CHARLESTON, S.C. – Seven cadet-athletes representing five sports have been elevated into company and battalion leadership positions for the 2021-22 school year, a continuing example of the upstanding values and performance of The Citadel's cadet-athletes both on and off the field.
Wrestling's Grant Speer, a junior from Chattanooga, Tenn., will serve as the First Batallion Commander, one of the top positions for a cadet within campus leadership. Speer, who competes at 157 pounds, captured wins over St. Thomas' Daniel Garlin and Gardner-Webb's Chasey McKinney this season while also fulfilling his on-campus duties.
Three Bulldogs have been tabbed as Company Commanders: volleyball's Alicia Roberts (Oscar Company), wrestling's Kyle Kretzer (Victor Company) and track and field's Jeremy Walker (Bravo Company).
Roberts saw action in 14 of The Citadel's 21 matches this season, hammering down 30 kills with 16 blocks; her 0.53 blocks per set ranked second on the squad.
Kretzer earned six victories in 2020-21, including one fall and one major decision, and also picked up a 6-1 decision win over then-No. 12 Caleb Waddell of Chattanooga on Jan. 17.
Walker was a member of the distance medley relay squad that took second place at the Carolina Indoor Open earlier this season and holds personal-best marks of 24.87 in the 200m dash and 54.52 in the 400m dash.
Rounding out the leadership team from athletics are a trio of First Sergeants with two representatives from soccer, Marie Le Gallo (Delta Company) and Brie Sikes (Bravo Company), and rifle's Taylor Swiger (Hotel Company).
Le Gallo has made 13 appearance with 12 starts for soccer this season and has played 90 or more minutes in nine of those matches. She dished out her fourth career assist in a win at Anderson on Feb. 14 and has been an integral part of the team's back line in 2020-21.
Across seven starts in goal for the Bulldogs this season, Sikes has 38 saves while surrendering just 10 goals, with her 1.34 goals against average currently tied for second in program history in a single season.
Swiger, who was named a CRCA Scholastic All-American in 2019-20, shot a career-best 534 in smallbore twice this season against Jacksonville State (Oct. 25) and Georgia Southern (Jan. 31).
