Click Here For 2014 CofC Student-Athlete Graduation Profiles

CHARLESTON, S.C. – A total of 74 current and former student-athletes and 16 members of athletic department support groups participated in 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.

This year's scholars included accounting, biology, international business, geology, marine biology, history, historic preservation and community planning, mathematics, religious studies, political science, Jewish studies, psychology, art history, women's and gender studies and arts management majors.

The diverse group also hailed from 20 different states as far out west as California and Nevada to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Midwest landscapes of Iowa and Indiana as well as four countries that included the United Kingdom, Scotland, Chile and The Bahamas.

Eleven student-athletes in the Class of 2014 graduated with honors including 2014 First Team All-CAA selection Kelly Kambourelis (Melbourne, Fla.) of women's tennis and distance runner Elle Brewer (Knoxville, Tenn.) of women's cross country and track & field, who graduated at the top of their class, summa cum laude, with a 3.9-or-better grade-point average.

Kambourelis was one of five CofC Honors College graduates along with women's tennis teammate Jamie Harrell (Charleston, S.C.), who graduated cum laude in psychology. Kambourelis also earned two college-wide student awards including the John Lewis Gervais Jr. Award and the Alumni Medal.

Elizabeth Chambers (Mooresville, N.C.) of sailing and Dave Sherrier (Boulder, Colo.) of men's swimming and diving graduated magna cum laude (3.750-3.899 GPA) followed by Patrick Foos (Cincinnati, Ohio) of men's swimming and diving, Kathryn Miranda (Lexington, S.C.) of women's golf, Tess Shacknow (Wayne, N.J.) of women's swimming and diving, Meredith Smith (Westfield, N.J.) of women's swimming and diving and Lizzy Vaughn (Placerville, Calif.) of softball, cum laude (3.500-3.749 GPA).

Former CofC All-American outfielder and 2012 Southern Conference Player of the Year Marty Gantt (North Augusta, S.C.), who was selected by Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft and currently plays for the Class A Charlotte Stone Crabs, and former CofC men's golfer Coy Breen (San Antonio, Texas), who pursued a professional golf career after his senior year, completed their coursework for graduation and earned their degrees in communication and hospitality and tourism management, respectively.

All benefited from the academic support and guidance from the CofC Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) staff headed up by director Keith Merritt II, learning specialist Kate Tiller and academic advisor Kristin Rusboldt.

The majority of CofC's graduating student-athletes have also 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 Michele Wolfert at (843) 953-8255.

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON ATHLETICS MAY 2014 GRADUATES (in alphabetical order by last name)

Courtney Alexander, Sailing, Annapolis, Md., Communication/Political Science

Parker Allen, Men's Golf, Blythewood, S.C., Business Administration/Hospitality & Tourism Management

Katherine Baker, Sailing, Cohasset, Mass., Communication

Elizabeth Berry, Women's Swimming & Diving, Richmond, Va., Historic Preservation and Community Planning

Alex Boccard, Men's Cross Country, Huntington Station, N.Y., Communication

Sarah Boyle, Women's Swimming & Diving, Columbia, S.C., Business Admin./Hospitality & Tourism Management

Coy Breen, Men's Golf, San Antonio, Texas, Hospitality & Tourism Management

Elle Brewer, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, Knoxville, Tenn., Communication, Summa Cum Laude

Jillian Brown, Women's Basketball, Midlothian, Va., Exercise Science

Sarah Cardamone, Women's Soccer, Downingtown, Pa., Business Administration

Elizabeth Chambers, Sailing, Mooresville, N.C., Exercise Science, Magna Cum Laude

Carly Corthell, Softball, Reno, Nev., Hospitality & Tourism Management

Christina Couper, Equestrian, Weston, Mass., Public Health

Taeler Davis, Volleyball, Phelan, Calif., Public Health

Darcy Dorton, Volleyball, Muncie, Ind., Psychology

Victoria Fichman, Women's Soccer, Matthews, N.C., Sociology

Patrick Foos, Men's Swimming & Diving, Cincinnati, Ohio, Accounting, Cum Laude

Drew Freie, Baseball, Wilton, Iowa, Sociology

Alyssa Frye, Women's Basketball, Chester, Va., Arts Management

Marty Gantt, Baseball, North Augusta, S.C., Communication

Sophie Gotwald, Equestrian, Cooperstown, N.Y., Psychology

Neil Gowan, Men's Golf, London, England, Exercise Science

Wes Gross, Men's Soccer, Atlanta, Ga., Exercise Science

Judson Hall, Men's Basketball, Charlotte, N.C., Religious Studies

Stephen Hardy, Men's Tennis, Fairfax, Va., Business Administration/Hospitality & Tourism Management

Jamie Harrell, Women's Tennis, Charleston, S.C., Honors College, Psychology, Cum Laude

