CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel will hold its 2021 commencement ceremony inside McAlister Field House in two separate sessions on Saturday at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., with more than 70 cadet-athletes set to receive their degrees as part of the events.
 
Both commencement sessions will be live streamed by the university through both a live Facebook broadcast as well as a special commencement site.
 
The Citadel Commandant of Cadets, Captain Eugene "Geno" Paluso, USN (Ret.), '89, will address the South Carolina Corps of Cadets Class of 2021. Paluso will retire from the position of commandant on June 30, 2021. Paluso was born and raised in Washington, Pa. He attended college at The Citadel where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics in 1989. He began his military career in the Navy after being commissioned an ensign upon graduation and reported for duty as a student at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in Coronado, Calif., where he graduated with Class 164 in 1990.
 
Paluso went on to serve as a U.S. Navy SEAL officer for more than 25 years. He retired from the Navy in July 2014, joining his alma mater as Commandant of Cadets.
 
Several cadet-athletes will also be honored in Sunday's graduate college ceremonies, also set for two sessions at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. inside McAlister Field House.
 
Norman Seabrooks, The Citadel Class of 1973, will address The Citadel Graduate College's graduates. Seabrooks returned to campus to speak to cadets in 2010 about how his Citadel experience shaped and motivated him to succeed in his career; now he will return once again to speak about The Citadel and his career experiences.
 
Seabrooks was the first African-American to play football for the Bulldogs. He entered The Citadel at a tumultuous time in the nation's history. The Vietnam War raged on in Southeast Asia while anti-war protests caused unrest at home, and the Civil Rights Movement experienced some of its darkest moments with the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout the South, the Civil Rights Movement was marked by violence, unrest and the struggle for equal rights. At The Citadel, African-American students also struggled at what was then an all-male and predominantly white military college in the South.
 
A list of The Citadel's cadet-athletes who will receive their degrees this weekend is included below.
 
The Citadel 2021 Cadet-Athlete Graduates (listed by alphabetical order)
D'Andre Adams – Track and Field
Jenna Adcock – Soccer
Kevyn Banda – Soccer
Anna Barfield – Track and Field
Austin Blakely – Baseball
Sam Blumer – Track and Field
Max Brabston – Rifle
Logan Braucht – Football
Donnie Brechtel III – Football
Hayden Brown – Basketball
Jeffery Brown – Baseball
Tamia Burch – Track and Field
Ellie Burgess – Soccer
Adam Colon – Baseball
Maria Contreras – Soccer
Thomas Crawford – Football
Sharlissa de Jesus – Volleyball
Hayley Dettenmayer – Golf
Taylor Diggs – Soccer
Logan Dix – Soccer
Tyrell Earl – Football
Samantha Engel – Track and Field
Willie Eubanks III – Football
Wes Evans – Track and Field
Sean-Thomas Faulkner – Football
Dexter Freeman – Football
Megan Fuhr – Volleyball
JaBauri Garner – Football
Will Graham – Tennis
Haden Haas – Football
Blake Harrison – Football
Graham Holland – Track and Field
Jay Howard – Football
Cam Jensen – Baseball
Kaeley Johnston – Soccer
Zack Jones – Baseball
Mellanie King – Volleyball
Jon Barrett Lewis – Football/Track and Field
Harrison Mansell – Track and Field
Kate Manzione – Soccer
Michael McAleavey – Wrestling
Ryan McCarthy – Baseball/Football
Devin Merrick – Track and Field
Casey Miller – Cross Country/Track and Field
Brandon Mulier – Baseball
Devyn Nyhart – Soccer
Brooks O'Brien – Baseball
Brandon Oerman – Rifle
Timiebi Ogobri – Track and Field
Amber Opp – Cross Country/Track and Field
Dalton Owens – Football
Kenslee Padgett – Cross Country/Track and Field
Lindsay Pierce – Track and Field
Jake Pilarski – Baseball
Rachel Posner – Soccer
Brandon Rainey – Football
Liam Reid – Football
Alex Revell – Track and Field
Kaiden Rice – Basketball
Ashlee Richardson – Golf
Hannah Roth – Soccer
Joie Royer – Track and Field
Nadia Sandler – Golf
Keyonte Sessions – Football
Jeremy Shipley – Track and Field
Tilo Skole – Baseball
Hoss Smith – Football
Gavin Stewart – Tennis
Emma Strong – Volleyball
Logan Taplett – Baseball
Johnathan Toole – Football/Track and Field
Houston Tywater – Wrestling
Eric Vettel – Football
Luke Vettel – Track and Field
Raleigh Webb – Football/Track and Field
Derek Webster, Jr. – Basketball
Christian Weyrich – Football
Kevin Wilson – Football