Two Coast students, best friends appointed to US Merchant Marine Academy
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Two Mississippi students from St. Stanislaus nominated to attend USMMA
- Ilgenfritz and Nunmaker aim for maritime careers after USMMA and Navy Reserve
- Students face 20-day indoctrination, military training and rigorous academics
Brooks Ilgenfritz of Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian’s Henry Nunmaker have been appointed to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, where they will train to serve as future leaders in maritime and military operations.
Located in Kings Point, New York, USMMA is one of the nation’s five federal service academies. The Academy received 1,700 applications this year, but only accepted 280 appointees.
“We look forward to welcoming the plebe candidates of the Class of 2029 to indoctrination at USMMA,” USMMA Acting Superintendent Captain Anthony J. “Tony” Ceraolo said in a statement. “We have great expectations for this Class and wish them every success as they begin a lifetime of service to our Nation.”
Upon arrival at the academy, Ilgenfritz and Nunmaker will begin a 20-day indoctrination of rigorous military and academic training. Following that, the appointees, also known as plebe candidates, will be sworn into the U.S. Navy Reserve. They will remain in plebe status until the spring trimester, when they are formally recognized as Midshipmen.
Early origins
Nunmaker moved from Mandeville to Pass Christian in 2022 and enrolled at Saint Stanislaus College, a Catholic boys’ day and boarding school on the Coast. He soon joined the baseball team, where he became friends with Ilgenfritz.
Together, the duo helped lead St. Stanislaus to the 2023 state baseball championship series. This past season, they finished strong, capping off their high school baseball careers with another successful run.
Not interested in the typical college experience, Nunmaker proposed the idea of attending USMMA to Ilgenfritz.
“I told him in English class one day that I was thinking about doing it,” Nunmaker said.
After five months of essays, letters of recommendation, fitness tests and health exams, Nunmaker and Ilgenfritz received their nominations from Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Ezell.
Rep. Mike Ezell nominated 17 students to four U.S. service academies, including five to USMMA. The number of Gulf Coast students accepted as plebe candidates was not immediately available.
“You get such a big field once you graduate, and you can do so much,” Ilgenfritz said.
Life at USMMA
USMMA offers 19 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III varsity programs and three competitive club programs. The duo said they are excited to join the rowing team.
“They highly encourage you to do a sport when you go up there to stay busy so you’re not rotting in a dorm room all day,” Nunmaker said.
Alongside intense physical training, students are required to attend up to seven hours of class daily. Midshipmen can choose from among five different majors, and Ilgenfritz and Nunmaker are looking forward to majoring in marine transportation.
After graduation, Ilgenfritz and Nunmaker plan to work in the maritime industry for five years while simultaneously fulfilling an eight-year commitment in the Armed Forces Reserve. Their reserve service will be part-time unless they are called to active duty.
“I think both of our plans are to come back down here and get a job on the Mississippi River,” Nunmaker said. “Our end goal is to be Crescent River Port Pilots.”
A Crescent River Port Pilot is a skilled mariner responsible for safely navigating the thousands of vessels that enter the Port of New Orleans each day.
Both Ilgenfrtiz and Nunmaker said St. Stanislaus prepared them well for USMMA.
“We both loved it. It gave us a good foundation for getting into USMMA. They’ve sent a lot of kids there,” Ilgenfrtiz said.
“We are so happy for Brooks and Henry and the experiences that await them,” St. Stanislaus Principal Nancy Artigues said. “It was a privilege to watch them develop the self-discipline, character, confidence and foundation in Gospel values that carry a young man through life.”
Ilgenfritz and Nunmaker leave on Thursday, July 3.
“My family is excited for the experience that we’ll have up there,” Nunmaker said. “We’ll get to travel the entire world, it’ll be something different that not a lot of people do.”
This story was originally published June 29, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
