Rajon Rondo Among 116 Athletes to Graduate from University of Kentucky

The graduates will take part in the University’s May 2025 Commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday in Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center (see information here). Adding the 33 student-athletes who graduated in December, UK Athletics is expected to have 149 graduates during the 2024-25 school year.

Included in the graduates are 14 Wildcats who are completing their master’s degrees – Nicole Coryell, Marzia Josephson and Lesley Kiesling from women’s soccer, Hailey Davis and Isabella Magnelli from gymnastics, Erin Lamb from volleyball, McKenzie Bump from softball, Tesa Roberts from women’s track and field, Samuel Duncan and Christopher Nagy from men’s swimming and diving, Elizabeth Stevens from women’s tennis, Jackson Klutznick from men’s golf, Jaden Thompson from rifle and Jack Pendergast from men’s track and field. There is also one doctorate as Simi Akinrinsola is receiving a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

Seven Wildcats – Austin Schultz, Chase Estep and Mason Moore from baseball, Rajon Rondo from men’s basketball, Chirs Westry from football, Justin Swann from men’s track and field and Riley O’Neill from men’s soccer – are expected to graduate after finishing their undergraduate work as part of UK Athletics’ Post-Eligibility program. Also known as the Cawood Ledford Scholarships, UK Athletics pays for tuition and books for scholarship student-athletes who return to school after completing their eligibility. Since its inception in 1989, more than 160 Wildcats have returned to graduate through the program.

UK’s graduating class also has excelled in the arenas of competition. While at Kentucky, the graduates have been part of two team NCAA Championships, 13 conference regular-season championships and 10 conference tournament championships. A total of 11 graduates have earned All-America honors while at Kentucky and 17 have gained all-conference recognition.

“We’re proud of another strong class of student-athletes earning bachelor’s and graduate degrees,” said Mitch Barnhart, UK Director of Athletics. “In this era of increased movement of athletes from school to school, it can be more challenging to complete degree requirements, and I’m grateful for the diligence of our students, the support of the coaches and the guidance of the CATS (Center for Academic and Tutorial Services) staff in getting to the academic finish line.”

Wildcat fans will continue to see many of these graduates on their respective fields of play in 2025-26 as numerous student-athletes have remaining eligibility and will return to represent UK while attending graduate school or completing additional undergraduate certifications.

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 as Wildcat scholarship student-athletes combined to achieve a GPA of 3.405. Including non-scholarship athletes from all sports, the overall UK Athletics GPA was 3.391. 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, 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.

The NCAA released its Academic Progress Rate report Tuesday, showing that all University of Kentucky sports teams surpassed the NCAA goal score. Sixteen of the 20 UK team scores exceeded the national average for public universities in their sports and UK’s overall APR rate was higher than the overall national average.

Below is the list of expected graduates:

Baseball (18)

Devin Burkes

Evan Byers

Chase Estep *

Simon Gregersen

Cole Hage

Cole Hentschel

Robert Hogan

Dylan Koontz

William Marcy

Nicholas McCay

James McCoy

Shaun Montoya

Mason Moore *

Jackson Nove

Raphael Pelletier

Cooper Robinson

Hayden Smith

Austin Schultz *

Men’s Basketball (8)

Ansley Almonor

Koby Brea

Lamont Butler, Jr.

Andrew Carr

Grant Darbyshire

Kerr Kriisa

Jaxson Robinson

Rajon Rondo *

Football (12)

Trey Dennis

Jantzen Dunn

Fred Farrier, II

Maxwell Hairston

Josaih Hayes

Jordan Lovett

Lucas Padgett

Daveren Rayner

Paul Rodriguez

Jackson Schulz

Demie Sumo-Karngbaye

Chris Westry *

Men’s Golf (2)

Jackson Klutznick – master’s degree

Jansen Preston

Men’s Soccer (3)

Ryan Jack

Casper Mols

Riley O’Neill *

Men’s Swimming and Diving (7)

Max Berg

Nicholas Caruso

Samuel Duncan – master’s degree

Jack Hamilton

Victor Martin Roig

Jackson Mussler

Christopher Nagy – master’s degree

Men’s Tennis (1)

Charlelie Cosnet

Men’s Track and Field (9)

Donsten Brown

Luke Brown

Logan Coles

Brayden Jackson

Alexander Justus

Brandon Miller

Jack Pendergast – master’s degree

Jackson Watts

Justin Swann *

Rifle (3)

Allison Buesseler

Tori Kopelen

Jaden Thompson – master’s degree

STUNT (5)

Aisling Frost

Katherine Larson

Chloe Moxley

Laila White

Alexus Womack

Women’s Golf (1)

Marta Lopez Echevarria

Gymnastics (6)

Hailey Davis – master’s degree

Skylar Killough-Wilhelm

Isabella Magnelli – master’s degree

Jillian Procasky

Anna Riegert

Makenzie Wilson

Women’s Soccer (8)

Kennedy Chambers

Nicole Coryell – master’s degree

Dana Dahm

Marzia Josephson – master’s degree

Lesley Kiesling – master’s degree

Kaile Alford

Gabrielle Ballew

Gabriella Johnson

Softball (4)

McKenzie Bump – master’s degree

Alexia Lacatena

Grace Lorsung

Hallie Mitchell

Women’s Swimming and Diving (5)

Victoria Buerger

Kaelan Daly

Abigail Devereaux

Olivia Mendenhall

Madeline Welborn

Women’s Tennis (5)

Elizabeth Eades

Lidia Gonzalez Garcia

Zoe Hammond

Eleanor Myers

Elizabeth Stevens – master’s degree

Women’s Track and Field (15)

Simi Akinrinsola – Doctor of Pharmacy

Hannah Douglas

Ainsley Edwards

Sophie Galloway

Alexis Glasco

Alysia Johnson

Amya Livingston

Phoebe McCowan

Ariel Pedigo

Victoria Perrow

Payton Phillips

Tesa Roberts – master’s degree

Mollie Roden

Jenna Schwinghamer

Juliann Williams

Volleyball (4)

Eleanor Beavin

Lane Jenkins

Erin Lamb – master’s degree

Megan Wilson