Ranger Challenge cadets excel at competition

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Spartan Ranger Challenge team collected a pair of first-place event finishes and took fifth overall out of 16 teams from senior and junior military colleges at the Spartan Ranger Challenge held Oct. 28-29 at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

UNG cadets won the confidence obstacle course and rifle qualification events. Team members who contributed to these victories were Evan Childers, Austin Gabriel, Gillian Garner, Nicholas Hammesfahr, Benjamin McKey, Zane Parrish, Thomas Parsons, Thomas Pee, Kyle Sanders, Lizzie Spradlin, and McCay Turner.

"These cadets represented UNG and the ROTC department well, and their months of preparation were on full display as they went head-to-head against their senior military college rivals," Col. Bryan Kirk, UNG professor of military science, said. "I am very proud of the dedication and faithful work of our coaches and the commitment to excellence by our cadets. The physical and mental effort required to compete at this level will result in long-term success and sets them apart from their peers."

Ranger Challenge is the varsity sport of Army ROTC, and teams compete against other colleges in events such as patrol, marksmanship, weapons assembly, grenade assault course, Army Combat Fitness Test, land navigation, and road march.

UNG won the previous four Spartan Ranger Challenge events and followed up those victories with the ROTC title at the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point all four times. The university has invested in a partial obstacle course to assist the Ranger Challenge team in future training, and the team is seeking funds to support a second-phase course.

"The continued support from UNG alumni and UNG leadership remains foundational to their performance," Kirk said. "And they are already looking at how they will leverage the lessons learned this year into future victory."