NATCHITOCHES –Northwestern State University’s ROTC program fielded a Ranger Challenge team this fall that competed against programs from other universities across the nation in a series of fitness and skills events. Ranger Challenge is an event this is unique to ROTC.
“Cadets participating in the Ranger Challenge competition go above and beyond the typical ROTC experience by volunteering to spend hours of extra time throughout the semester in additional workout sessions and get the opportunity to learn Army skills which they then have to demonstrate in a mentally and physically challenging environment,” said LTC Joshua Drake, professor of military science.
NSU had the privilege to host Grambling State University’s ROTC program to complete part one of the competition this past October. Once the scores were tallied for 6th Brigade, NSU ROTC took first place out of five universities in the state of Louisiana (NSU, Grambling, LSU, Southern and Tulane) and placed 16th overall out of the 39 ROTC programs in the Brigade.
“This is the first Ranger Challenge team that NSU has fielded in four years,” Drake said. “Throughout the early morning ruck marches to the late-night fitness sessions, our Cadets worked tirelessly to train into the competitive group that they are. We look forward to next year’s competition as they now have the experience to challenge themselves further and find a spot in the Brigade’s top 10.”
Members of the NSU Ranger Challenge team include Jamie Dodds, Taylor Dixon, Seth Ozsoy, Jimmy Lara, Michael Shamblin, Peyton Bordelon, Justin Dysarz, Loren Higginbotham, Andrew Wesley, Caiden Matthews, and team captains Anthony Cantrell and Cade Davis.
