Central Cabarrus senior headed to Annapolis after appointments to 4 academies
CONCORD - A Cabarrus County high school senior can be proud to say he’s received appointments letters to four of the country’s military academies.
Lance Cagle, 17, a senior at Central Cabarrus High School, received appointments to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, U.S. Military Academy at West Point in West Point, NY, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO and the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.
Cagle has decided to go to the Naval Academy. He attended all four of the academys' summer leadership programs last summer as a rising senior.
His father, Jason Cagle is a United States Marine Corps Veteran. Both his grandfathers were in Army and Air Force respectively.
Approximately 1,200 candidates are selected each year for the Naval Academy’s “plebe” or freshman class, and each student is required to participate in Plebe Summer. Last year the Naval Academy received over 16,000 applications for the Class of 2023. The acceptance rate to the Naval Academy is comparable to top Ivy League schools like Yale and Brown at 8 percent.
All students who attend the Naval Academy do so on a full scholarship to include 100% tuition, room and board, medical and dental care costs. Receiving an appointment to any one of the country’s five service academies takes more than good grades. It requires an official nomination from a Member of Congress.
Cagle was picked from 500 applicants to receive a nomination to the Naval Academy from Sen. Richard Burr. He also received nominations to the Naval Academy and West Point from Congressman Richard Hudson.
An outstanding academic performance is also a requirement, but that part was easy for Cagle. He was always in the top 3 percent of his class during his time in Central Cabarrus’ STEM Program. He was also dual enrolled in college level math, physics, history and English classes at Rowan Cabarrus Community College’s College Career Promise Program, which allowed him to obtain college credits while meeting high school requirements.
He has taken 3 years of Chinese at the high school level and plans to continue studying Chinese at the Naval Academy. He was also a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club and served on the Cabarrus County Youth Commission as a student leader. In addition to his academic excellence, Cagle was a starter on the Central Cabarrus High varsity soccer team and earned the coach’s award and scholarship. He was also a kicker for the football team and ran track for Central. His 4x800 team qualified for regionals in 2019.
Cagle played elite level soccer for Charlotte Soccer Academy. He enjoyed helping out in Math Superstars, working with 5th graders at Beverly Hills Elementary School. He also worked as a certified North Carolina referee on the weekends.
Lastly, he is a rising star in the music production scene with his own YouTube channel (lance cagle). His latest release is called “Waking Up.”