CHARLESTON, S.C. – A total of 101 current and former student-athletes and 17 members of athletic department support groups participated in May Commencement ceremonies held at the College of Charleston on Friday and 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 arts history, historic preservation and community planning, studio art, elementary education, public health, special education, accounting, business administration, economics, finance, international business, supply chain management, astrophysics, biology, computer science, physics, communication, political science, psychology and international studies majors.
The diverse group also hailed from 22 different states as far out west as Washington state, California, Idaho and Arizona to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Midwest region of Wisconsin and Michigan as well as three countries that included Poland, Germany and Sweden.
Twenty-seven student-athletes in the Class of 2016 graduated with honors including J. Stewart Walker Cup Award recipient Claire Newman (Greensboro, N.C.) of women's soccer, who graduated at the top of her class, summa cum laude, with a 3.9-or-better grade-point average.
Newman was one of eight CofC Honors College graduates along with Canyon Barry (Colorado Springs, Colo.) of men's basketball, Katie Dowling (Coronado, Calif.) of sailing, Michaela Herrmann (Centennial, Colo.) of women's soccer, Sarah Mackey (Bellevue, Wash.) of sailing, Charlotte Saxe (Wilton, Conn.) of sailing, Maly Taylor (Anderson, S.C.) of women's swimming and diving and Alex Wood (Duncan, S.C.) of men's swimming and diving. Barry, who was named a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American, also earned a college-wide student award – the John Lewis Gervais Jr. Award.
Those graduating magna cum laude (3.750-3.899 GPA) were Alexa Chiarelli (Marlton, N.J.) of women's track and field, Carly Hansis (Little River, S.C.) of softball, Michaela Herrmann, Taylor Hollingsworth (Marriottsville, Md.) of women's swimming and diving, Kornelia Kostka (Kielce, Poland) of women's cross country/track and field, Melissa Morello (Milwaukee, Wis.) of volleyball, Julia Neumann (Berlin, Germany) of women's golf, Grace Rebarchak (Mobile, Ala.) of volleyball, Maly Taylor, Morgan Webber (Moore, S.C.) of women's golf, Michelle Whitfield (Lexington, S.C.) of women's swimming and diving and Alex Wood.
Two student-athletes also earned their master's degrees: Tyler Wood (Glenwood, Md.) of men's cross country in accountancy and former women's soccer standout Sarah Cardamone (Downington, Pa.) in communication.
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 The Cougar Club at: (843) 953-8255.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON ATHLETICS MAY 2016 GRADUATES (in alphabetical order by last name)
Reed Baldridge, Sailing, Clear Lake, Texas, Public Health
Canyon Barry, Men's Basketball, Colorado Springs, Colo., Honors College, Physics
Eric Bauer, Baseball, Longwood, Fla., Business Administration
Victoria Bauer, Equestrian, Santa Clarita, Calif., Business Administration
Taylor Bibbiani, Equestrian, Deep River, Conn., Political Science
Harrison Bowne, Men's Basketball, Hickory, N.C., Exercise Science
Ben Boykin, Baseball, Fort Mill, S.C., Sociology
Nicholas Campbell, Men's Swimming & Diving, South Riding, Va., Political Science
Dominic Capocelli, Men's Swimming & Diving, Richmond, Va., International Business
Sarah Cardamone, Women's Soccer, Downingtown, Pa., Master's of Arts in Communication
Annie Carr, Equestrian, Pfafftown, N.C., Psychology
Valerie Cassell, Softball, Edison, N.J., Exercise Science, Cum Laude
Elizabeth Catoe, Women's Cross Country / Track & Field, Lancaster, S.C., Psychology
Alexa Chiarelli, Women's Track & Field, Marlton, N.J., Communication, Magna Cum Laude
