New London — It's like the Oscars of the Coast Guard.

There's the buildup. And the big reveal. But instead of crisp, red envelopes, there are sleek blue folders to open. And no one cares who you're wearing, but rather where you're going.

The Coast Guard Academy Class of 2017 gathered in the Leamy Hall auditorium Thursday night to learn where they'll be spending the next two to three years after graduation.

Billet Night, as it's called, is perhaps the most anticipated moment of a cadet's time at the academy. As Adm. James Rendon said before the announcements began, "It's not a time for long speeches."

The night started in its usual lighthearted manner, with the commanding officer of the barque Eagle, Capt. Matt Meilstrup, the emcee for the evening, cracking jokes only wholly comprehended by the cadets. He called out "The Don," a nickname given to a cadet who is known for negotiating parking deals, and took a jab at another cadet for not being AWOL for once.

William "Trey" Maxam and Patrick Ledzian are the first cadets in the academy's history who will report to Coast Guard Cyber Command in Washington, D.C., upon graduating. Both cadets are on the academy's Cyber Team, and put cyber command as their first choice.

"It's something we've been making noise about for years, so we're really excited that it happened," Ledzian said of the new opportunity.

He emphasized the faculty's support in getting the word out about the cyber team, new as of about three years ago. The team's meeting place in McAllister Hall has become a stop for people touring the academy, helping the team to get its message out that "we think this is important and we like doing it, and we want to keep doing it in the Coast Guard," Ledzian said.

Maxam, who a fellow cadet referred to as "Mr. Cyber" when walking past, said he's looking forward to working in a field that is evolving dramatically and at the forefront of political discussion.

"Hopefully, we'll be watch standing on the watch floor there, basically keeping track of what's going on in the Coast Guard networks and then responding appropriately," he said.

Maxam and Ledzian will be joining a relatively new command that already is experiencing growth. The Coast Guard recently formed a network operations security center, "so we went from 47 people to 200," said Capt. Kyle Smith, chief of strategic planning for the command.

Smith said the cadets will be learning how to defend the Coast Guard's network. He was planning to spend as much time as possible exposing the cadets to their new command and relevant agencies such as the FBI.

Cadets' orders are carefully guarded until billet night, when reactions run the gamut from fist-bumping to squealing. One female cadet fanned herself with her billet upon learning she was headed to Hawaii.

The majority of cadets go on to serve on cutters such as the Steadfast, the first, and one of only two, cutters to be awarded the gold marijuana leaf, symbolizing the seizure of 1 million pounds of marijuana.

j.bergman@theday.com