Nicole Hause, Sailing, Easton, Md., Accounting/Business Administration

Kelsey Hodgson, Softball, Woodstock, Ga., Communication

Jimmy Holton, Baseball, West Palm Beach, Fla., Public Health

Christa Horrocks, Women's Track & Field, Glen Mills, Pa., Biology

Tyler Jackson, Baseball, Bishopville, S.C., Public Health

Brittany Johnson, Women's Basketball, Marietta, Ga., Exercise Science

Nori Johnson, Men's Basketball, Greer, S.C., Sociology

McCallie Jones, Women's Soccer, Charlotte, N.C., Communication

Kelly Kambourelis, Women's Tennis, Melbourne, Fla., Honors College, Communication, Summa Cum Laude

Greg Karel, Men's Swimming & Diving, Bethesda, Md., Arts Management

Kerstin Koehler, Volleyball, Weaverville, N.C., Marketing

Amy Kubie, Sailing, Norwalk, Conn., Honors College, Economics

Crescente Lesser, Men's Tennis, Santiago, Chile, International Business

Grace Lucas, Sailing, Little Silver, N.J., Sociology

Jackson Marine, Men's Swimming & Diving, Lassiter, Ga., Accounting

Anna Martin, Women's Golf, Easley, S.C., Communication

Cody Martin, Baseball, Toccoa, Ga., Business Administration

Tam McGowen, Men's Soccer, Glasgow, Scotland, Psychology

Walker McLear, Women's Golf, Durham, N.C., Finance

Morgan McMillan, Equestrian, Hilton Head Island, S.C., Biology

Kaitlin McWhorter, Women's Track & Field, Basking Ridge, N.J., Exercise Science

Kathryn Miranda, Women's Golf, Lexington, S.C., Biology, Cum Laude

Tim Mitchell, Men's Golf, Austin, Texas, Business Administration

Jena Mohr, Women's Soccer, Greenville, S.C., Accounting

Brandon Murray, Baseball, Nassau, Bahamas, Business Administration

Andrew Nelson, Men's Cross Country, Marietta, Ga., Honors College, Psychology, Cum Laude

Emily Neideffer, Volleyball, Cary, N.C., Exercise Science

Trudy Noll, Equestrian, Columbia, S.C., Geology

Cameron Oakley, Men's Swimming & Diving, Greenville, N.C., Accounting

Katie O'Brien, Softball, Middletown, N.J., Biology

Taylor Penwell, Offshore Sailing, St. Michaels, Md., History

Nick Puciaty, Men's Swimming & Diving, Woodstock, Ga., Physical Education

Deidre Ramer, Women's Basketball, Franklin, Tenn., Communication

Jade Reynolds, Women's Soccer, Oxon, England, Sociology

Lexi Rider, Equestrian, Annapolis, Md., Communication

Jen Rosene, Softball, Charlotte, N.C., Honors College, Business Admin./Hospitality & Tourism Management

Blake Ross, Baseball, Evans, Ga., Business Administration

Tess Shacknow, Women's Swimming & Diving, Wayne, N.J., Marine Biology, Cum Laude

Dave Sherrier, Men's Swimming & Diving, Boulder, Colo., Mathematics, Magna Cum Laude

Carly Shevitz, Sailing, Santa Barbara, Calif., Exercise Science/Jewish Studies

Meredith Smith, Women's Swimming & Diving, Westfield, N.J., Exercise Science, Cum Laude

Erin Steffen, Women's Swimming & Diving, Wilmington, Del., Exercise Science

Afreyea Tolbert, Women's Basketball, Teaneck, N.J., Political Science

Elizabeth Ulicny, Equestrian, Cincinnati, Ohio, Art History

Lizzy Vaughn, Softball, Placerville, Calif., Women's and Gender Studies/International Studies, Cum Laude

Sara von Schweinitz, Equestrian, Irmo, S.C., Communication

Ryan Welke, Baseball, Tallahassee, Fla., Exercise Science

Maria Zavala, Softball, Vienna, Va., Business Administration

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON ATHLETICS SUPPORT GROUPS

Maggi Campanaro, Columbia, S.C., Athletic Training, Cum Laude

Lara Christian, Taylors, S.C., Athletic Training

Katie Domingo, Marketing & Promotions, Manteca, Calif., Business Administration

Caroline Eichholz, Athletics Communications, Savannah, Ga., Communication

William Farrior, Cheer, Brooklyn, N.Y., Communication

Kimberly Holliday, Sumter, S.C., Athletic Training, Cum Laude

Lauren Looper, Dacusville, S.C., Athletic Training, Cum Laude

Whitney Martin, Dance, Columbia, S.C., Communication

Ashton Medlin, Athletics Communications, Newberry, S.C., Exercise Science

Lindsey Morgan, Conway, S.C., Athletic Training

Adam Mutz, Franklin, Tenn., Athletic Training

Autumn Oakley, Moncks Corner, S.C., Athletic Training, Summa Cum Laude

Chelsey Perry, Brewster, Mass., Athletic Training

Grace Popham, Bristol, R.I., Athletic Training

Brandi Schumacher, Waynesville, N.C., Honors College, Athletic Training, Cum Laude

Shelley Wise, Batesburg-Leesville, S.C., Athletic Training, Cum Laude