SPRINGFIELD -- A total of 28 current and former Missouri State University student-athletes will receive their degrees Friday, Dec. 13 during fall commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at Great Southern Bank Arena on the Springfield campus.
 
Led by men's soccer with seven graduates and football with seven, the graduating student-athletes represent eight different sports.

Eight graduates earned academic honors. Two student-athletes earned summa cum laude (3.90 to 4.00 GPA) academic honors, including soccer players Daniel Normann and Hailey Palmer. Likewise, magna cum laude distinction (3.75-3.89 GPA) will be bestowed on women's soccer player Cazzi Norgren. Finally, the men's soccer trio of Jesus Barea, Daniel Shabani and Fumiya Shiraishi, in addition to football tight end Gary Clinton and softball standout Kelsie Lewis all earned cum laude (3.50-3.74 GPA) honors.
 
Seven Bears are also completing post-graduate degrees.
 
All told, Missouri State will confer 954 bachelor's degrees, 435 master's degrees, and 11 doctorate degrees on Friday. The university will recognize 8 students for their work with a more rigorous curriculum in the school's Honors College in addition to 84 students who will graduate summa cum laude, 90 magna cum laude and 190 cum laude honorees.

By sport, here are the student-athletes completing their degrees in December 2022:

Baseball (4): Dakota Kotowski (Criminology); Jake McMahill (M.P.S. Professional Studies / Sports Management Graduate Certificate); Reed Metz (Management and Leadership); Dylan Robertson (General Business).

Beach Volleyball (1): Tori Penick (M.B.A. Business Administration / International Business Graduate Certificate).

Football (7): Grant Burkett (Sports Management Graduate Certificate); Tahj Chambers (Communication Studies); Gary Clinton (Exercise & Movement Science)*; Danielson Ike (M.P.S. Professional Studies / Sports Management Graduate Certificate); Kaleno Levine (Sociology); Myles Shaw (Entrepreneurship); Jake Van Dyne (Communication Studies).

Men's Soccer (8): Pedro Arcoverde (Management and Leadership); Jesus Barea (Exercise & Movement Science / Foundations of Nutrition Undergraduate Certificate)*; Sergio Del Castillo (M.B.A. Business Administration / Finance Graduate Certificate); Pablo Guillen (Economics); Daniel Normann (Finance)***; Daniel Shabani (Psychology)*; Fumiya Shiraishi (General Studies)*; Harry Townsend (Professional Studies Graduate Certificate).

Softball (3): Kelsie Lewis (Early Childhood Education)*; Ellie McCoy (Sociology); Annie Mueller (Physical Education).

Women's Soccer (3): Cazzi Norgren (Psychology)**; Hailey Palmer (Exercise & Movement Science)***; Kate Schroeder (M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling).

Women's Swimming & Diving (1): Ashley Mallonee (Art Education).

Women's Track & Field (1): Felicity Watkins (Health Services).
 
^{*cum laude
**magna cum laude
***summa cum laude
# Honors College}