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