Click Here For Special CofC Class of 2011 Cougar Athletics Video

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A total of 51 current and former student-athletes participated in a pair of May Commencement ceremonies held at the College of Charleston on Saturday on the Cistern Yard.

A tradition unlike many other colleges and universities, CofC students who complete their undergraduate degrees do not wear robes or caps for the spring commencement ceremony. Instead, women don white dresses and men wear white dinner jackets. For decades, this annual tradition has taken place in front of The College's oldest building, Randolph Hall, with ancient live oak trees draped with Spanish moss setting the stage.

Of this year's diverse and articulate group of political science, arts management, psychology, international business, geology, marine biology and biochemistry majors, CofC women's basketball standout Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.) beat the odds as a first-generation college graduate in her family with a bachelor's degree in communication. She finished an impressive four years with the Cougars ranking second all-time in career games played (121), sixth all-time in career points scored (1,230), first in career assists (466) and second in career steals made (203). Gerty hopes to play professional basketball overseas post graduation.

CofC women's tennis player Emma Hayman (Wanganui, New Zealand) was the recipient of the Willard Augustus Silcox Tennis Award, while 2010 Southern Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Year Lukas Koncilia (Tyrol, Austria) was the recipient of the Pat Kelly Award in Social Activism.

Hayman, a business administration major, recently completed a sports marketing internship with Dunlop Sport during the Family Circle Cup on Daniel Island and is looking to pursue a master's degree in marketing at Durham University in England next year. Koncilia, a communication and political science double major, is in the process of opening his own film company, "Tierra Unida," with the hope of setting up a base for activist filmmaking in St. Leon, Nicaragua. He and his fellow production group of activists have a local documentary in the works on the lack of food access on the eastside of Charleston called, "America Street."

Equestrian rider Alex Percival (Rock Hill, S.C.) garnered outstanding student and department honors in English, while softball pitcher Alexa Datko (San Diego, Calif.) and women's cross country distance runner Kristin Jenkins (Cheyenne, Wyo.) earned outstanding student honors in biology and mathematics respectively.

Most notably, 14 student-athletes in the Class of 2011 graduated with honors including Jenkins and third baseman and 2010 SoCon Baseball Player of the Year Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.), who graduated at the top of their class, summa cum laude, with a 3.9 or better grade-point average, thanks to the help and guidance of the CofC Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) office headed up by director Keith Merritt II and academic advisor Kate Tiller and learning specialist Karen Donovan.

Koncilia, Percival and softball centerfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) graduated magna cum laude (3.750-3.899 GPA) followed by Datko, Ali Dowty (Vernon, Conn.) of equestrian, Justin Fojo (Port of Spain, Trinidad) of men's soccer, Jamie Holler (Rock Hill, S.C.) of baseball, Brynne Johnson (Centerville, Ohio) of women's track and field, Kelley Kroll (Irmo, S.C.) of equestrian, Annie Pease (Marietta, Ga.) of women's soccer, Amanda Raymond (Richmond, Va.) of women's soccer and Mary Zolga (Raynham, Mass.) of women's track and field, cum laude (3.500-3.749 GPA).

Former guard Danny Johnson (Morganton, N.C.), who starred for the CofC men's basketball team from 1998-99, returned to The College after 10 years of playing professional basketball to finish coursework towards his degree in sociology. Since 2009, Johnson has been the owner of Teacups and Trucks, a small business he built specializing in custom birthday parties for children.                                                                                                       

The majority of CofC's graduating student-athletes have benefited from scholarship funding throughout their academic and athletic careers provided by the Cougar Club, the athletic department's fundraising arm. If you would like to become a member to help continue to support student-athlete scholarships, please contact executive director Brandon Stevens at (843) 953-8255.

