Celebrating Excellence at the Institute
Each May, numerous awards recognizing the accomplishments of cadets, faculty, and staff across multiple fields and disciplines are presented at VMI’s Institute Awards ceremony. These awards are provided by VMI, by civic groups, and by the Institute’s ROTC units.
2024 Recipients
The following members of the VMI community were recognized this year in Memorial Hall:
| AWARD | RECIPIENT |
| Intercollegiate Sports Awards | Eleyah Cheylon Armstrong ’25 |
| Intercollegiate Sports Awards | Keyandre Dominic Midgett ’24 |
| Intercollegiate Sports Awards | Luke Alexander Rusterucci ’25 |
| Lieutenant General Edward Mallory Almond ’15 Award | Justin Timothy Peterson ’24 |
| General Douglas MacArthur Cadet Award | Justin Timothy Peterson ’24 |
| 100th Infantry Division Lieutenant General Withers A. Burress Marksmanship Award (Men’s Rifle Team) | Christopher Hayse Hicks ’24 |
| 100th Infantry Division Lieutenant General Withers A. Burress Marksmanship Award (Women’s Rifle Team) | Victoria K. Phillips ’25 |
| The Lieutenant John H. Lattin ’66 Award | Thomas Michael Lees Jr. ’24 |
| 100th Infantry Division Lieutenant General Withers A. Burress Scholarship Fund Awards (Rising 1st) | Ethan Michael Fogle ’25 |
| 100th Infantry Division Lieutenant General Withers A. Burress Scholarship Fund Awards (Rising 1st) | Vincent Lee Cyrus ’25 |
| 100th Infantry Division Lieutenant General Withers A. Burress Scholarship Fund Awards (Rising 2nd) | Caelan Arcin Patel ’26 |
| 100th Infantry Division Lieutenant General Withers A. Burress Scholarship Fund Awards (Rising 2nd) | James Oliver Aldinger ’26 |
| Major General Stephen Sewell Jr. ’60 Award | Meagan Marie Riding ’27 |
| Colonel Thomas St. John Arnold Award | Benjamin Luke Greer ’24 |
| CMDR H.M. Mason Military Proficiency Award | Benjamin Luke Greer ’24 |
| General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr, Sixth Marine Division Awards | Joseph Addison Hagan ’24 |
| General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. Sixth Marine Division Awards | Sebastian Mitchell Ramirez ’24 |
| Chesty Puller Award, First Marine Division | Sebastian Mitchell Ramirez ’24 |
| Chesty Puller Scholarship, First Marine Division | David Cole Newman ’25 |
| Chesty Puller Scholarship, First Marine Division | Andres Rodrigo Hernandez ’26 |
| The Chief of Naval Operations Distinguished Midshipman Graduate Award | Kieran Francis Weldon ’24 |
| Lieutenant Mark R. Wilson Sr. Midshipman Award | Kieran Francis Weldon ’24 |
| Naval Submarine League: Admiral Frederick B. Warder Award | Ella Marie Flickinger ’24 |
| Charles R. Martin ’55 Award | Jacob Ray Johnston ’24 |
| Earl L. Valentine Jr. Award | Kate Ashby Taylor ’24 |
| Alan D’Andelot Belin Memorial Prize | Matthew David Assouad ’27 |
| John Ryd Bush Award | Matthew David Assouad ’27 |
| Charles H. Dayhuff Jr. ’31 First Captain Award | Brian Michael Pritchard ’24 |
| Faculty Scholarships for Merit | Sarah Elizabeth Woosley ’26 |
| Faculty Scholarships for Merit | James Andrew Boynewicz ’25 |
| Faculty Scholarships for Merit | Louis Brandt Wiltenmuth ’25 |
| Faculty Scholarships for Merit | Nathalie Grace Lavender ’26 |
| Faculty Scholarships for Merit | Gabriel Patrick Williams ’25 |
| Francis H. Smith Award | Kenna Jaye McAllister ’25 |
| The New Market Scholar-in-Residence | Ebenezer Owusu Abebrese ’27 |
| Sir Moses Ezekiel Award | Kyle Harrison Dargis ’24 |
| The Colonel Daniel T. Ingram 1921 – Castle Heights Military Academy Award Nomination | Robert Brayden Jones ’24 |
| Award for Excellence in Physics | Mitchell Wayne Meyer ’24 |
| Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury Award | Komsun Samngamkeao ’24 |
| Alfred H. Knowles Award (First Class) | Joshua Diesel Cheung ’24 |
| Civil Engineering Award | Anne Columbia Townsend ’24 |
| COL Herbert Nash Dillard ’34 Award | Anne Columbia Townsend ’24 |
| Institute Writing Program Thesis Awards: Engineering & Science | Anne Columbia Townsend ’24 |
| Institute Writing Program Thesis Awards: Engineering & Science | Col. Charles D. Newhouse |
| Institute Writing Program Thesis Awards: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences | Virginia Grace Townsend ’24 |
| Institute Writing Program Thesis Awards: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences | Col. Brent D. Hierman |
| The Floyd D. Gottwald Jr ’43 Award in Chemistry | Virginia Grace Townsend ’24 |
| Stewart W. Anderson ’08 Memorial Award | Stone Matthew Petersen ’24 |
| Stewart W. Anderson ’08 Memorial Award | Jacob Daniel Clift ’24 |
| The John W. and Jane M. Roberts Award | Jacob Russell Kleinschuster ’24 |
| International Studies Award | James Michael Lee Murphy ’24 |
| Lieutenant Randolph T. Townsend Award | Parker Howell Johnson ’24 |
| Thomas S. Baur ’75 Award for Excellence in Exercise Science | Crews Alexander Jones ’24 |
| Bruce C. Gottwald Jr. ’81 Award | Adam Chendeb Hoffman ’24 |
| Adolpho Ponzanelli Award | Barbara Louise Vinarao Keating ’24 |
| Superintendent William H Milton Jr. Class of 1920 Award | Dillon Clay Tidwell ’24 |
| The Wilbur S. Hinman Jr., ’26 Research Award Arts & Humanities | Nolan Alexander Kinz ’24 |
| The Wilbur S. Hinman Jr., ’26 Research Award Arts & Humanities | Lt. Col. Mark D. Boonshoft |
| The Wilbur S. Hinman Jr., ’26 Research Award Natural Sciences | Abigail Grace Basener ’24 |
| The Wilbur S. Hinman Jr., ’26 Research Award Natural Sciences | Col. John A. David |
| The Wilbur S. Hinman Jr., ’26 Research Award Life Sciences | Christopher Norman Kushner ’24 |
| The Wilbur S. Hinman Jr., ’26 Research Award Life Sciences | Col. Anne B. Alerding |
| The Wilbur S. Hinman Jr., ’26 Research Award Engineering | Benjamin Debrell Wallace ’25 |
| The Wilbur S. Hinman Jr., ’26 Research Award Engineering | Lt. Col. David M. Feinauer |
| Class of 1964 New Market Legacy Award | Travis Stuart Buchanan ’24 |
| Asa S. Dearing Award | Joshua Diesel Cheung ’24 |
| The Nathaniel W. Pendleton ’22 Distinguished Coaching Award | James R. Purpura III |
| The VMI Distinguished Service Award | Col. Thomas C. Timmes ’92 |
| The VMI Distinguished Service Award | John W. Painter Sr. “Jay” |
| The VMI Distinguished Service Award | Charlene C. Graves |
| The Dr. D. Rae Carpenter Award | Maj. Caleb A. Brown |
| The Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award | Maj. Chistopher M. Blunda |
| The VMI Distinguished Teaching Award | Col. John A. David |
| The Jackson-Hope VMIRL Matthew Fontaine Maury Prize for Excellence in Research | Col. J. Patrick Rhamey Jr. |
| The Jackson-Hope Prize for Excellence in Published Scholarly Work – Humanities & Social Sciences | Dr. Bing Jiang |
| The Jackson-Hope Prize for Excellence in Published Scholarly Work – Science & Engineering | Col. Daniel P. Harrison ’05 |
| John W. and Jane M. Roberts Professorship in Free Enterprise Business | Col. Barry R. Cobb |
| Jackson-Hope Distinguished Chair in Arts and Humanities | Col. Christina R. McDonald |
| Nanette & Thomas Watjen 1976 Chair in Economics and Business | Col. Valentina P. Dimitrova-Grajzl |
| Jonathan Myrick Daniels ’61 Chair for Academic Excellence | Col. Ryan R. Holston |
| Bruce C. Gottwald Sr. ’54 Chair for Academic Excellence | Col. Ashleigh B. Smythe |
