KU Student-Athletes Celebrate Graduation

LAWRENCE, Kan. – For some University of Kansas student-athletes and staff, a sunny Sunday morning served as a perfect backdrop for the traditional walk through the Campanile near the top of Mount Oread and “down the Hill” to Memorial Stadium for graduation ceremonies.
 
“Jayhawks, you are KU’s greatest contributions to the world,” KU Chancellor Dr. Bernadette Gray-Little said to the graduates at Sunday’s commencement ceremony.
 
KU coaches and staffs from basketball, football, softball, swimming & diving, women’s golf and volleyball met their graduates just outside Strong Hall for group photos prior to meeting them at Memorial Stadium.
 
“It’s our third pillar,” KU swimming and diving coach Clark Campbell said of his graduates. “We talk to our kids about getting faster, getting good grades and graduating. It’s a big day. This is what we work on over four years and I’m real happy to see them achieve graduation at KU.”
 
Not all of the more than 60 KU graduating student-athletes had the opportunity to participate in the 2016 graduation festivities. On Sunday, the KU track & field was competing at the Big 12 Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, while the rowing team was at its league competition in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. KU’s baseball team was finishing a series in Manhattan, Kansas, and men’s golf is in its practice round at the NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
 
“It’s a glorious day,” KU head volleyball coach Ray Bechard said of his graduates. “They’ve done an unbelievable job of representing us, not only in Horejsi (Family Athletic Center) but in the classroom. We’re extremely proud of all they have done. They represent what a student-athlete means very well.”
 
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