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON ATHLETICS MAY 2011 GRADUATES (in alphabetical order by last name)

Cole Allsopp, Sailing, Annapolis, Md., Business Administration

Jackson Benvenutti, Sailing, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., Political Science

Morgan Benz, Women's Soccer, Clifton, Va., Psychology

Isabel Boersma, Women's Track & Field, Franklin, Tenn., Biology

Mickael Boyer, Men's Tennis, Meudon, France, International Business

Justin Brewer, Baseball, Greer, S.C., Economics

Garrett Campbell, Men's Basketball, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Mathematics/Secondary Education Cognate

Kinsey Casey, Women's Tennis, Alpharetta, Ga., Business Administration

April Coyne, Women's Swimming & Diving, Shelby, N.C., Psychology

Ryan Daniels, Baseball, Victoria, Texas, Business Administration

Alexa Datko, Softball, San Diego, Calif., Biology, Cum Laude

Brianna Davie, Women's Basketball, Goose Creek, S.C., Business Administration

Ali Dowty, Equestrian, Vernon, Conn., International Business, Cum Laude

Kolby Epley, Baseball, Yadkinville, N.C., Communication

Sean Flatley, Men's Soccer, Virginia Beach, Va., Business Administration

Justin Fojo, Men's Soccer, Port of Spain, Trinidad, Physical Education and Health, Cum Laude

Sara Gardocki, Women's Swimming & Diving, Suffield, Conn., Communication

Tonia Gerty, Women's Basketball, Port Orange, Fla., Communication

Emma Hayman, Women's Tennis, Wanganui, New Zealand, Business Administration

Jamie Holler, Baseball, Rock Hill, S.C., Physical Education and Health, Cum Laude

Cristy Jamison, Sailing, Rye, N.Y., Communication

Kristin Jenkins, Women's Cross Country, Cheyenne, Wyo., Mathematics, Summa Cum Laude

Robert Jeroszko, Baseball, Greenville, S.C., Business Administration

Brynne Johnson, Women's Track & Field, Centerville, Ohio, International Business, Cum Laude

Danny Johnson, Men's Basketball, Morganton, N.C., Sociology

Paige Johnson, Volleyball, Sleepy Hollow, Ill., Business Administration

Patrick Jones, Men's Swimming & Diving, St. Simons Island, Ga., Geology

Lukas Koncilia, Men's Tennis, Tyrol, Austria, Communication/Political Science, Magna Cum Laude

Kelley Kroll, Equestrian, Irmo, S.C., Marine Biology, Cum Laude

Matt Leeds, Baseball, Boca Raton, Fla., Accounting, Summa Cum Laude

Jesse Mesa, Baseball, Miramar, Fla., Business Administration

Harrison Moore, Men's Golf, Orangeburg, S.C., Sociology

Keely Mulligan, Women's Tennis, Miami, Fla., Communication

Katie Nutaitis, Softball, Vienna, Va., Business Administration

Austin Parks, Men's Golf, Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Business Administration

Annie Pease, Women's Soccer, Marietta, Ga., Political Science, Cum Laude

Alex Percival, Equestrian, Rock Hill, S.C., English, Magna Cum Laude

Katie Pesature, Softball, Brewster, N.Y., Physical Education and Health

Ginny Phillips, Volleyball, Raleigh, N.C., Business Administration

Amanda Raymond, Women's Soccer, Richmond, Va., Biochemistry, Cum Laude

Jose Rodriguez, Baseball, Hialeah, Fla., Political Science

Faye Rossi, Equestrian, Warwick, N.Y., Accounting

Whitney Russell, Volleyball, Decatur, Ga., Communication

Joshua Shinoff, Men's Cross Country, San Diego, Calif., Biology

Jeremy Simmons, Men's Basketball, Lithonia, Ga., Communication

Jesse Simpson, Baseball, Baton Rouge, La., Communication

Travis Stewart, Baseball, Laurel, Md., Arts Management

Crystal Threlfall, Equestrian, Ridgefield, Conn., Business Administration

Kip Watson, Sailing, Duxbury, Mass., Political Science

Kristi Woodall, Softball, Huntersville, N.C., Business Administration, Magna Cum Laude

Mary Zolga, Women's Track & Field, Raynham, Mass., Business Administration, Cum Laude