Strong Showing for Cadets at West Point

- ROTC cadets from Cedarville University placed sixth among ROTC units from across the United States in the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition held April 12-13 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Sandhurst featured 49 teams total, including 16 college-based ROTC units and 15 teams from West Point. Also competing were teams from the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy as well as squads from 13 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Mexico.

— Andy Arreguin

Finishing in the top two spots were units from West Point, followed by University of North Georgia ROTC in third, two more units from West Point in fourth and fifth, with squads from the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, the United States Air Force Academy, and Australia filling out sixth through 10th place.

Teams finishing behind Cedarville included units from the Virginia Military Institute, Florida State University, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The Cedarville team also finished ahead of seven teams from West Point.

“The team did very well,” commented Andy Arreguin, co-captain of the Marauder Unit, of which Cedarville students are members. “These 16 ROTC teams were the top teams of the 273 ROTC programs across the nation. The team wanted to place higher, but we were all happy with our placing and look forward to continue training in preparation for next year.”

The Cedarville cadets earned the right to compete at West Point with their outstanding showing at the regional skills competition held at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in November 2018. The team of 11 students beat cadets representing 17 schools from Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.

Members of the team include co-captain Danuta Lesko from Lagrangeville, New York; Arreguin from Tucson, Arizona; Nate Mason from California, Maryland; Scott Grimes from Mancelona, Michigan; Victoria Collett from Harrodsburg, Kentucky; Zach Ashley from Beavercreek, Ohio; James Barber from Ashland, Kentucky; Jake Schlichtmann from Collegeville, Pennsylvania; Ethan McCall from Fort Wayne, Indiana; Jack Williamson from Sparta, New Jersey; and Daniel Heiple from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,193 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.