Student-Athlete Graduation Celebration to Feature Abbott as Keynote Speaker
4/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | General
April 25, 2016
• Watch: Live Stream (Friday, 8 p.m.)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan alumnus and College Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Abbott will be the keynote speaker for the U-M Athletic Department's Student-Athlete Graduation Celebration on Friday (April 29, 8 p.m.) inside Crisler Center. Though the event is closed to the public, it will be live streamed for free on MGoBlue.com. More than 100 graduating student-athletes are expected to attend.
Abbott (1986-88), a member of the Michigan Hall of Honor, was widely requested to speak by this year's senior class. He is a two-time All-American, the 1987 Golden Spikes Award recipient, the 1988 Big Ten Player of the Year and a 1988 first-round draft pick by the California Angels.
Student-athletes Nolan Novak (men's gymnastics) and Maddie Clarfield (women's soccer) also will address their fellow graduating seniors.
Novak, a senior captain from Albuquerque, New Mexico, competed at the NCAA Championships all four years, finishing second on the pommel horse in 2015 to earn All-America honors. He is a member of two NCAA championship teams as the Wolverines won the national title in both 2013 and 2014.
Clarfield, a senior from Malibu, California, was voted a team captain for 2015 despite having played in three games her first three seasons. A Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Clarfield lined up a job before her senior year with a small investment firm, Makena Capital Management, after completing a successful internship in the summer of 2015.
Communications Contact: Ben Blevins
