SDSU Army ROTC Ranger Challenge Team Advances to West Point

On the weekend of Jan. 28, 2022, SDSU’s Army ROTC Ranger Challenge Team tied for first place in the Eighth Brigade Viking Ranger Challenge at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington. The team of nine students competed against The University of Hawaii and The University of Montana to advance to the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at West Point in April.

“Out of 273 Army ROTC programs across the US, only 16 advance to Sandhurst,” said team co-captain, Cadet Johnathan Hallmark. “Earning a spot to represent San Diego State at the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at West Point is a great honor.”

The ranger challenge team completed 12 events, each addressing various military skill sets, including marksmanship, physical fitness tests, and an M320 grenade range. Throughout several of the challenges, cadets carried up to 55-pounds of gear and wore military-grade gas masks.

Junior criminal justice student Cadet Caylee Van Houten shares her experience. “The most difficult challenge I faced was staying calm under extreme pressure and physical exhaustion,” said Van Houten. “Throughout the duration of the challenge, we are required to remain both physically and mentally agile.”

As the Aztec Battalion prepares for The Sandhurst competition, the team will continue to train their military skills through high intensity physical training.

“As cadets, we jump at all training opportunities available to gain experience. This competition provided us the tools to sharpen our individual soldier skills.” said Van Houten

The battalion prioritizes sportsmanship and dedicates themselves to team collaboration every step of the way.

“The key to our team’s success is the selfless attitude, determination, and physical fitness. Each team member contributes in their own way, which allows us to be extremely well rounded” said Hallmark.

The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.