This Day in History: May 9, 1999: Nancy Mace becomes first woman to graduate from The Citadel
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — On this day in 1999, current Congresswoman and gubernatorial candidate Nancy Mace made history by becoming the first woman to graduate from The Citadel.
Mace and Kim Messer of Clover enrolled at the military college in 1996. They were the only two women to have been accepted and decided to attend the Citadel.
The enrollment paved the way for policies to be changed to accommodate women.
In 1997, a year after Mace matriculated, Cadet Mandy Garcia, ’01, a cross-country and track runner, became the first woman to earn an athletic scholarship to attend.
Since then, women’s varsity sports have grown at the school to include track and field, cross country, golf, rifle, soccer and volleyball.
In the spring of 2024, 13% of all members of the Corps of Cadets were women.
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