosted the NCAA Rifle National Championships in Historic Memorial Coliseum and finished second overall. The men’s swimming and diving team earned its highest NCAA Championships finish since 2010 while the women’s team sent three individuals to the national championships.
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 preparing student-athletes for life after UK.
Name – Sport – Major
Grant Darbyshire – M Basketball – Finance
Cassidy Rowe – W Basketball – Physical Therapy
Creslyn Brose – Gymnastics – Integrated Strategic Communication
Hailey Davis – Gymnastics – Business Administration
Cadence Gormley – Gymnastics – Integrated Strategic Communication
Kaila Lawrence – Gymnastics – Human Health Sciences
Sharon Lee – Gymnastics – Human Health Sciences
Isabella Magnelli – Gymnastics – Marketing
Jillian Procasky – Gymnastics – Marketing
Anna Riegert – Gymnastics – Marketing
Isabella Rivelli – Gymnastics – Kinesiology
Delaynee Rodriguez –– Gymnastics – Integrated Strategic Communication
Makenzie Wilson – Gymnastics – Communication
Allison Buesseler – Rifle – Elementary Education
Sofia Ceccarello – Rifle – Media Arts and Studies
AJ Hotko – Rifle – Information Communication Technology
Victoria Kopelen – Rifle – Public Health
Emily Marne – Rifle – Communication Sciences and Disorders
Braden Peiser – Rifle – Agriculture – Individualized Curr.
Martin Voss – Rifle – Sport Leadership
John Broome – M Swimming and Diving – Integrated Strategic Communication
Samuel Duncan – M Swimming and Diving – Finance
Aaron Gasiewicz – M Swimming and Diving – Management
Jack Hamilton – M Swimming and Diving – Marketing
Carson Hick – M Swimming and Diving – Political Science
Logan Ingerick – M Swimming and Diving – Finance, Marketing, Accounting
Drew Johnson – M Swimming and Diving – Journalism and Communication
Ryan Merani – M Swimming and Diving – Health Promotion
Justin Alexandre Leo Peresse – M Swimming and Diving – Management
Carter Ruthven – M Swimming and Diving – Mechanical Engineering
Levi Sandidge – M Swimming and Diving – Computer Science
Marie Belli – W Swimming and Diving – Public Health
Devynn Bishop – W Swimming and Diving – Aerospace Engineering
Victoria Buerger – W Swimming and Diving – Business
Kaelan Daly – W Swimming and Diving – Human Health Sciences
Lily Delong – W Swimming and Diving – Communication
Abigail Devereaux – W Swimming and Diving – Journalism
Bridget Engel – W Swimming and Diving – Population Health
Grace Frericks – W Swimming and Diving – Management and Marketing
Elizabeth Grether – W Swimming and Diving – Human Health Sciences
Lydia Hanlon – W Swimming and Diving – Digital Media Design and Communication
Paige Housman – W Swimming and Diving – Aerospace Engineering
Katelyn Jost – W Swimming and Diving – Psychology
Claire McDaniels – W Swimming and Diving – Diplomacy and international Commerce
Madilyn McGlothen – W Swimming and Diving – Kinesiology
Olivia Mendenhall – W Swimming and Diving – Marketing, Finance, Management
Kristy Pfaff – W Swimming and Diving – Marketing
Paige Taber – W Swimming and Diving – Communication
Madeline Welborn – W Swimming and Diving – Human Health Sciences
Lauren West – W Swimming and Diving – Communication Sciences and Disorders and Psychology