Tucker Coons, Men's Soccer, Alpharetta, Ga., Finance
Matt Daly, Men's Tennis, Raleigh, N.C., Finance
Ryan Davidson, Sailing, Costa Mesa, Calif., Business Administration
Donald Desantis, Men's Swimming & Diving, Beverly Hills, Mich., Exercise Science
Katie Dowling, Sailing, Coronado, Calif., Honors College, Business Admin./Hospitality & Tourism Management
Ruth Elgren, Equestrian, Clinton, N.Y., Exercise Science, Cum Laude
Matt Elliott, Men's Swimming & Diving, Mechanicsville, Va., Exercise Science
Michael Eriksen, Men's Swimming & Diving, Atlanta, Ga., Business Administration/Accounting
Charles Essi, Offshore Sailing, Lakewood, Ohio, Finance
Brandon Folkman, Offshore Sailing, Redondo Beach, Calif., International Business
Chandler Frisbie, Softball, Lawrenceville, Ga., International Studies, Cum Laude
Charlie Ghriskey, Men's Tennis, Mount Kisco, N.Y., Business Administration
RoShani Glover, Women's Track & Field, Summerville, S.C., Sociology
Victoria Gonzalez, Equestrian, Greenport, N.Y., Elementary Education, Cum Laude
Olivia Gotwald, Equestrian, Cooperstown, N.Y., Middle Grades Education
James Greenfield, Offshore Sailing, Noank, Conn., Business Administration
Jake Gregory, Men's Swimming & Diving, Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Business Administration, Cum Laude
Carly Hansis, Softball, Little River, S.C., Sociology, Magna Cum Laude
Nathan Helvey, Baseball, Fort Mill, S.C., Sociology
Chase Henry, Baseball, Cowpens, S.C., Finance
Michaela Herrmann, Women's Soccer, Centennial, Colo., Honors College, International Studies, Magna Cum Laude
Shannon Hines, Women's Basketball, Spindale, N.C., Political Science
Taylor Hollingsworth, Women's Swimming & Diving, Marriottsville, Md., Art History/Studio Art, Magna Cum Laude
Ciera Holston, Women's Track & Field, Safford, Ariz., Communication
Hanna Horan, Offshore Sailing, Newport, R.I., Business Admin./Hospitality & Tourism Management
Rachel Hyland, Equestrian, Newtown, Conn., Economics
John Jonas, Men's Golf, Jacksonville, Fla., Business Administration
Jack Jorgensen, Sailing, La Canada, Calif., Marketing
Audrey Kallman, Equestrian, Suwanee, Ga., Business Administration
Will Kantlehner, Men's Swimming & Diving, Louisville, Ky., Studio Art/Political Science
Nicole Koretsky, Women's Soccer, Manalapan, N.J., Communication
Kornelia Kostka, Women's Cross Country / Track & Field, Kielce, Poland, Accounting/Finance, Magna Cum Laude
Stefan Kuehn, Offshore Sailing, Cutchogue, N.Y., Business Administration
Kelsey LeBuhn, Equestrian, Churchville, Md., Elementary Education
Rachel Leder, Women's Track & Field, Greenville, S.C., Finance
Zack Lewis, Men's Tennis, Richmond, Ky., Biology, Cum Laude
Henry Loong, Men's Swimming & Diving, Marietta, Ga., Finance, Cum Laude
Josh Lorenzetti, Men's Golf, Blythewood, S.C., Supply Chain Management
Jackie Luna-Castro, Women's Basketball, Boise, Idaho, Communication
Sarah Mackey, Sailing, Bellevue, Wash., Honors College, Computer Science, Cum Laude
Aisha Maddox, Women's Cross Country / Track & Field, Columbia, S.C., Exercise Science
Seppie McAdams, Sailing, Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Early Childhood Education
Brooke McAmis, Women's Tennis, Greensboro, N.C., Communication
Brianna McDonald, Women's Track & Field, Phoenixville, Pa., Biology
Jackson Moore, Men's Golf, Isle of Palms, S.C., Business Administration* (posthumous)
Melissa Morello, Volleyball, Milwaukee, Wis., Communication, Magna Cum Laude
Rebecca Mueller, Softball, Fair Oaks, Calif., Political Science
Elle Munns, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tampa, Fla., Elementary Education
Alexia Neal, Women's Track & Field, Beaufort, S.C., Biology
Julia Neumann, Women's Golf, Berlin, Germany, Finance, Magna Cum Laude
