25 WKU student-athletes to participate in winter commencement

Redshirt senior forward Dee Givens (4) drives toward the basket during the Lady Toppers’ game against Belmont in Diddle Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 13 in Bowling Green.

Drake Kizer

WKU will host its winter commencement ceremonies this weekend, and 25 student-athletes, boasting a cumulative grade point average of 3.10, are expected to participate and receive their degrees from the university.

Five of the 25 student-athletes will be receiving their master’s degrees, while the others will be earning their bachelor’s degrees or receiving a certificate of completion in a new area.

Redshirt senior forward Dee Givens, who was named Conference USA Player of the Week on Monday and selected to the NCAA Weekly Starting Five on Thursday, will graduate with a master’s degree with a 4.00 GPA.

Degrees obtained include electrical engineering, finance, nursing, exercise science, sport management, recreation and sport administration, student affairs in higher education, physical education and applied data analytics.

WKU Athletics announced on Oct. 18 that it had maintained the highest Graduation Success Rate in program history, according to the latest report released by the NCAA in October.

WKU posted an overall GSR of 85, matching last year’s score that ranked as the department’s top mark in the report’s existence. Five sport programs had a perfect 100 score, the department’s most since 2011-12.

WKU’s 64% Federal Graduation Rate is the second-highest in program history, and it’s 12% higher than the university’s general student body, which checks in at 52%.

Over the 2019 calendar year, 72 student-athletes have earned their degrees from the institution with a combined grade point average of over 3.15, according to a release.

Sports Editor Drake Kizer can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Drake on Twitter at @drakekizer.