First-year cadets Garrett Cunningham, Samuel Dibble, and Payton Hancock will receive the flags at Saturday’s football game against Old Dominion University.

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and the Virginia Tech football team continue their proud partnership to highlight the colors during the pre-game ceremony at every football game.

Three football players, chosen because of their performance in the last game or at practice, carry the American flag, the state flag, and the team’s spirit flag and lead the team onto the field. They deliver the flags to cadets at the south end of the field. 

The cadets, also selected based on their performance in the corps, render honor to the flags and carry them off the field. At home games, three first-year cadets are selected, and one or two upper-class cadets travel with the team and receive the flags at away games. 

Cunningham is majoring in criminology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. He is the recipient of a corps’ Emerging Leader Scholarship and in the Citizen-Leader Track program. He was chosen for his consistency in actions during New Cadet Week training. He set the pace for his training company and showed relentless personal integrity.

Dibble is majoring in history in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. He is the recipient of an Emerging Leader Scholarship and in Naval ROTC. He was chosen for his outstanding performance among his peers. He shows an incredible ability to learn quickly and showcases his dedication through his actions and words. 

Hancock is majoring in general engineering in the College of Engineering. She is the recipient of an Emerging Leader Scholarship and in the Citizen-Leader Track. She was chosen for showing great attention to detail and has had consistent initiative to help out fellow cadets.

Written by Lauren Zuchowski, a senior majoring in political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

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