Claire Newman, Women's Soccer, Greensboro, N.C., Honors College, Physical Education, Summa Cum Laude
Megan Norton, Women's Swimming & Diving, Ocean City, N.J., International Studies, Cum Laude
Louise Olsson, Women's Golf, Uddeholm, Sweden, Exercise Science, Cum Laude
Alex Pastorius, Baseball, Midlothian, Va., Business Administration
Morgan Phillips, Baseball, New York City, N.Y., Sociology
Alex Pizzoli, Softball, Livingston, N.J., Arts Management
Adam Purvis, Men's Soccer, Statesboro, Ga., Business Administration
Grace Rebarchak, Volleyball, Mobile, Ala., Public Health, Magna Cum Laude
Josh Record, Men's Tennis, Tallahassee, Fla., Psychology
Dodge Rees, Sailing, Pensacola, Fla., Biology
Lydia Renn, Women's Swimming & Diving, Chapel Hill, N.C., Elementary Education
Jake Reynolds, Sailing, San Diego, Calif., Communication
Hunter Rice, Baseball, Boiling Springs, S.C., Sociology
Catherine Rodda, Equestrian, Bethesda, Md., History
Shane Rogan, Men's Golf, Blythewood, S.C., Physical Education
Emma Ryan, Women's Swimming & Diving, Cleveland, Ohio, Marketing
Michaela Reynolds, Sailing, Warwick, R.I., International Business
Charlotte Saxe, Sailing, Wilton, Conn., Honors College, Finance
Beka Schiff, Sailing, Tampa, Fla., Exercise Science
Katherine Schofield, Women's Tennis, Franklin, Tenn., Historic Preservation & Community Planning, Cum Laude
Allison Sender, Women's Soccer, Strongsville, Ohio, Business Administration
Natasha Senken, Women's Swimming & Diving, Garden City, N.Y., Psychology
Sarah Specter, Women's Track & Field, Columbia, S.C., Political Science, Cum Laude
Emily Stuart, Sailing, Newport, R.I., Marketing
Kyle Sutter, Sailing, San Diego, Calif., Exercise Science
Maly Taylor, Women's Swimming & Diving, Anderson, S.C., Honors College, Astrophysics/Physics, Magna Cum Laude
Jenna Terribile, Equestrian, Phoenix, Ariz., Special Education
Stacey Tomlinson, Women's Golf, Greeleyville, S.C., Public Health, Cum Laude
Easton Veremis, Equestrian, Columbus, Ohio, Exercise Science
Hope Walker, Women's Soccer, Charlotte, N.C., Exercise Science, Cum Laude
Haleigh Wayman, Equestrian, Pebble Beach, Calif., Studio Art
Morgan Webber, Women's Golf, Moore, S.C., Exercise Science, Magna Cum Laude
Michelle Whitfield, Women's Swimming & Diving, Lexington, S.C., Public Health, Magna Cum Laude
Alex Whipple, Sailing, Manhasset, N.Y., Business Administration
Alex Wood, Men's Swimming & Diving, Duncan, S.C., Honors College, Accounting, Magna Cum Laude
Tyler Wood, Men's Cross Country, Glenwood, Md., Master's of Science In Accountancy
Alex Young, Men's Soccer, Greenville, S.C., International Business
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON ATHLETICS SUPPORT GROUPS
Dylan Applegate, Baseball Student Assistant Coach, Lexington, Ky., Exercise Science
Niki Bedenbaugh, Cheer, Chapin, S.C., Exercise Science
Jordan Devlin, Cheer, Summerville, S.C., Sociology
Nicole Gianoukos, Marketing & Promotions, Charleston, S.C., Business Administration
Jenna Hansel, Athletics Communications, Old Saybrook, Conn., Public Health
Annabelle Herron, Athletic Training, Westminster, S.C., Cum Laude
Tory Holmes, Athletic Training, Cum Laude
Ben Korren, Men's Basketball Student Manager, Bedford, N.Y., Business Administration
Jeff Lewis, Marketing & Promotions, Alpharetta, Ga., Business Administration
Melanie Luck, Athletic Training, Centreville, Va.
Bree Maynor, Marketing & Promotions, Rock Hill, S.C., Marketing
Kelsey Mazzocco, Athletic Training, Southington, Conn., Cum Laude
Emily Morris, Athletic Training, Fort Mill, S.C.
Luke Morris, Athletics Communications, Lexington, S.C., History
Mariah Peralta, Marketing & Promotions, Summerville, S.C., Marketing
Taylor Schuman, Dance, Annapolis, Md., Business Admin./Hospitality & Tourism Management
Melissa Whiting, Dance, Centreville, Va., Arts Management
